An Attica Township resident, Penny obtained her four-year-old fox-trotter mare from Kentucky about three years ago and also calls the horse "Amber."

"She had a bump on her head and her ribs were showing from malnutrition," Penny said. "She was a yearling when I got her (three years ago) and I spent a bunch of time with her and let her eat lots of grass and alfalfa treats. We rescued her from being malnourished."

After Wind's Chaser's weight was built up, Penny sent a photo of the horse to its original owner to show it had a good home and was prospering. That owner wanted the horse back and Penny refused.

"She is absolutely wonderful. I'd never give her up," Penny said. "(The original owners) wanted to trade for her. I said, 'No, she's happy. She's settled. The horse trusts me.' She'll let me brush her tail and mane out without moving. She lets me get on her with a halter and lead and doesn't mind me at all.

"This summer, we took her into the pond and she started playing—and that was with me on her back. She had on a head stall and no saddle. Just reins. She's an in-your-pocket horse. Even when they're a baby—they love children. If a dog or cat comes into the field she follows them with her head down. If the farrier comes, she gets in his tools or looks to see what's in his box. If you're not careful, she'll carry a tool around. They've got a playful temperament and Amber adores kids. Daisy and Pearl (her pug dogs) go around her and aren't afraid. If Amber's entwined in wire, she won't thrash. What most horses would freak out with—they turn and face it."

Penny said curly horses are hypoallergenic because it's believed they have a different protein structure in their skin. Amber's fur coat feels like Berber carpet. The wool is even considered a textile and highly weavable, Penny said. The breed's other features include long eyelashes, curled body hair, a curled mane and tail, almond-shaped eyes and a calm demeanor.

"She has a white blaze, four irregular socks, and some white on her underbelly," Penny said. "We took her uptown and she saw a manhole cover, looked at it, and jumped sideways. We went on a trail ride and my husband was on her. Something flew out of the bushes and she lowered herself a foot and just stopped."

There is currently a movement on in Australia and Europe with preserving the curly gene, Penny said. Amber is homozygous—meaning she can carry on the curly gene—a gaited curly and sabino (the carrier of the gene for the chrome-color). For more information on curly horses, visit the International Curly Horse Organization's Web site at www.curlyhorses.org.

Penny also rescued an Arabian she named Libby. "We rescued her from a local farm," she said. "Her owners left her in a stall pregnant (when they moved) and wasn't fed. Her baby was beautiful and we sold him. His personality was just as sweet as his mother's."  Currently, Penny has Libby, Libby's baby, and another horse for sale she hopes to find good homes for. She's obviously gladly keeping Amber.

Penny also co-owns Sunset Saddlery, 278 W. Genesee St., Lapeer with her husband, Mark Cusson and mother-in-law, Laura Cusson. Their business has been opened since Oct. 1. "I didn't realize how many pockets of people were doing different things (in the county's equine industry) with team penning, some do English riding. We try our best to accommodate special orders and our prices are set so people can enjoy having a horse. Once you get to know a horse—they're so loving and their personalities come out. It's amazing and you get to be best friends with an animal twice the size—yet gentle as a kitten."

For more information, visit: www.sunsetsaddlery.com. To inquire about the three horses Penny has for sale, call her business at 664-0724.