Meet the Musher- Karen Ramstead

 

When did you first encounter Siberians, and what made you want to get into the breed?

 

My husband wanted to move to northern Alberta for a job and I wasn't keen on leaving the city of Calgary, so he offered me the bribe of a purebred dog if I'd move. I agreed and spent the next 3 months researching different breeds. I narrowed it down to Alaskan Malamutes or Siberian Huskies - I think the fact that it was March and the Iditarod was on TV had a big factor in my decision to choose Siberians - the little dog book I had said you could race Siberians, but not Mals!!! :)

 

What is the origin of your affix NorthWapiti?

 

Our first kennel outside of Grande Prairie was north of the Wapiti River. Wapiti is a native word for 'elk' - which are a beautiful member of the deer family!

 

 

Have you ever attempted to breed to a particular line or type?

 

I'm actually interested in many different styles and lines of Siberians. I don't ever want my kennel to look like a bunch of 'cookie cutter' made dogs. That said - all dogs in the yard must be functional in harness.

Lines in our kennel include many old Canadian lines - Meomar and Chuchinka are the foundation lines in the kennel - and other lines like Atim, Turick, a little Innisfree and a good number of dogs straight from Earl and Natalie Norris.

 

What are your most memorable show/ race results? ( I changed it from is to are as you've so many!)

 

Very true. That is so hard.There are so many wonderful moments!

In the show ring - I well remember our 1st Champion (Ch. NorthWapiti's Mr. Thurston Howl SDU), and our first Group placements - we were so excited. Breezy's (Ch.Chuchinka's Dance in the Wind SDX) first Best in Show - with me on the end of the lead will always hold a special place in my memories. If I close my eyes, I can still hear the judge say "My Best in Show for today is the SIBERIAN". What a moment. Last November I took a Group 2nd at the All Breed Show the weekend of the National Specialty with my Iditarod finishing, Ch. Kainai's Anchorman. They had to hold up the dinner for the show (I was the guest speaker), so all the Siberian folks came out to cheer us on in the Group. An AMAZING cheer went up as we gaited - very exciting. Mannie has never shown better - he absolutely knew the fuss was for him!

I was also thrilled to finish Ch. NorthWapiti's Guy Smiley this past summer. He is one of my main leaders and the first NorthWapiti bred dog to be an Iditarod finisher and a Champion.

 

In harness, oh gosh - of course finishing Iditarod was unforgettable and, so far, the highlight of my race career, but I also am very proud of my win at the 1994 Quesnel Gold Rush Trail 54 mile race and my 4th in the 1996 Race to the Sky. Both races against Alaskan Husky competition.

 

What made you decide to run your dogs in harness?

 

That was always my intent. And the kennel we got our first Siberian, Meomar's Miss Liberty from, ran quite seriously - they took me for a ride and I knew this was a 'passion found' in my life.

 

Do you train during the summer and if so what type of training do you do?

 

Yes, we train for about 49 weeks of the year & we use quads

 

What is the maximum temperature you run at?

 

Well, we don't hook up in the morning if it is above 10C, but we often come back into the yard at temperatures in the 15 + range. Lots of breaks and lots of water are important on those warmer days!

 

How do you train a new lead dog?

 

Now I have the luxury of a LOT of great leaders (all but 4 or 5 of my main string dogs lead) to train new leaders for me! :) I do do ground work with up and coming leaders though. I also don't believe in necklines joining my leaders - I feel new leaders learn better if allowed to make mistakes!

 

What is your training schedule for your 3rd Iditarod?

 

The most intense training schedule I have ever laid out. :)

 

What has been the hardest moment out on the Iditarod trail?

 

Scratching from the Race in 2000. That was so horribly difficult, it was almost more then I could bear to sign my name to that piece of paper removing me from the Race.

 

Why, unlike so many other distance mushers, have you decided to race Siberian huskies?

 

Well, I think the important thing to let everyone know is that I am not a musher that races Siberian Huskies - I am a Siberian Husky person that mushes! Siberian Huskies are my first love - even more so then the sport (even thou I truly love running dogs!). I can safely say that I will always run Siberians - they own a piece of my soul.

 

Do you run any other breed in harness or possess any other animals?

 

We have an Australian Shepherd, Fly that is our yard dog and 2 cats, TakeOut and Grisle (all our cats are named after food, because....well...I'm sure you understand that!)

 

What is your saddest/ happiest/ funniest sleddog moment?

 

I don't know that I can answer that - the sport is so full of ups and downs - sometimes happening within mere moments of each other - that's one of the things that keeps it appealing to me. My happy/memorable moments are many I don't know that one stands out above the rest. I will tell you that most don't involve finish lines - they happen in the middle of nowhere - alone with my dogs!

Some very memorable moments occurred in the 2000 Race - getting frostbite on my belly and losing my team on the Yukon River!

 

Has owning Siberian huskies changed your life and if so in what way?

 

Absolutely and totally changed my life! Heck, in the days before Siberians I was the manager of a Royal Doulton China shop, we bused to work, had one dog and a cat, ordered take out food 3 - 4 times per week, went to movies, theatre, etc. for entertainment, and my wardrobe consisted of suits and dresses. Now we live over 100 Km from the nearest movie theatre, I haven't eaten takeout in months, my favorite fashion designer is Carhartt, I know I can handle a .44 magnum handgun, I can pee off the runners of a moving dogsled, and my family consists of over 50!! All changes for the better, in my eyes!

 

What are your hopes for the future?

 

That I can continue to do exactly what I'm doing now!