Outside Looking In

Budweiser has its Clydesdales to promote its beverage. And if Mt. Dew needed a promo boost, it has RF Rambo waiting in his stall for a chance at showbiz.
Rambo is an Arabian Type Stallion who has been slamming down Mt. Dew for the better part of 25 years now. Maybe the sugary beverage is the stallion's fountain of youth. After all, Rambo is 35 years old; that's 122 1/2 in horse years based on the 3 1/2 years per human year scale. The average life expectancy of a stallion such as Rambo is around 25 years.
Jaime Liestman owns and operates Reflection Farm (the RF is placed in front of their horse's name to reflect where they come from) with her mother, Jean Liestman, four miles north of Litchfield. They breed, train and board horses of all kinds at their place. Currently, they have 40 horses on the farm.
Two veterinarians told the Liestmans to "just keep doing what you're doing" when referring to Rambo's Mt. Dew addiction. It's a little difficult to say giving that horse pop has hurt him in any way given his long and healthy life.
Although it's obvious the Liestmans have a fondness for all the horses, Rambo is their favorite.
"We've had him since he was born and he's one of a kind," Jean said.
"He has a marvelous disposition and is a trainer's dream," said Jaime.
Seems Rambo first developed a taste for the sugary soft drink during a national competition in Tulsa Oklahoma in 1991, where was a multi-national champion. Rambo has also won 42 Halter Championships.
While the Liestmans were sitting in the hot sun and having a KFC lunch during a break from competition in 1995, Rambo stretched his neck out of his nearby stall as if he wanted to try out Colonel Sanders' 11 herbs and spices.
Typically, the Liestmans don't feed "people food" to their horses, but as a reward they gave Rambo a bite of chicken and a biscuit. To wash it down, all that was with them at the time was Jaime's Mt. Dew. So she offered Rambo a sip and noticed his strong desire for the beverage.
At first, Rambo would drink any type of soda, but soon developed only a taste for Mt. Dew. If he is given a taste of any other pop now, he will simply walk away. He also will not drink Diet Mt. Dew, and his regular Mt. Dew must not be flat and it must be served cold.
There is a refrigerator in the Reflection Farm horse barn and includes an ample supply of Mt. Dew. When Rambo hears Jaime crack one open, he quickly heads for the front of his stall. And if Jaime isn't serving the beverage right away, Rambo strains to lick the top of the can.
Jaime then tips the can into Rambo's mouth as he smacks, slurps and chugs the pop. Like a gentleman, there is also no belching hen he is finished. Rambo averages a can a day, but would drink a 12-pack or more if allowed.
It might sound to some as though this is not a recommended beverage for a horse. But two veterinarians the Liestmans have worked with said "just keep doing what you're doing" because of Rambo's longevity and good health.
Rambo has a 23-year-old son named RG Spectacular that hasn't quite developed the taste for Mt. Dew like his father, but Rambo's grandson, RF Mortdecai, is also known to "Taste the Dew" on occasion.
Rambo's name is derivation of his Sire and Dam's names. But after naming him, many horse owners figured he was named for the Sylvester Stallone movie, which happened to come in 1985, the year their horse was born.
So the Liestman's began naming many of their horses after movies that came out in the year a horse was born, such as Alexander The Great, Alita, Black Swan, Cross My Heart, Delta Dawn, Dollywood, Epic, I Saw The Light, Jerry McGuire, Jumanji, Just Like Heaven, Make Your Move, Mona Lisa Smile, Mortdecai, Pitch Perfect, Red Dawn, and The Ultimate Gift.
Rambo has sired 375 foals in his life. It must be something in the water ... or the Mt. Dew.