Throwback Thursday: Pom-Pom Saddle Pads
The one constant in the horse industry is change. Whether it be the evolution of breeding practices or the acceptance of new standards of movement, change is inevitable. However, sometimes it’s fun to take a step back in time to examine trends of the past.
Although many of us might like to secretly dispose of those yellowed photographs from days gone by, these tattered images capture moments in time that can never be recreated. The first stop on our trip down memory lane is with a charming, little brunette aboard a mare named Bee Play Queen. In the 70s, 4-year-old Lana Brooks knew that it didn’t matter how much silver was on your saddle but how much poof was on your pad.
“I think this was a handmade saddle cover,” Brooks says. “I’m not even sure what the official name of that is… My mom made them for me and attached them to my saddle pads. I had one for every color outfit when I showed in leadline and walk-trot. They didn’t make the transition to horsemanship or pleasure!”
Because Brooks was just a little tyke at the time, she can’t remember when these pom-pom-adorned saddle pads were all the rage. They say that everything old is new again, however, she hopes this isn’t a trend that comes back anytime soon.
“I really hope not,” she says. “I think it would be a really good indicator of a bad mover if [the pom-poms] were bouncing all around!”
Caption: Another pom-pom saddle pad spotted in our archives.
Taking a look at this old photograph brings back fond memories for Brooks.
“The mare’s name was Bee Play Queen, and she was probably three in this picture,” she says. “My mom bought her for me. She broke her, and we showed her mainly in open shows. Those were tough back then. They could have as many as 30 in the women’s pleasure or men’s pleasure. I had her until she died, when she was 32, right before I turned 34.”
“She was quiet and had a great mind. [That’s obvious] if I was showing her and she was that young. The only thing we found that she didn’t like was to be ridden bareback by two people. She would try to buck you off!”
Brooks was so fond of “Bee” that she later purchased a mare, who helped her win her first World Championship title in 2011, because she was reminded of her old friend.
“You really can’t tell it by looking at pictures but the mare that I bought two years ago from Sue Bastian, Sure Cool Te, could be her twin,” she says. “They are marked a lot alike. Peaches [Sure Cool Te] is bigger bodied and a little taller but they have the exact same disposition. That’s one of the main reasons why I wanted to buy her. She reminded me so much of Bee.”
If you have a Throwback Thursday photo that you’d like to share, e-mail it to b.bevis@equinechronicle.com and it might be featured in an upcoming article or included in our Throwback Thursday photo gallery.
