Percy – Old Man Personality

A Senior Horse Story
By Paula E. Jeffers

We bought Percy in 1978. I was 15. I had been through several horses for showing and none of them had worked out. My sisters were doing well showing and I just kept getting discouraged. My parents decided to spend their income tax return on a better horse which was already trained for showing (or that was the plan!). We looked at one gelding, a beautiful buckskin Quarter Horse. He was trained and ready to go. Then my 4-H leader took us out to see a horse that was at a local trainer's place. The trainer was starting to work this 6-year-old ex-racehorse and was selling him for his owner. He was untrained... broke to ride, that's about it. The only thing he really knew was the racetrack. He was still lean looking as racehorses are. Somehow we must have seen the potential in him because we chose him over the Quarter Horse. He was a beautiful Appaloosa – bay with a white blanket. Whoever chose his name, Personality, was right on, because he has always had a sweet, awesome personality.

My journey with Percy began, along with a ton of hard work! I always told people that Percy taught me as much as I taught him. We were a team. I worked him nearly every day. He was smart, eager to learn and loved to please. When I first started showing him, I had to get to the show extra early and work him in the arena for an hour just to get him relaxed a bit. He had so much energy! Someone told us once that Percy would never make a performance horse. He not only made an awesome performance horse but he won countless awards and high points. He was versatile and could do just about anything. I showed him in Western, huntseat, saddleseat, reining, games, halter and more. We traveled all over the northwestern states to Appaloosa shows.

Shortly after I got Percy, we went on a trail ride. We got to the top of a small mountain and were heading back. There was a sharp rock and Percy slid on it with his back foot. It caught him and punctured an artery. We still had to go all the way down and had a 30-minute drive home! I got off and walked him. The blood was just spurting out! I was wearing a yellow turtleneck and a denim vest. I took the turtleneck off and just wore the vest and wrapped the shirt around his leg the best I could. We made it down the trail. With blood dripping out of the back of the trailer we raced home! Somehow we made it without him going down in the trailer. The vet come out and Percy needed a blood transfusion. The vet couldn't believe Percy made it that far!

When Mt. St. Helens erupted in 1980 we were in Moses Lake at an Appaloosa show. Part of the way through the show we heard the news! They stopped everything and before we hardly knew what was going on, HUGE puffy ash clouds started coming over. The sky turned pitch black in the middle of the day! Ash started falling like snow. It was an incredible event. We kept the horses in the stalls and did the best that we could to keep them from breathing in too much ash. A couple of days later we were given the okay to go. There was a long caravan of trucks and horse trailers cruising slowly down the highway.

Percy was my best friend during a time in my life when I was extremely shy. He played a big part in bringing me out of myself. He could be quite comical at times too. Percy was quite the escape artist. He was really good at getting his hoods and blankets off when he was in the stall. We used to have tie stalls at the fair (now they have box stalls), so the horses would get quite crabby by the end of the week. He never once laid his ears back or got upset in any way. Percy loved people! My sisters rode him from time to time in certain events. My dad showed him in halter. My little stepsister rode him in leadline. After I got married and had kids, my daughters learned to ride on him. My stepdad’s horse went lame before a riding trip to Twisp. He started riding Percy, who was 26 at the time and getting him into shape. Percy did just as well, if not better, than a lot of the younger horses that were there!

Percy is now nearing age 33. His health has deteriorated considerably over this last year. This summer he lost his sight in one eye. It’s completely glazed over and blue. He still seems to get around okay, but startles easily if approached from his blind side. His buddy Bo, an Appaloosa mare who is no spring chicken herself at the age of 24, leads him around. I promised Percy years ago that I would never sell him. I am extremely thankful that I have been able to have Percy for so many years of my life and most of his life as well. He's always been my "bud”.
Paula and her husband Steve home school their daughters Kaleigh and Brianna in Everson, WA. The family is involved in 4-H, dog showing, Irish dancing, designing Irish dance dresses and music. They live on 2 acres with their 2 horses, 2 cats and 3 dogs. You can contact them at blarneyhouse@msn.com 

Some of Percy’s Achievements

As a racehorse Personality ranked 4th in the nation on the Appaloosa circuit for 2-year-old geldings based on dollars earned.

In 1980 Percy won 4-H State Champion in Fitting and Showing.

Highlights from 1982:

Percy earned his R.O.M. (Register of Merit) in Saddleseat Pleasure.
This required earning National points at each show depending on how you
placed and how many were in your competition. He won almost every
time. He finished in 3rd place in the nation for points earned.

We also competed for points traveling all over Washington, Oregon and
Idaho for 2 different Regional Championships.

Northwest Appaloosa Championships:

Grand Champion Senior Performance Horse

Grand Champion Youth Games 16-18

3rd Aged Geldings Halter

3rd Youth Performance 16-18

Greater Western Appaloosa Regionals:

Grand Champion Senior Performance Horse

Reserve Champion Youth Games 16-18

Percy also qualified for the World Championships in 5 events.

He won a total of 18 High Point awards and 5 Reserve High Point awards at the
different horse shows we went to throughout the year as well.

Percy's last major award that he won was in 1983. The Appaloosa
Nationals were being held in Salem, Oregon that year. We entered him in
his best event... Saddleseat Pleasure. He ended up placing 3rd at
Nationals! A great way to end his showing career.