She’s Still Riding With Me

By: Brittany Bevis

Two years ago, Jenny Terhune lost her very best friend of 18 years to cancer. She and Betty Elmhirst first met in a shared boarding barn, and, as their relationship blossomed, they became like sisters.

“The barn was Betty’s happy place,” Jenny says. “We would saddle up her Tennessee Walking Horses and go for a trail ride. We would listen to the clip-clop of their feet going down the road and let all of the worries of the day or week go away.  The sun shined and we laughed and smiled as the miles went on.”

Jenny started riding horses at the age of ten. Her first horse was an Amateur Quarter Horse, but she quickly fell in color with the spotted coat patterns of the American Paint Horse. During her youth career, she rode an APHA/PTHA mare, Breezin Executive. Together, they were named the Reserve High-Point 14-18 Youth in the Nation for PtHA. Currently, as an amateur, she rides I’m Good N Sleepy Too, aka Bentley.

Meanwhile, Betty grew up in Northern Michigan showing in Barrel Racing and Gymkhana as a youth. Then, she purchased her first Tennessee Walking Horse and loved their smooth ride so much that she bought a second for her husband. Betty joined in at the Michigan Pinto shows with Jenny and was soon on the lookout for a Tennessee Walking Horse with color. In 2003, in a field in Tennessee, she found exactly that in, “Toby,” Prides Spotted Coin.

Betty’s highest achievement with Toby came when she rode him to be the first Gaited horse to exhibit and place at the Pinto World Show. In addition, they were the National Champions in Trail at The National Horse Show.

In 2010, Betty was diagnosed with Mantle-Cell Lymphoma. Through chemotherapy, radiation, and a stem cell transplant, she went into remission. Sadly, after five years, her lymphoma came back. Still, with a different combination of drugs, the doctors were able to get her back into remission for a second time. Finally, in September of 2017, the cancer came back a third time. “This time, there was no stopping it,” Jenny says. “No matter what drug they tried, the cancer outsmarted it. She passed away on March 14th, 2018.”

During Betty’s final months spent here on Earth, she and Jenny worked on designing a show outfit that would be created by Rachel Sackrider and that would compliment Jenny’s APHA red roan, Bentley. It was important that the design incorporated lime green, because that’s the color that’s associated with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma.

Earlier this month, Jenny was finally able to wear the outfit in the show pen, in honor of Betty. “Even though Lymphoma Awareness Month isn’t until September; for me, it’s every month. I ride in lime, for Betty.”

“It was important to have the lymphoma awareness ribbon on this beautiful vest because Betty was passionate about raising funds and awareness for Lymphoma. I want to continue to raise awareness for Lymphoma in her honor.  The placement over the heart is extra special as she will always be in my heart. She may not be physically next to me, but she is still riding along with me.”

“I still remember the one-year mark after her cancer diagnosis, chemotherapy, and stem-cell transplant like it was yesterday. It was one year to the day that we last rode together. We were not out on the beautiful trails or a road ride. It was a single lap in the arena with me by her side. She rode her black and white horse, Toby, and I was on my boy, Justin, and we just walked a single lap of the arena. Her smile of triumph still sticks with me. I still have her horse, Toby, because he is one special boy and holds a special place in my heart.”

If you have a great story to share with The Equine Chronicle, email B.Bevis@EquineChronicle.com.