Billings Saddle Club brings happiness and helps woman overcome ‘terrible’ horse accident

BILLINGS — It’s Monday night at the Billings Saddle Club. Tucked beneath the rimrocks in a corner of Alkali Creek, horsemanship is of interest to riders – and horses – of all ages.

“This is Lena and she is, I think, three years old,” said Caleb Mortensen, who is not much older. “She has a habit of moving her head back and forth.”

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Lena moves her head just in time for the conversation, as if she were involved in the conversation.

Caleb’s sister Joy rides a black and white pony named Lightning, but not only in the arena.

“I also really like hiking up here because there are some springs and just some cool rock formations and stuff,” Joy said as she stroked Lightning’s neck.

Lightning has a white stripe on his backside, and Joy likes to decorate it with glitter to make it look like a real lightning bolt. Sometimes the pony tries a little too hard to live up to his name.

“He likes to run away, so I teach him not to do that,” the 11-year-old explained.

“That’s what I love,” said Corky Harkins, “… watching these kids work with their hoses and train their horses.”

Harkins is a volunteer stadium announcer who also sings The Star-Spangled Banner before O Mok See’s Monday night performances.

Of course, the history of the Billings Saddle Club goes back decades, and Sue Malmstrom remembers her first experience there at the age of nine. Malmstrom, now in her 70s, fondly remembers many wedding receptions in this remarkable hall.

If only the walls could tell stories. In a way, they do, as they are adorned with pictures of former members who have contributed to the club’s success.

The scenic view from inside the hall offers a clear view of the arena where a non-competitive night of the O-Mok Lake is taking place.

Terra Ott is another volunteer member of the club.

“I joined the saddle club because I live on a hill and wanted a flat place to ride,” Ott said with a laugh.

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She knows the Saddle Club family firsthand and cares for its members through events such as the annual O-Mak-Sees commemorations and charity barrel races.

“In July 2022, I had a really horrific horse accident that shattered my pelvis, hip and shoulder,” Ott told MTN Sports. “…I was just about to go for a ride at home when my horse reared up, fell backwards and crushed me.”

Ott spent over three weeks in the hospital and three months confined to a wheelchair. She benefited from the generosity of the Saddle Club, a thought that still sometimes brings tears to her eyes. She is riding again…just not tonight.

“Because it’s cold and my body is full of metal,” she admitted with another laugh. “So I’m doing my community service for these guys and coming up here to help them.”

With Ott’s help “up here” in the cabin, the circle closes and the fun for the children, mothers, fathers and grandparents down in the arena becomes even greater.