Update on Dolly

Hey everybody. We just finished a show we put on last night at our facility here in Sterling, IL. It was a great night and a fantastic turnout. As I was getting ready to post an update on the show, I was sent an old photo of Tommie, me and Dolly performing at Arabian Nights in Orlando, FL. They asked about Dolly, who now lives with us and is in retirement. This is Dolly in her heyday! She now loves being in the pasture, but her latest duties include being a good buddy horse for students, plus being a good friend and mentor to the little filly we have here on the farm. At her age of 26, she is doing very well. She worked every show at Arabian nights and Tommie and I worked with her just like you see in the photos. So, to let you all know she is doing well and still being active with other horses. She's should be in the hall of fame for performing horses!
Well, I've got to get back to my Sensory clinic. I'll have photos to post in a day or so....
Ride Fast... Take Chances! karen

Can Am, London Ontario

It was a lot of fun for Tommie getting back up to London, Ontario. Paul and the crew have been working real hard and it has paid off for their Can-Am show. Tommie performed in 3 shows along with his favorite student Lizzy Traband, Gudmar Pederson's Icelandic horses, and Clay Maiers. Here is a great photo of one of the demos Tommie did with Lizzy and a volunteer.

Tommie really gets the most out of people when it comes to their horses. They come in to demos and clinics a little timid and shy or not understanding what it takes to create a bond with their horses. Most think it is magic or the horse has to be smart, well.... It takes being a leader and to think like the horse thinks. Be one step ahead and know what he is going to do. I work with more people who want the horse to like them so they don't get forceful or demand respect. It only takes time before their horse is doing whatever he/she wants and they are wondering why. Being forceful isn't mean or terrible. Do you think it hurts a horses feelings when another horse puts his ears back or kicks out? No. They are communicating and saying "hey, you listen to me", and when the leader evolves they listen to them. That's their behavior and that is what they understand. Don't think your horse will hate you if you raise your voice or a whip. They will respect you more. Like any tool, it can become abusive when it is done without provocation or without cause. I don't use spurs, but I will if it becomes necessary. I don't use my whip until it becomes necessary. We train with these tools so we can ultimately NOT use them. Our goal is to be able to ride a horse without tack, saddle, bridle, bit, whip, spurs, boots, or neck rein. Sounds impossible? It may be more difficult for some horses, but our goal is alway that. Each training step we take is towards that end. Even with my chariot horses. We work them with the goal of getting away from tack. They may drive chariots with lots of tack, but as we roundpen or ride each time with the goal to build the relationship with them and give them the freedom. It's amazing what more control you have over a horse without tack than with.

I'm putting on another Sensory course here at Double G, May 9 and 10. This clinic is designed to give the horse and rider a place to gain confidence and work on their skills together under supervision and in a safe environment. At the beginning, most attendees and their horses are skidish and resistant to some of the obstacles, but with the right mindset and leadership their horses do whatever they ask. We ride the trails through water, hills and even a train. It's very empowering for the horse and rider. Hope to see you here.

Ride Fast... Take Chances! karen

Having fun with the boys!

Tommie had his best friend, Josh Lyons stop by this weekend on his way to Canada. They took the boy interns out in the woods for a little "paint ball" fun. Josh and Tommie teamed up to fight against the interns. (Photo is Ben, Tommie Turvey, Dennis, and Josh Lyons) It was a little wet and not much cover yet, but it was fun. They work well together and I'm glad I wasn't on the opposing team. We had the barrel series finals this weekend. It was awesome. Cal Vandermyde won the 1D title. This was the first year I did barrel shows and it was quite the learning experience. We got it straight about the 3rd weekend. I now can see how the divisions work. It gives everyone a chance to win and run, instead of just the best times. If we went on best times, then you would only get 10 people. This way the take the best time, add .5 secs and you have the next division and so on. It's good to see that it takes consistancy and you'll win. Knock a barrel, you get a no time. We had a lot of great prizes from our sponsors. Thanks to Ariat, Wahl, Montana Silversmith, Double G and M & F Accessories. We are already scheduling next years shows. Thanks to all the help and support you gave us over this hard winter! Ride Fast... Take Chances! karen

The report is in on Callaway Premium Horse Bedding

Here is Blade, Maverick and Tommie.

Tommie makes sure his horses are well taken care of. Since October, Tommie has been testing out a new horse bedding from Callaway Farms in Rayle, GA. With their 3 sizes, Tommie and the crew have come up with the results... They love them! (The horses and I do too!) We tested them in trailers and stalls. We tested them on dirt, matts, and concrete. They do the job, are incredible fluffy and keep the horses happy and healthy. The biggest piece of mind for Tommie is knowing that Callaway does all the manufacturing of the product, from tree to bagged flake. They don't just buy the shavings or wood chips. They know exactly what is going into the bag. The Triple Crown is the favorite with 3 sizes of flakes in one bag. It's perfect for the stalls we keep them in at our facility. We used to mix 2 sizes flakes to keep it fluffy and managable, but that was a tedius process tring to get the right mix. Now we just add a bag of Triple Crown. The Sure pick is great for the trailer and for stalls. It's a medium flake with excellent absortion. The large flake, Derby Select is great for temporary stops, stalls, and when we need the trailer really fluffy. The great part too is they put 8.5 cf in a bag, so 2 bags fill a stall very nicely. They also put a convenient handle on it so you can carry 2 at a time. We have tried them all and have found that Callaway shines above them all. Tommie is also working together with them to create new ideas and keep the focus on what's best for the horse, not just for the wallet. As far as price is concerned, you might be thinking that it must be expensive. It's the same as most other brands at about $6 to $7 a bag. So, if you're thinking about horse bedding, then look at Callaway Farms in Rayle GA. They do it right. Well, gotta run the barrel show today. It should be awesome weather! Ride Fast... Take Chances!

PA Horse World Expo 2009

Here is Tommie with his favorite student, Lizzy Traband. She worked her horse in the demos with Tommie. This was them having fun for the TV cameras and practicing for an upcoming demo.

Here is Tommie during an interview with a local TV station in Harrisburg PA to promote the PA Horse World Expo. He's there with Blade the Mustang and his red heeler, Maverick. They both performed in the demos. If anyone has any photos please email me, I'd love to have a copy.

Ride Fast... Take Chances! karen

New Horse Hauler Rig for 2009

Tommie and I have been pretty busy since 2009 started, but as the saying goes "You need to keep building!". Well, last year Tommie added a Freightliner Sport Chassis hauler to haul his trailer, but the 300hp Cat engine couldn't cut it. So, Tommie has been searching for a nice replacement and he found this really nice International with a 430hp Detriot Diesel engine. Lots more power and room! It has a full sleeper with bunks, tv and entertainment center, GPS, CB, DVD, CD, and room for 4 people very comfortably. The sport chassis was a bit smaller, but it had a lot of vibration driving down the road, this new truck is very smooth. it has full air ride cab and rear axle which means a nice ride for the people and the horses in the trailer. He had to customize to suit his needs with the ball hitch and single axle, but it is ready to go and get us down the road with a lot less hassle. The dual 240 gallon fuel tanks are a big plus too. We won't have to fuel up which means less wear on the horses. The hardest part is pulling off to a truck stop and weaving in and out to find a spot. Now, we can pull in a rest area, check them, water, hay, and keep on going. Everything we do is for the horses....

Keep on the lookout for Tommie driving your way. With the amount of travel he does, you'll probably see him on the road with his horses! Ride Fast.... Take Chances! karen

North Dakota Winter Show

Here's Tommie and riding Joker bareback and bridleless during the show on Thursday Night.

Yes, I know I skipped the PA Horse World Expo on my blog. Don't worry, I'll get to it. We got to PA on Wednesday, set up our 5 horses, set up our booth, did 2 demos a day, rehearsal, shows on Friday and Saturday, signed autographs after the shows, packed it all up on Sunday, left Monday at 8am back to our facility in Illinois, got home at 10pm, unloaded the horses, slept, woke up at 7am, unpacked everything, repacked everything PLUS the chariots and gear, did office work, worked the western store, slept, woke up at 6am and left for North Dakota at 7am. We arrived here at 8pm during the truck pulls, sho we had to wait until they were done at 11pm, hit the hotel, slept, got to the barn at 8am, set our schedule for the show the 7:00pm show and took time to get caught up on phone calls. Sooo, now you know why I haven't written anything about the PA Show yet. That is basically our daily routine in a nutshell. We did the show here which was Tommie's 4 acts plus the chariots. It ran about 1 hr and was a lot of fun. The arena is narrow to race chariots, so it is really tight turns and side by side racing. I had Apollo and Dakota and Tommie raced Caesar and Spartacus. Now we are back in the hotel at 10pm. I leave for home at 7am Friday. Tommie is staying to perform at the Rodeo on Sat and Sunday. Once I get back I'll have time to answer the emails and comments. This is our first time at the North Dakota Winter Show. They have 8 ft snowbanks and its 10 degrees out, but the people here are fantastic. We love working with shows where the people are a joy to work with. The barn manager, Ben and his crew are awesome. They put panels up and made our area exactly what we needed. Thanks guys. Also, thanks to Nancy Allen for having us. Hope to see you all again next year. Ride Fast... Take Chances! karen

Here are a few shots of Tommie and I racing the chariots. It was a narrow arena, so the turns are pretty tight. We've raced together hundreds of times, so it was a lot of fun and a great audience. They were very surprised at the ending. Thanks NDWS!

Here I went deep to the corner. I knew Tommie wasn't cutting it enough so I could pass him as he slowed to turn. Dirt was flying as we got wheel to wheel quite a few times. It is quite exhilirating driving these 800 pound chariots with 2,000 pounds of horses pulling them. Like we say, "Ride Fast... Take Chances!" karen

Another Day on the Farm

Tommie drives the skidloader and unloads all 30 pallets of Callaway Horse Bedding.

I thought I'd throw in a few photos of what happens when we are not performing. There are so many things you need to do for horses which don't include riding. Tommie is unloading a truckload of 30 pallets into our barn. We give our horses the best we can. We found a very nice product with horse bedding. We now carry and use Callaway Farms Horse Bedding. We like the fact that the bags are 8.5 cf expanded and 2 bags really fill a stall. Tommie like the Triple Crown style which is a mixture of large, medium and small shavings. He used to mix bags to get a good base with the small and then put a layer of medium or large on the top to keep it comfortable and fluffy. With Callaway Triple Crown it comes all in one bag! They made it easy. The best thing is that Tommie even went to their facility in Rayle, GA to see how they make their bedding. Some people say its just wood chips, but Tommie knows better. You have to be careful what goes into it. We've found shavings made from pallets, old wood, and all types of wood that don't absorb well or the horses have a reaction to it. Many shavings companies buy the chips and then sift and pack them. Callaway starts with a pine tree to the finished product. They know exactly what they are getting from start to finish. They have an incredible commitment to providing the best possible product and have even taken in Tommie's feedback on what products and benefits they need to focus on. They even put a handle on the bag to make it easy to carry. The bags sell for $6, so its in the same ballpark as all the rest. When looking at products, Tommie takes his horses into consideration first, how the product is made or produced, does it make life easier and is it cost effective and non-wasteful. Callaway hits a home run on all of these. Now if they would only unload it for us! They pack 30 pallets in to cut down on shipping cost too. We love companies that do things right and really care about their products. Most shipping is done right away too. No waiting or backorders. Tommie said they have a football field size warehouse filled with pallets ready to ship. Well, gotta go run the chariots. Ride Fast... Take Chances! karen

PCB Bullriding Finals III

Tommie was close to home this past weekend, with a show at the Sears Centre near Chicago. He was featured at the PCB Bullriding Finals and performed with Pokerjoe to a crowd of 10,000 people over the 2 nights. Tommie did a meet and greet and sign autographs. Special thanks to Callaway Farms Premium Horse Bedding for their support and for making it possible to meet the fans. Thanks Chris and Andy! We'll see you in Georgia.

This rodeo event is really cool since it just has bucking bulls and fast barrel racers. They had a lot of mean bulls and there were alot of hard hits and falls. The bullfighters really earn their money protecting the cowboys. They even showed a video of a bullfighter getting his arm and ribs broke a few months ago. He jumped in to save a cowboy from a bull and took a big hit that tossed him like a ragdoll. If you think bullriders have guts, think about the bullfighter. We got to meet the master bullfighter, Rob Smets too. He did the commentary right from the middle of the ring. Radical Ryan Rodrigez was the clown and barrelman. He's pretty cool. We've worked with him in San Angelo, Texas. He's got a little dog he does his act with. Tommie had the crowd in stitches with his "Riding Instructor" performances. Tommie was really impressed with Haley, who is a 5 year old barrel racer who ran a 16 sec pattern in the show. Top runs were 14's, so this little lady kept up that's for sure! She saw Tommie and said she wants to learn how to lay down her horse and she wants him to teach her, so Tommie presented her with her very own Pokerjoe Breyer model. She was very gracious and even asked for Tommie to sign it for her. You'll see this little girl around the barrel racing circuit for years to come.

This is Tommie's horse trailer parked at the back door of the show. This is to make sure the horses and Tommie have a nice place to rest near the stage entrance for the show.

Tommie always has his dogs with him as well. This is a great shot of Maverick, his Red Queensland Heeler. He is an audience favorite at expos, fairs, and horse events. He's featured in Tommie's video on "How to teach your dog to fetch a beer". http://www.fetchmeabeer.com/

I held a 4 D barrel race here at our facility on Sat and Sun. The weather was nice and we had a good turn out. Paid out a lot of nice checks with 80% payback and added money. This series runs until April, then we'll have schedule more shows over the summer, plus the series for next year as well. That was our weekend, hope yours was fun too!

Ride Fast.... Take Chances! karen

Gypsy Vanner in Training with Tommie

Here is Bob, a Gypsy Vanner just started training with Tommie. This is Anna, one of our interns getting him ready for his daily training session. Bob is being trained for a movie and general tricks. We have quite a few horses coming in for training this year. We'll keep you posted on their progress. You can also check out videos on Youtube as well. Bob is a beautiful horse, he will be a sensational Liberty horse.
Gotta get some sleep. Ride Fast... Take Chances! karen

Liberty with Joker and Ace!

Here's Tommie working liberty with his horses Joker and Ace. He is riding bareback on and bridleless on Joker while directing Ace with out any type of restraint. It's quite an amazing thing to see. Most people thinks it takes a lot of training, but it really only takes patience and training in small steps and all starts in the stall. Liberty training is the art of working in harmony with your horse without any tack. Lash whips and dressage whips are used as extensions of you hand to direct them to you and around you. Once they learn your body language you can ultimately use only your hands and they will understand what you are asking. It's basically how they learn to communicate with you and know what you are saying. They want to please you and have fun doing it, but you do have to be the leader.
Ride Fast... Take Chances! karen

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas everybody. Here's a photo I just took this morning of the Western Store. We have a white Christmas here AND very cold. It's just me and my husband, along with the 22 horses and 3 dogs. Time to go give the horses their Christmas carrots and clean their stalls. The wind has been blowing pretty hard, giving us lots of snow drifts, so I'll have to plow out the driveway and parking lot as well. I could barely get into the barn last night with all the drifting snow. Well, thanks again for all your support in 2008 as we get ready to make 2009 even bigger and better! We've got lots of plans to share with all of you. Keep in touch, and again.... Merry Christmas!
Ride Fast... Take Chances! karen

Just before Christmas and all is sooooo cold.

All I can say is that I'm glad to be home, but..... it is -30 below today with the windchill and -10 below without. It is tough just to stay warm! 3 mins outside and you are frozen solid. We've got all the horses inside and stalled in our heated indoor facility (45 degrees). They are really happy. Our barn manager, Lori has been getting them out in the arena and riding them with our current intern, Jen. We've been busy shipping product, setting schedules, and just getting caught up. We got our Christmas tree yesterday and put it up today. It took a day to thaw it out. We had to cancel the Barrel Show here at our facility because of the freezing rain and ice we got on Friday, Saturday was 2 inches of snow and today was sub zero weather with wind and snowdrifts. It hasn't been a fun week... My mom and my sister Kimberly went back home to Florida on Friday. I drove them to the airport and it took 90 mins instead of the usual 45 mins. The roads were glare ice. I had to go and tow Tommie's wife's Ford back to the house after it froze up. I love my Dodge. 110,000 miles and no major problems. Tomorrow will be only -20 below but it will get up to 34 by Wednesday. Time to trim the tree and get ready for a busy week before Christmas..

Pokerjoe & the new Breyer Model

Here is Pokerjoe just before Tommie and him perform the "Riding Instructor" at the Jacksonville Equestrian Center.

AZ Horse Festival

Hey everyone. Well, I finally have a few moments to blog our recent show, because just did the Arizona Horse Festival at Westworld in Scottsdale. Three days of demos and two night time shows called "Equi-Dance". Tommie performed 5 acts in the show. I was set to do the Chariot Race, but one of my horses, Maugua had a stone bruise on his foot and I didn't want to risk him getting injured during the race. So, we came us with a new act, the Chariot versus Roman Riding act. Tommie comes out and races against Jon Wearley our chariot driver. This is at the end of the show, so the crowd is very loud and cheering for either Tommie or Jon (also know in the act as "maximus wreckamus". After the show Tommie signed photos and programs for the audience. He was there for over and hour after the show end. We also were selling the first lot of Pokerjoe Breyer models we got. We sold all 36! Tommie signed every single one. I also got the news that Cavalia is coming back to Scottsdale after touring Europe for the past 2 years. On Saturday night, Normand, the producer of Cavalia was there to give away tickets and gifts from the show. My husband and I haven't seen him since we left Cavalia after Santa Monica in 2005. He said the European tour went well and that Fred and Magali are coming back to do Scottsdale starting Feb 2009 and Montreal in April. I'm hoping to be able to see it, to see how it changed from when we conceptualized it in 2003.
Thanks to Lise Streit and her family for producing the AZ show. We are looking forward to next year and building it up to be a huge show. It has a great location and incredible facility, so make plans to come next year. http://www.festivalofhorses.com/
We left for Az last week on Tuesday at 5am from Sterling, IL. We hit really bad ice storms in IA and Kansas. We arrived in Scottsdale Thursday at 1pm, got the horses set, set up our booth and did the rehearsal. For our way home, we had to go south through Texas, since I-40 was iced over and Amarillo was below freezing! We are currently at the Pecos TX Rodeo grounds with 8 of our horses and heading for Dallas today. We'll stay overnight there where it will be in the 50's and then head for the last 900 miles home when the weather clears on Wednesday. There is ice and snow all day today through Illinois and Missouri, so we're taking it slow to make sure we don't get stuck in a storm or bad roads. We counted 52 trucks and cars off the road when we drove to AZ because of the icy roads. We were doing 25 mph most of the way to keep it safe. It was 1,800 miles to AZ and it will be 2000 to return, so we'll be home Thursday just in time to put on the Winter Barrel Series at Double G this weekend. Gotta get ready for the travel to Dallas. Thanks for those for came out to see us and the new fans of Tommie. We'll have a new website and videos coming soon. Ride Fast... Take Chances!

Agribition in Regina

Here is Tommie and Pokerjoe at the Brandt Center in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. This is a 6 day event which features livestock events, vendors, CCA Finals Rodeo and lots of food! Tommie performed each day at noon to 1:00pm in the Brandt Center with his horses and dogs. We're putting together some video footage to add to youtube as we speak. It was an incredible show. Even with the cold weather, people came out to see the show. Tommie said he worked with the big horses on Mon. Tues and then with the rodeo guys from Wed through Saturday. He said the hitches were awesome with all the harness, chrome, and beautifully detailed wagons. Bill from XPress and Gerald from Flatland Belgians had incredible hitches. The Canadian Cowboy Association also held it's Finals Rodeo with 5 perfs from Wed to Saturday. Tommie was the specialty act and performed each perf as well. They had sell outs of the 8,000+ Brandt Center on 3 of the 5 perfs. Canadians really love their Rodeo. My husband said it was one of the best run shows he's ever been a part of. That says alot coming from him. It is quite an honor for Tommie and Pokerjoe to have performed at the NFR and the CCA Finals.

Here is a great shot of Tommie and Pokerjoe. Tommie just got the first Breyer model of Pokerjoe right before he left for Regina. Here he is talking about his Breyer model to the audience at Regina. It is quite a proud moment for Tommie and his horses. When he got the model of Joker in 2006 he was quite humbled. That was an accomplishment for Tommie and what he has achieved with his horses, but to have his first and most deserving horse set as a Breyer model, well.... that is all Pokerjoe. He has done everything and everything with Tommie. Everytime Tommie performs somewhere, Pokerjoe is in tow. This horse has seen it all. This Breyer Model is a tribute to Pokerjoe and what he has given to Tommie and all of us. This wasn't from just being in a movie or running 2 minute race, this was an honor from being there for Tommie since 1996. He has done everything that Tommie has asked him to do over the past 12 years and it has brought him in front of millions of people and hundreds of thousands of adoring fans. Pokerjoe has truly earned the honor of a Breyer Model Horse. I hope you guys enjoy it as well and know what it truly means to us.
Pokerjoe Breyer Model # 1539

Ride Fast.... Take Chances! karen

Great to Be Back in Florida!

We just finished a big run here in Florida. Tommie started out performing at the Jacksonville Equestrian Center for the Paso Horse Federation Nationals. He performed Friday and Saturday Nights. He said it was an incredible time. The horses are the ones who do the steps on the walkway to hear their gate. It was one of the first shows he saw where the judges really take their time and effort to find the winner. Some classes took an hour or more. There were 6 judges who would put the horses through their paces to come up with the best of the best. Our good friend Richie Wingfield was there too. He works with gaited horses as we had him as a featured speaker at the Central Florida Horse Expo in Ocala this past weekend. After the Jacksonville show, which Tommie wanted to thank the Paso Horse Federation for having him there and treating him well with incredible hospitality. The Jacksonville Equestrian is growing as well. Tommie has been there 4 times in the past 5 years and it has grown into a huge top notch facility with everything you need to put on an expo or show. We are scheduled to do a show May 30th there so mark your calendars! We'll be back to put on another fun an exciting horse show.
The expo at HITS Post Time Farm in Ocala was produced by mother and a partner. After the 2007 show there was a disaster, they decided it was too nice a place to not have an expo, so they put their plan into action and produced their first show there. We helped them out where we could and got them on the right track. We wanted to make sure we featured respected clinicians and awesome entertainment, so I think we did that very well. With the likes of Lynn Palm, Tommie, Matt Mclaughlin, and Richie Wingfield we had a top-notch line-up. We also added Caroline Williams who is an amazing entertainer. She is from a 7th generation circus family who has been working with horses her entire life. Add Matt Mclaughlin, who toured and was the head trainer of the Royal Lippazzaner Stallions, and is the most incredible dressage and high school rider, and Lynn Palm and you got an incredible show. John Wearley and I suited up and performed an all out chariot race. The horses were ready to run! They really let loose and gave us a great run. We like to add a bit of culture too, so our friends from the great cherokee nation, the Laughingwolf family come and do their traditional hoop and fancy dances. We even brought in our favorite rider, Lizzy Traband to perform and do clinics as well. This girl is amazing. She not only inspires you with here act, she also did a demo each day and sounded like a true professional. (She is only 10 years old) I was truly impressed. She talked about show jumping and such and was very knowledgeable. If you ever get a chance to see her, go check it out she is also You-Tube as well. http://www.lizzytraband.com/
We had lots of great vendors and exhibitions too. There were some lots of great stuff to see. The new Gulf Stream Coaches, Featherlite Coaches & Trailers and Merhow trailers were there to see and touch. It is really cool to be able to see the newest trailers, tack, fashions, and equipment at these events. Our next step is to go from a 6h LQ and a Sport Chassic truck to a Full Blown Freightliner with horse hauler and a motor coach with support trailer. This will get us down the road in comfort and peace of mind. I still drive a 2000 Dodge dually diesel that just doesn't quit, but my 6h trailer keeps getting heavier and heavier, and it's the transmission and the brakes I worry about most. On Saturday night we had a country singer who was recommended by the local radio station to come and sing before the show. We thought since it was "Shane Wooted", that it was a guy who sang to a track or a small band. Well they showed up with a full blown band! That was good, but they took an hour and 20 mins to set up, so they started at 6:30 instead of 6:00, so they played until 7:20 which set us back 20 mins from the start of our show. I also thought it was a country band, but 4 of their 8 songs were Lynyrd Skynyrd, so I guess they were a LS cover band too. I don't think they sang any country, pretty much Southern Rock. Oh, they did sing "save a horse..", so I guess that counts. Friday Night was really cool, because during the show, Tommie was performing his Liberty act and he stopped to add his second horse Ace, and as he did the space shuttle was launched and you could see the rockets light up the sky. It was cool. The timing couldn't have been better. A very memorable moment.
Our announcer was Wayne Williams. He has worked with us over the past 6 years and really knows how to work a show. It is always nice to work with people who know the business.
Well, it's late and we've been non-top since last tuesday when we got here. We hit the road back to home at 5am, so I better get some sleep. Thanks again to all of you who came and supported our Ocala show. We;re already making plans for 2009! Ride Fast... Take Chances!
karen

Dallas 11-03-08

Congratulations!

We just returned from a week in Las Vegas and you are probably wondering why we went. Well, of course we went for business. We're looking for opportunities to be there for the NFR and to make a deal with a hotel/casino to produce a show. We've had lots of requests to do a TV show and a live horse show like we have with "Night of Amazing Horses". We just need to find the right venue to be able to produce both. Well, that was the main reason, BUT while we were there, Tommie and his girlfriend, Karen Jones, got married!!!! My husband and I got married in Vegas in 2006 when we were in town for the NFR. It was awesome. They got married at a quaint little place, the "church of the old west" and they looked fabulous. Check out the photos below. Tommie's best man was Josh Lyons and I was the matron of honor. We had an incredible time. So, for most of you this is probably quite a surprise. Karen Jones, now "Karen Turvey", well I go by Karen Turvey-Marshall, so there could be a bit of confusion. Tommie has spent most of his life telling people that "Karen" is his sister, will now have to explain that Karen is his wife and Karen is also his sister. We stayed at the Venetian and basically went to every casino on the strip. Vegas is growing by leaps and bounds. City Center is looking like a monster. It is going to be a world on its own. Just when you think Vegas is at capacity, they build a hotel bigger than anything else. We had a great dinner at the House of Lords at the Sahara, and at Delmonico at the Venetian. Delmonico is Emeril's steakhouse. My husband's parents also came out to Vegas to see us and have a fun week as well. Ann and Roland are so much fun. It was great to spend Roland's birthday with him. He turned 75 and shows no signs of slowing down! Ann usually does slots, but when we were explaining roulette to her, a guy at the table had here place his chips and try her luck. She hit a 35-1 and then a 17-1. It was a bit hectic, but I think she got the idea of it. Well, we are now back and putting together more stuff for 2009. Tommie and Karen are really happy and things are looking great. We're looking forward to our final shows of 2008, The Central Florida Horse Expo, Paso Federation Horse Show in Jacksonville, the Regina Agribition Show and the AZ Horse Festival. They are also re-running his 2 episodes on RFD-tv on November 11 and 18. Gotta ride... Take Care. Ride Fast... Take Chances! karenTommie and Karen got married!Tommie and Karen Turvey!Here is the Chapel just as they get ready to tie the knot!Here is Jamie and I at the Palazzo fountain.Here we are arriving at the church with Jamie's mom and dad.Josh hooked Tommie and Karen up with this cool stretch Hummer. We cruised the town in style!

This is the view from our room on the 28th floor of the Venetian. (They also have a DARK OUT curtain which makes the room pitch black! I love it!!)Here is a great shot of Trump Tower. I can't wait til the casino pops up. What a beautiful blue sky! We love Vegas.

More fun with Horses!

Well, we have been working a lot on production the last few weeks. Our mom is producing a Horse Expo in Ocala, called Central Florida Horse Expo. http://www.centralfloridahorseexpo.com/ We are putting together a wide variety of clinicians and entertainment for the show, November 14, 15, and 16, 2008. We will be there performing and Tommie and our dad will be putting on some fun and educational demos. It will be at the HITS Show Time Farm facility in Ocala. The same location as the now defunct and bankrupt "HorseSmart" show which Tina Calhoun put on last year. We really love the people in Ocala and it is a great horse community, perfect for a horse expo and show like this. Check out the website for the line up and more information. We are also planning and producing more instructional books and DVD's as well. We could spend an entire year of just putting Tommie's training in a book for people to learn from. We have been researching what is available and most of it makes the trainer look good, but isn't that practical for a person who wants to have a good horses. There are a lot of myths out there and we hope to bring many of them to light while helping people to truly understand their horses so they can create a great relationship and enjoy their time together. I know people who spend 5 hrs a week with their horse and it is spent training or caring for their horse. They never get to "enjoy" the time. We're hoping to change all that.

We are booking 2009 as we speak. There are so many shows, expos, rodeos, and events that we could be a part of, but only so many dates. I know we travel more than anyone in the business when it comes to where we perform. This fall we go from Florida to Saskatchewan, Canada to Florida and then to Scottsdale, AZ. That is around 10,000 miles in 6 weeks. We have a lot of experience in traveling with horses. It takes a lot of preparation and discipline to get your horses down the road safely. We put our horses safety and well being first, that's why we make sure we do certain things and keep our focus on the horses the entire time. Our stops are calculated, we always monitor temperature, weather conditions, and prepare for emergencies. There isn't one thing that Tommie does that isn't done for a reason. We'll have people ask us why we keep the halters on the horse for a long trip if they are going to be on the trailer for a long time. Our answer is that if there is an emergency and you need to get the horses off quickly, you need to have the horses prepared. If you have a horse who thrashes his head around alot, there is a great product called Equiface Saver. http://www.equifacesaver.com/ This product will help protect his head which is the most vulnerable when traveling. We are putting together a book and DVD to cover the important things you need to think about when traveling. It goes above and beyong the "make sure your tires are good and you have oil in your truck" books. We'll also share many of our on the road stories as well.

Tommie was recently in Kentucky with the Rocky Mountain horse he had trained and snapped a great photo of him and his new puppy, Cutaway.

Gotta Ride. Ride Fast.... Take Chances! karen