More photos of Pokerjoe and Larry the Cable Guy

Here's a few shots of Pokerjoe's scenes from Larry the Cable Guys upcoming movie.

Pokerjoe and me getting the lighting and sound ready. then Larry joins in to set the shot.Pokerjoe and Larry nuzzling each other.
Larry and Joe take direction from the director on how to play the scene.

Larry nuzzles with Pokerjoe (or his movie name: "Buttercup")
Here is a full shot with the sound and lighting crew, while Larry takes the saddle off of Pokerjoe.
It was a lot of fun and lots of time on the set. We shoot more in June. Ride Fast... Take Chances!
karen

Witless Protection with Larry the Cable Guy

Just got back from the movie set in Plano, IL. Lots of fun, I'll tell you right there. We were at a farm house shooting the next movie with "Larry the Cable Guy". Tommie's horse, Pokerjoe got the movie part of "Buttercup" with Larry and Elmer. I had to work Pokerjoe and get quite a few shots. David Moeller (Elmer) got to ride Pokerjoe. Pokerjoe is quite the star too. He hit his cues like a true professional. Larry TCG (Dan Whitney) is awesome. My husband and I have been listening to Larry the Cable Guy on the radio since we were in Florida 10 years ago. He would call in to the local rock station and use his quickwitted humor. He is so quick and funny and his humor doesn't stop when the camera stops either. A very genuine guy. When we were in Shawinigan training for Cavalia in 2003, we would watch Blue Collar Comedy over and over. Thanks Dan and best of success to ya. You deserve everything that comes your way. Thanks for working with the Funniest Horse Under Saddle, Pokerjoe.

I'm back home now getting ready for the Jr. Rodeo this weekend. Lots of kids, parents, and horses! Tommie is rockin' the house in Australia. You can see the preview here. www.stadium.net.au My bro rocks downunder! Ride Fast... Take Chances! karen

Cavalia Highlights

Someone emailed me a bunch of links to videos of me in Cavalia.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7myFh4hTmJE
This is me roman riding during the roman poste. I race the other 2 guys (Eric Martonivich and Ricky Suarez) and then Eric gives me the lines to his team and I race around the stage and jump them over a 3' high jump. Bandit and Hollywood are my team. They were so awesome. Bandit was the bad boy and Holly was the sweatheart. It was a lot of work training them. I'll have to put some video on Youtube of the training it took to open Cavalia.
Here is the trick riding portion. You can tell its me by my call. When you hit the stage it was like a bolt of lighting hitting you.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ReZTtnb34SU

Here is video of me teaching roman riding during Cavalia. It takes a lot of balance, not mention confidence and control to keep the horses going where they are supposed to go. This is lots of fun. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9-03V1xf-s

To answer a few questions, I was with Cavalia from the start in Shawinigan, Canada. I was the Quarter Horse trainer and helped set up the Roman Poste, Voltige en Round and Trick Riding. I brought Ricky Suarez, a friend and fellow equestrian up to Cavalia with me (at the time the show was tentatively called "Voltige".) to train horses. After a month of starting horses we moved to an ice hockey rink in Shawinigan where we practiced as the built the tent and set up the technical aspects of the show. The cast arrived and we started building the show. It was an incredible experience working with Frederic Pignon and Magali Delgado. I had worked with them at Arabian Nights in Orlando and this project was a massive undertaking. In August we performed our first shows and them hit the road. We opened in Toronto, Montreal, San Francisco, Glendale CA, Seattle, Berkley, San Diego, and Santa Monica. After 300 plus shows I left to pursue what I am doing now. As you can see, things haven't slowed down a bit! Tommie is on his way to Australia for a show, I am working horses in a movie tomorrow with Larry the Cable Guy, we are hosting a Jr. Rodeo at our facility this weekend, and I just started training this beautiful Friesan horse named Eve. Good thing it's a slow week. Well, gotta prepare for the shoot tomorrow. Keep the questions coming. I'd love to hear from you. Email me at karen@equineextremist.net. Ride Fast... Take Chances! karen

Syracuse After the Show

Just wanted to thank everyone for a great turn out for the Syracuse Horse World Expo Show. It was awesome. Thanks for cheering for me during the Chariot Race! Someone sent us this photo of Tommie after the show.

As usual, he signed autographs for an hour after the show. (Thanks to Absorbine for the autograph sheets of Tommie and his horses that we hand out for free after the show. Tommie has personally signed over 10,000 of them!) I know he's tired, hot, dirty, sweaty, and hungry, but he would never disappoint anyone who came to see him. Thanks again to all of you and we'll see you next year. Tell all your friends and come cheer us on again.

Ride Fast... Take Chances! karen

Extend-a-Cool is really cool!

Tommie stops by the Extend-a-Cool booth during the Syracuse Horse World Expo. Tommie travels many miles with his horses and found out how convenient and useful the wraps are. The best part is having a way to cool your horses legs at any time. Keep it in a tack box and when you need it, it's there. Keeps the leg muscles cool to reduce swelling and it is a non chemical product and won't burn or freeze your horses skin. Check it out at www.extendacool.com. Tommie loves finding products that solves problems safely and effectively and Extend-a-Cool does exactly that. Special thanks to Bill Campbell for all the information on their product.

Ride Fast... Take Chances!

karen

More Photos from Syracuse Horse Expo 2007

Tommie gives a demo on training in the coliseum on Friday. A great turn out and response from everyone. Thanks again to Extend-a-Cool for the "cool" product and information.

Here is Tommie with one of our interns, Holly. She helped Tommie lay down Ace in the demo. Our interns were an integral part of the show. They make sure all the props are set and help keep us moving forward. Thanks Holly and Cambria! I'll have more photos of Lynn Palm and Stacey Westfall driving our Chariots during Tommie's demo in a few days too. That was a lot of fun! Lynn rode with me and she did really good.

Tommie takes time to meet and talk to everyone at the expos. He will stay after the shows and sign autographs until everyone is gone. Some nights we are there for hours waiting for Tommie, but he wouldn't do it any other way. "If people are willing to wait just to say hi or shake my hand, I will stay as long as it takes. It is my way of saying thank you to them for their support." He really does appreciate the fans and supporters. That is what being in entertainment is all about. Without the fans you are just an exhibitor. Thanks a millions Syracuse! See you next year. Ride Fast.. Take Chances! karen

Syracuse Horse World Expo

The staff at Equestrian Promotions did it again! They are ones responsible for the great shows in Maryland and Harrisburg in PA. Now, they just put together a fantastic show in Syracuse, New York at the Fair Grounds. It was a nice setting with lots of vendors, cool stuff to buy, clinicians, all breeds of horses and entertainment. For the first year of a show it was a great turn out. We met a lot of new horse people and our die hard fans who travelled up to 8 hours to see us! We got a lot of fans from the Massachusetts and Ohio areas who had seen Tommie at Equine Affaire a few years ago and wanted to see him again. Tommie did 4 acts in the show and I did the color presentation on Blade, (his FIRST show EVER!) and the Gladiator Chariot Race. Lori skied behind Ceasar too. It was a great show. Matt McLaughlin, Lynn Palm, and Stacey Westfall also performed. The crowds were very enthusiastic. The Chariot race is at the end of the show and everyone was still cheering and booing like crazy. What an awesome feeling.

Here is Tommie during the finale with Joker. Thanks to Jaz for the photos and video! I also want to let you all know too, we do appreciate you putting stuff on myspace, youtube, etc. but please limit each clip to under :10 secs. Tommie's acts and demos are copywritten and trademarked, so we can't have his act just put up on the web. So, please use common sense and limit the video usage you use or we'll have to have it removed completely. In this day and age of media, everyone has a video camera or video phone, we just ask you to use them responsibly. Also, if you do have a photo of Tommie you would like to use on your website, please email us and let us know. Tommie will give you a quote and we'll tell you about it. We hate seeing a photo mislabled or naming the wrong horse. I'm at karen@equineextremist.net. Well gotta run. Lots to do before we leave for Ohio on Friday. More to come. Ride fast.. Take Chances! karen

Hollywood Charity Horse Show

We just returned from a long trip to Hollywood for a one-night show at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center in Burbank. It is an incredible event which revolves around a reining show, equine entertainment, silent auction, and a dinner and dance. Each year it is put together by William Shatner and raises money for Ahead with Horses and Camp Max Straus. This is something dear to Bill and his wife, Elizabeth and we have been involved with it for the past 2 years. The daytime is the reining in which you can watch the best in the business compete. Bill and Liz also compete many times with their beautiful horses. Then Tommie and I put on a show to entertain the public and help bring light to the charities. Both charities use horses to help children through therapy. It is a wonderful tool which brings joy to so many children. Tommie performed at Liberty with his horse, Ace along with doing the Riding Instructor Comedy Act. We then got the crowd going and put on a fast action chariot race. Bill was cheering for Tommie and Liz was cheering for me. Well, I WON! (As always...) After the show, everyone goes inside to bid at the auction. Bill does all the emceeing and is the auctioneer. Then people ate and danced all night. Bill stays to the end and was on his horses on Sunday competing. He is such an inspiration to us and a great friend.

Here is Bill and I after the show along with Tommie, Bill and Elizabeth. I love her outfits. She makes all her own! Tommie also did an interview with Mancow for Fox & Friends. Pokerjoe was a hit! As you can see in the photo, Mancow got in on the act.

We had a great time and can't wait to do it again! Thanks to Bill, Liz, Chris, Adam, Karen, Larry, Mancow, Mike, our intern Lou, Lori, and Jamie. It was also great to see a lot of friends like Dana, Christiana, and Jan. Hollywood is always so much fun. Off to Syracuse next!

Ride Fast... Take Chances! karen

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