PTH BARREL RACING, LLC

Published in Pro Rodeo World magazine By Penny and JW Stoker
Article: Smoken 'Em with Penny Treeby-Hudgens
 

Speaking Spanish, trick riding, working with Glenn Close, and currently leading the world is the third year member Penny Treeby-Hudgens.  After the Liberty, Ky. rodeo she has placed at 17 out of 20 rodeos and picked up six first place checks.  Among those first 
places she set the arena record at the March Longhorn Rodeo in Huntsville, Al. with a 
13.638 second run.  

“I placed consistently at the Longhorns, so I’m going to continue entering and see what happens.”  Penny’s horse Montana Afton or “Tandy” was raised on the black dirt of her 1876 Kansas family farm and broke in the Flint Hills feedlots. When she realized that Tandy was going to be a true winner she pushed him more on the pattern and quit riding him at the ranches.  “It would be great to give Tandy a world title behind his name, he deserves it.”  In 2000 she came close to winning the 1-D world National Barrel Horse Association title in Augusta, Ga., placing third.  Tandy goes back to her old barrel horse Montana Brandy that she won the PRCA Badlands Circuit on three times and Montana Pine.  “They have been absolute blessings, I couldn’t have asked for better horses.”

Horses and barrel racing aren’t the only things that Penny knows.  This Oregon native earned her Bachelor Degree from the University of Oregon in Spanish and education.  But, what nobody would ever guess is that she earned a ballet minor.  During college she learned to trick ride so she could earn money for barrel racing entry fees.  “Ballet was a great way for me to stay in shape for trick riding.”  Directly out of college she taught high 
school for one year.  “I had to quit teaching because it cost me too much money turning down trick riding contracts due to my commitment as a teacher.”

Penny trick rode in the PRCA for about 14 years and worked five years for the Mexican movie-star, Antonio Aguilar.  “One of the wildest things was watching my horses fly away in a plane,” she remembers about when they had a show in Puerto Rico while working for Aguilar.  “It was absolutely fabulous working for Antonio; we were completely taken care of and the opportunities were great.”  She says that to this day if she ever needed a job or anything else that one phone call would take care of it.  

After Penny quit trick riding she worked as a substitute teacher in Kansas while riding outside horses and raising her two daughters, Natasha and Desiree.  Because of her riding experience she had the opportunity to work as Glenn Close’s stunt double in the Hallmark Series movies Sarah Plain and Tall.  She said that it was amazing how much her and Close looked alike when they were in costume.  “Some of the time people would come up to me thinking I was Glenn.”  In some of the movie set pictures sometimes even she cannot tell them apart.   

After living in Kansas for 15 years she remarried and moved to Oklahoma to be with her husband Bobby.  “Oklahoma is a great place to live because you can go to a barrel race or rodeo almost every day of the week.”  She also says that besides Texas, the barrel racing in Oklahoma will keep you constantly working to win.  Her winning strategy is doing everything possible to be prepared and giving herself the best chance to win.  Still, Penny gets nervous before every run.  If you see her before competition she’ll probably be stretching herself or Tandy and mentally practicing her run trying not to get too nervous.  People often ask her why or how she gets so nervous?  Her response is, “If I quit getting nervous, that’s when I know I’ll have to quit.”
 

Catching up with Crystal Gayle. Penny and Crystal performed at many of the same rodeos during Penny's trick riding days.   |
Rodeo Earnings
3 x PRCA/WPRA Badlands Circuit Champion
2 x PRCA/WPRA Prairie Circuit Qualifier
PRCA/WPRA Dodge World's Toughest $400,000 Series Champion
Calgary Royal Finals Champion
Record holder, Huntsville, Al.
Isanti Rodeo Champion
2x IPRA Reserve World Champion
3 x IFR Qualifier
3 x Festival Western St. Tite Short-go qualifier
3 x Longhorn Finals Reserve Champion
ACRA Finals Champion
ACRA Finals High-Money Winner
3 x ACRA Finals Qualifier
3 x CPRA Year-End Champion
CPRA Finals Champion  
-BARREL RACES and more-
*Record Holder at Lazy E Arena in Guthrie, Okla.
(16.8 on a standard pattern)
*Dec.Jan. 2008, Out ran and ran in same tenth as World Champion 
Mary Burger and Rare Fred at two of the Tulsa AQHA Holiday Circuit 
Shows on Montana Poco Free.  Also placed on Montana Afton.
*Wrangler Heartland Tour Reserve Champion
*1-D, 3rd Place NBHA World Show winner, Augusta, Ga.
*2 x NBHA Kansas State Open 1-D Champion
*AQHA Sun Circuit Champion
*World Congress APHA 1995 Show, 3rd place barrel racing on Docz Sugar
*World Congress APHA 1995 Show, pole bending Champion on Docz Sugar