We first met Eleanor Bergen in 2011, when she came to ride with us for a couple of days. Mind you, she didn’t do more than a couple of days. Why, you ask? Well … because our Eleanor isn’t your typical young lady. She’s had more than her fair share of trouble. I think she’d just turned 30 when things went sideways. She was pregnant and one day discovered a lump in her breast. That made a stressful situation for a new mom. But Eleanor kept her chin up and pushed on through … she had her darling baby boy to spoil, you know! What followed was breast cancer surgery and treatment. So, after all that, I was amazed that three days after her final chemo treatment, she handed her newborn son off to Hubby for a couple of days and hauled “Joe” (her beautiful Paint horse) to join us “on the Pink Trail”. Now that is dedication to the cause!
It turned out that Eleanor has “that gene”, so (medically) life continued to be very difficult for this lovely lady. She had to endure numerous life-saving surgeries. But Eleanor rode with us again for over a week in 2012! Shortly thereafter, she and her husband moved from Nanton to an acreage in the far south western region of the province. As if moving and dealing with a toddler weren’t enough, Eleanor started a new career too. So, as you can see, she has been a tad busy, which is why we’ve not seen her on the ride for the last two years.
Eleanor has the resiliency of a bouncing ball though! She’s living in the Crowsnest Pass now, has her job and her life under control, and she’s wanting back in the pink saddle. Will she get to ride with us this year? I don’t know — but she wants to help, and that’s great!
On the phone yesterday, she said, “With Rusty out of the pink organization team now, you need all the help you can get, Jane!” How right she is! And because she has lived in that SW corner of the province for a couple of years now, she knows many of the movers and shakers down there. Yay! She is making phone calls that will smooth the way for me to go and pitch “Pinkest Little Town in the West”. Heck, she’s even offered to do the pitch for me, if I’d like. (May take you up on that, El!)
Charming, dynamic and extroverted. That’s our Pink Lady, Eleanor Bergen. I hope to see her in the saddle this summer!
Eleanor and her Paint, “Joe” on our 2010 Tour.
Eleanor and Amber Marshall on our 2011 Tour.
Wild Pink Yonder 