Working Horse Stunts on "John Adams"

Tommie has been working out of Richmond, VA on an HBO movie, "John Adams". He has been working with horses as a revolutionary alongside Paul Giamatti. (Sideways, Lady in the Garden, the Illusionist...) Tommie worked in battle scenes and also had a speaking part warning the people that the "British are marching on Concord". He said they had to use the rain makers to create rain during the battles and marches and it was cold!

Here are photos of Tommie on horseback, getting ready to ride up to Paul G, a photo of the stunt guys in wardrobe, and a shot of the film crew setting up a shot.

It was cool when we were watching the series premier of the Sopranos that they showed a few clips of "John Adams". Can't wait to see it. Ride Fast... Take Chances! karen

Getting Ready for Upcoming Shows

Hey everyone. Sorry so long since the last post. We have had trouble with our wireless internet and we've been very busy getting ready for the Midwest Horse Fair and the Hollywood Charity Horse Show. We head to Madison, WI at the Alliant Energy Center on Thursday for a 3 day show and then head off to the LA Equestrian Center for a one day extravaganza and perform for a lot of celebs and folks to raise money for a great charity. William Shatner spends the entire weekend riding and raising money. He is quite the inspiration. Tommie and I will be performing in the show. In Madison, Tommie and I will be doing demos during the day and then performing at night. If you are in the area come on out and see us. Stop by our booth and say hi. We'll be happy to talk with you. We've had quite a few shows here at the Wahl Equestrian Center. We've had the Illinois Cutting Horse Assoc, the Illinois Quarter Horse Assoc, Barrel racing, and Rockin' H Team Roping. It has been non-stop. Tommie and I did a public rehearsal to get ready for the shows and then had an Easter Egg hunt for the kids. We were blown away with the amount of people who came out. Thanks for the support. We're already planning a BIG Easter weekend next year with lots of eggs and prizes. PLUS, we'll put on a show instead of a rehearsal. My husbands mom and dad came in for two weeks to help get things together. They were a lot of help. Thanks Rol-Ann! They helped watch the zebra and kangaroo too. Our facility manager took two weeks off to go to Australia for a much needed vacation. She's back now and our intern program is back in full swing. We are truly international! We have an intern from Montreal (Jen), one from Europe (Ludivine), one from the US, and 2 more coming soon. It will be a fun summer with lots of fun. We'll trail ride, trick ride, drive, roman ride, and even do vaulting. Sugar is ready! I just need to build a ring curb and she'll be ready to run. Sugar is our American Cream Draft Horse. She is quite the sight.
Lots to do. I'll try to add some photos tomorrow. See you soon!
Ride Fast... Take Chances! karen

Josh Lyons and Tommie Turvey

Well, I did say Tommie and Josh were best friends. Lots of people in Nebraska got to see them have a lot of fun with their horses. They are not always working! This year Tommie, Josh and his wife Jana went to Hawaii for a little time off. Tommie and Josh hit the beach for scuba diving. They did lots of cool stuff while in Hawaii too. Josh and Jana just left our facility for two weeks of clinics in Toronto. We just got two new additions to our animal staff. (Thanks to Josh and Jana) They are a zebra and a kangaroo. They are both about 6 m0s old. We'll have a lot of fun working with them. I'll get pictures on the blog as soon as I can. We have a cutting show here at the facility this weekend, so it has been really hectic with the show, the concession booth, the western store, and Equine Extremist Entertainment. We are growing and growing every day. I have been feverishly researching for our intern program and after going through a ton of resumes have narrowed it down to 5 for the summer. We have promoted Lori Miller to Facility Manager. She is in charge of overseeing the Wahl Equestrian Center/Double G Facility. She joined our team a little over a year ago as an intern! We are also filling other much needed positions, but it is a slow and tedious process. We don't want to grow too fast, we just want to grow at a controlled pace. We don't want to be flash in the pans, so we take every day in step. It like Tommie says, "It took me 20 years to become an overnight sensation." We do what we do because we love it. Today, when I was watching the cutters work their horses I kept thinking how each one was enjoying what they were doing. They loved to be at one with their horses and work as a team. It is that feeling that we strive for and we hope to bring it out and help anyone achieve it. Ride Fast... Take Chances! karen

Partiot News Articles

Here is an article that Mary Klaus did on Tommie for the Patriot News in PA. We really appreciate the time she took to talk with us on Sunday. She didn't see the show but went to the Farm Complex to cover the "Home Show" on Sunday and when she asked people what was the best thing about the "Horse show" everyone said "Tommie Turvey", so she tracked us down and put together this story. Thanks for the story Mary! karen

Here is an article which was in the "Patriot News" during our show in PA. I'm driving Apollo and Zeus around the track. I just got this article and thought it was really cool. My boys look great! I am so proud of them. They are so smooth and fun to drive and have such a nice demeanor about them. I love their flowing manes and tails too. They are Morgans, so they are naturally beautiful and defined. Thanks again to the Patriot for a great article and spotlighting our chariots! Ride Fast... Take Chances! karen

Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo

In January, Tommie performed at all the rodeo perfs (33) at the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo. He got the chance to stop by a childrens hospital and do a few rope tricks as well as work with Legendary announcer Bob Tallman again. Tommie enjoys performing and getting smiles from kids. He really loves what he does and is very generous with his time. karen

Great Turn Out at Nebraska Expo

Just got done the Nebraska Expo show and wanted to share a few photos. It was wonderful working with Josh Lyons and Matt McLaughlin. We always have a lot of fun when we are together. Here a great show of Tommie and Josh when they did a clinic together. They really show how much fun you can have with their horses. Tommie did demos during the day and performed 3 of his acts during a night show on Saturday. It was standing room only. Matt did a routine on a black Friesian that was absolutely gorgeous, plus a fun dressage/western act. Tommie did his exciting roman riding, comedy act, and liberty act. They all did great. The booth was packed after the show. They said the show was the best attended since its inception. This is our first time in Nebraska and the reception Tommie got was terrific. We got to see our friends from Lucky D who we met in Denver in January. They are so nice. We hope to be back at the show next year. Keep checking the schedule and we hope to see you soon. Thanks again Nebraska Horse Council, Dave Leggit, Lynn Ostrand, and everyone involved! The set up crew and hospitality was first rate and much appreciated. Thank you for a wonderful show. Ride Fast... Take Chances! karen

Tommie and Josh do a little "Risky Business" at the Nebraska Horse Expo 2007.

Nebraska Horse Expo

Well, we haven't been able to update or follow up on much email since our PA show. We got swamped by email after the show AND our high speed internet is down for a week while they move the tower. I did the dial up and it took about 4 hours to download 100 messages, so I couldn't do much until now. We just arrived in Lincoln, Nebraska for the Horse Expo with Josh Lyons and Matt Mclaughlin. It's gonna be fun! The hotel has high speed, so for the past 3 hours I have been downloading and reading email. We got lots of pictures from people who saw the show. (Thanks, we love to get photos!)
Just wanted to let everyone know we are in Lincoln and to get ready for a great show. See you later. I'll be able to update more over the next few days... Thanks for being patient. Ride Fast... Take Chances!
karen

PA Horse World Expo

I just want to say what a fantastic time we had in Harrisburg last weekend. Tommie and I were at the PA Horse World Expo to be in the nighttime show, "Theatre Equus" and to do educational demos during the day. The response was incredible. This was my first time performing here, so it was quite a thrill. We put on an exciting chariot race with our new chariots. Here is a photo from the show. I'm the one in white! My boys, Zeus and Apollo were great. They are true warrior horses. I had their new bell and splint boots on from Bar F. They blink colors with every step they take. It was cool! Maximus is passing me in the photo, but I got the best of him. Caesar and Spartacus are pretty fast too. They are a very strong team and love to run full out. For those of you who came out to the sold out shows THANKS! for the support. It was a great show also featuring good friends of ours, Matt McLaughlin with an awesome dressage routine, Gudmar with his cool Icelandic Horses and our very own Lori Miller skiing behind a horse. It was her first show and she was perfect. The entire weekend was a great success and alot of fun. I'll have more photos and posts soon. Until then, RIDE FAST... TAKE CHANCES!

karen

Wahl Clippers

I just clipped up the chariot horses and wanted to find more info on the new clippers I just bought from Wahl. It is called the "Switchblade" and it is awesome. It is a corded clipper and it it really easy to hold, cuts ANYTHING, and is very quiet. I love my Arco for trim ups and training, but the Switchblade is my favorite. I can't wait to use it on my doggie. While on the Wahl site http://www.wahlanimal.com/ you will get a different photo each time you visit or click "refresh". I saw this cute puppy and then it was Tommie and Ace for the Tough Enough to Wear Pink, and then Tommie and Nevada Joe.

We have the pink clippers at our store and we'll have some in PA. I'm sure Tommie wouldn't mind signing them for you, and it is for a great cause.

We'll have to get Tommie's mustang, Blade in their too with the "SwitchBlade".

Ride Fast... Take Chances!

karen

Snowing and Training

Looks like the snow is hitting the fan everywhere! We got about a 6 inches of snow, but the wind is making 3' snow drifts. We are just getting the last minute stuff ready for the PA show next weekend. We have a cutting show and a Fjord show here at the facility over the next two weeks, so it will be lots of fun in the snow! We have been moving snow all day. Then wind blows it back and we push it back again. I wish I had a snow sled for the horses to pull us. That would be fun. I know Caesar and Spartacus would love it. We are just getting the Tack and Apparel Store organized. That has been a project in itself. We are setting up a new inventory system. plus changing the mix of product we will be selling. At Denver we found a bunch of cute shirts with sayings like "Rodeo Girl University", "Cowboys Lie" and "Don't Trust Cowboys". These are great for valentine's day. We added more fashion cowboy hats and clothes in addition to our own line of "Equine Extremist" Shirts and Hoodies. We just added these really cute "extreme" work out pants. I'll try to get them on-line or stop by the booth in Harrisburg,PA to see them. They are cool. The intern program is going great. It is awesome to have such incredible people who truly love horses. Giddy, our Australian intern is wonderful. She always has a smile and is ready to work at any time. Being at this facility she could be cleaning stalls, shoveling snow, counting inventory, or getting bales of hay and she does it with tons of enthusiasm. That's why she has been put to the task of working in our acts next week at the PA Horse World Expo. She will also be traveling to the Nebraska Expo to help Tommie as well. The best part is that she will be able to work with Tommie when he heads over to Australia for shows over there. Go Giddy!
Lori is our rock. She is our hands on horses girl. She has been apprenticing for Tommie and I and she will be at the 1 year point next week. She'll make her performing debut at Harrisburg as she will be performing in the show. In one year she went from intern to performing with Tommie and I. That's quite a feat and she deserves it. Our roster for the intern program is getting full, but please don't hesitate to send your resume if you are interested. We don't choose just on skill or experience. We choose on desire and heart. Tommie and I started working with horses because we wanted to be there. We watched trainers and riders for hours just so we might get a chance to ride. We would clean horses, clean stalls, and polish tack just for the 5 mins we would get to ride. Once we got on the horse we were in heaven. We would play games and see if we could accomplish what the trainer or rider who was on the horse did. Tommie always took the horse that someone said was "unride-able" or "crazy", not to prove them wrong, but to give himself a challange and get the results he wanted from the horse. We have a lot of people that come to us to train their horses. We can do that, but the key is to train the rider/owner to get the responses from their horse. There is nothing better than seeing progression when working with horses. It seems like it would great to buy a horse already trained, but you also have to be trained as well. You have to know the cues and touches and the best way to learn is to be the one who does it. Don't be a hurry. How long do you plan on having your horse? Yes it does take time, but Tommie and I done it like this all our lives. We don't train 8 hours a day or even 1 hour a day. Most of our time is spent caring for the horses and about 30 mins training a horse or a team. Remember too, that when you groom a horse, exercise a orse, or ride a horse, YOU ARE TRAINING THEM. We train the basics like ground tying, whoa, and movements while cleaning stalls, in the wash rack, or saddling. You can hear more about this at Tommie and I's demos in PA. Stop by and say hi. I''ll be listed under the demos for "Doug Sloan and Cynthia Royal". They cancelled so I'm going to fill in. Get your questions ready!
Well, gotta go gang the snow is piling up and we'll have to get up early to move it out of the way. Ride Fast... Take Chances!
karen

More Cool Lava Photos

Tommie and Josh Check out the Lava in Hawaii

Tommie and Joker

Equine Extremist, Tommie Turvey and Breyer Model Horse, Joker put on some speed at the Florida Equestrian Celebration in Nov 2006.

Tommie Turvey and Pokerjoe

Tommie and Pokerjoe during a personal warm up in Jacksonville. Pokerjoe was the headliner during the annual, Dinner in the Dirt performance. 

Tommie and Jeremy pose with one of the birds in the show. Thanks for the great time at SeaWorld. We were given a tour of the training facility and saw how time consuming it was to ready for the shows and the amount of training it takes, but after talking with Jeremy, he wouldn't trade it for the world. They understand that it isn't the final result you are looking for, but the reward of the daily improvements and successes which make working with animals worth every minute of it.  

Here we are at SeaWorld. Jeremy gave us a tour of the facility and we got to meet Cassy. She is a false killer whale. They are found off the coast of Japan and are very rare. We got to meet her up close and see how intelligent she is. In the photo is Giddy, Lori, Eirean, Jen, Tommie, Me, Jamie and of course, Cassy.

Jeremy performs with Cassy at the whale and dolphin show at Sea World in Orlando. This is a great show that you gotta see when you go to SeaWorld. The use of acrobats, non-stop action, and no narration is great. It reminds me of how we set up Cavalia. We wanted the action and music to set the mood. Great show Jeremy and crew!

Craig Cameron gets a ride on Tommie's roman team, Joker and Ace during the Florida Equestrian Celebration. Craig explained that it wasn't as easy as it looks! Thanks to Craig for making the expo a fun and interesting event. We are looking forward to next year. It keeps getting better.... Ride Fast.. Take Chances! karen  

Tommie has Giddy, our newest intern, show how to lay down his Mustang, Blade during a demo in front of an audience at the Florida Equestrian Celebration in Jacksonville, FL.