Penny has 14 years as a Back Country Horse!

By Patty Wilber

Penny is 16 this year.  She did her first Back County Horseman trip when she was two.  She was ponied part of the time and ridden part of the time! That means she has been been a champ on the trails for 14 years! (She has also has over 200 show points, but that is another story.)

Penny in the Manzanos October 2009, at two. She was awfully cute.  Still is!

This week, we helped pack the Volunteers for the Outdoors into Stewart Lake in the Pecos Wilderness.  As always, the scenery is outstanding, and Penny was rock solid. I did manage to get a blister on my butt somehow.

Switchbacks are always fun.

Photo op at Stewart Lake!

Saddle pads are important no matter what kind of riding one is doing, and ever since I discovered Lucy was allergic to wool, I started using cotton, washable, saddle pad liners under my saddle pads.  I bought several western style–ok five–but then I left one in the bed of the truck and it blew out on my way home from a show, so I am down to four.  But I recently ordered two more that are on back order until late August so I will be up to six.

But the thing is, no matter what horse or saddle or regular saddle pad I use, the liners want to slip out behind, so to get them to stay in place, I have to set them forward and fold them over the front of my regular pad.  This leaves the very back of the the regular pad without a liner.

So, I went down to Rancho Elisa Stables, LLC TACK SHOP in Moriarty and bought two used dressage pads.  They are also too short, but they have attachments so they stay in place.

In the front is a tab that I tied to my saddle strings. Under the cinch is a loop that the cinch can go through. These kept the pad in place! Unfortunately, the liner is not as long as my western pad, but the shortness is comparable to the shortness of my western style liners when I have to fold over the front of my regular pad to get to stay in place.

Does no one else have this slippage trouble?  And why doesn’t someone design a western pad liner with Velcro straps that you could hook to the saddle to secure it?  If I still had a sewing machine I would do it myself! I might have to get with my crafty friend Shelley.  I know she could fix me up!

Here are a few more pictures of Penny over the years.

June, 2011. Penny, packing, at the Brazos Box Ranch, the year I ran some cattle in the high country.

Pecos, July 2016. BCH trip. Penny Ponying Indy.

October, 2019.  Jim on Penny, ponying Lucy, elk hunting.

Sept. 2020. Penny helping Black Jack (owned by Shirley) learn to cross water. BCH trip.

Penny is a good ‘un.

Cancer Chronicles. Nothing much to report.  The numbness in my thighs is still there, though improved. I am scheduled for a consult with my surgeon (over the chemo side effects) and I will meet with my oncologist prior to the infusion scheduled for next week.  Keep on keeping on!!