Tommie is at WEG, I'm in the Hospital

I'm in the hospital getting ready to have my baby. Jamie and I are waiting patiently. Tommie is doing great at WEG. I saw him during the NBC telecast on Sunday. Check out the Official Paint Horse Page on Facebook. Lots of nice photos of the opening ceremonies. Well, gotta go, baby should coming today. Ride Fast.. Take Chances! karen

Tommie at the Iowa Gold Star Futurity in Des Moines

Tommie just got back from a long 10 days on the road. When he left here he headed 700 miles to the Kentucky Horse Park for a rehearsal and set up the last minute details for the World Equestrian Games. From there he drove another 700 miles to Des Moines, IA to perform at the Iowa Gold Star Futurity. This is an incredible Arabian Horse Show with beautiful arabian horses. Tommie said he would love to have an Arabian Black stallion just like the movie "the Black Stallion". Tommie and I used to watch that movie over and over. If it was on TV on Sunday afternoon and when we got a VHS player, it was the second most watched movie in our small collection. (Scarface was the most watched!) Tommie really wanted to be that kid. He would ride just like him without fear and always with a smile. The ironic thing is we ended up working with Corky Randall and at Arabian Nights dinner theater in Orlando. Corky did the horse work on the movie, so it was very cool to be working with him. Tommie has worked with a lot of trainers and always listens and takes away something he can use. He never follows anyone 100% or even 50% for that matter. Tommie takes one or two elements and makes them into his own methods. Tommie has really put together a no-nonsense and get it done type of training. Everything he does is well thought out and for a reason. That's why he is so successful at getting the results in horses.
Chantal sent me this photo of Tommie and Pokerjoe just before they performed. She said the last act they did was his new act with Blade and Maverick and everybody loved it. People love to see the comradery of horses of dogs, especially when it is quite a challange like putting together a wild mustang and a red heeler. One is born to run and the other is born to chase. So, it is amazing when Tommie got them to work together and run side by side or when Maverick jumps up in the saddle. That is a true testiment to training. Tommie looks beyond the possible and seeks out the "impossible" to turn in into "possible". That's the way Tommie has always been. When would be at a horse auction someone would say "we'll have to lead that horse in, no one can ride him" and Tommie would say "I'll do it". He would get on and ride that horse into the auction ring and look like he was having a ball. The audience thought the horse was really good and Tommie thought it was a lot funner to ride horses into the ring than to sit in the bleachers and watch people bid on horses. He didn't realize then how easy he made it look and how natural he was with horses. He has an incredible insight into a horse and is 99% right when it comes to figuring out a horse. He uses their natural ability and instincts to train their strengths and their want for communication to become their leader. It's not rocket science like most trainers will lead you to believe, but there is a bit of common sense and uncommon discipline.
After the Des Moines show, Tommie flew to Los Angeles to do a 1 day shoot for Lion TV which will air on the History channel. Michael Loades, whom the show will be about, contacted Tommie to be the horse expert. On Monday, Tommie flew back to Des Moines where he and Chantal drove 700 miles back to Kentucky Horse park for a rehearsal with Dan James and then drove 700 miles back here on Thursday. They were glad to be home. Everything is going good here as we continue to get ready for the World Equestrian Games and get our facility up and running. Not to mention the NFR/Cowboy Christmas and Rose Parade. We'll be touring with Odd Job Bob too with the movies coming out soon. Well, I have got to go... Ride Fast... Take Chances! karen

Tommie is in Los Angeles with Discovery Channel

Tommie just sent me a quick note. They are filming a TV show pilot. He is working with the incredibly knowledgable and talented, Michael Loades. He has a great way of explaining history in simple easy to remember terms. Tommie is the equine expert to help Michael through some of the explainations. It should be a great show. Don't forget to watch the Walking Dead on AMC Halloween. You'll see Tommie and Blade with the Zombies. Pretty cool stuff. You can see more stuff on Tommie's Blog at http://www.tommieturvey.com/ Ride Fast... Take Chances! karen