PA Horse World Expo 2008

Here is Tommie Turvey performing with Pokerjoe in "the Riding Instructor" comedy act at the 2008 PA Horse World Expo in Harrisburg, PA. We just got back from the PA Horse World Expo and had an incredible show. First, we need to thank Bob and Denise for producing an incredible show. There is no doubt that this show is the best equine expo in the country. Where else can you see the best clincians and equine professionals, shop at the best vendor shops, and see an exciting show all under one roof! We've been to bigger shows, but this one is the best. We couldn't ask for better crowds. Everyone comes to celebrate and learn about the horse, and we hope to inspire them to do more, be more, and all in all to just have fun. Tommie had a lot of fun with his best friend and fellow trainer, Josh Lyons. They have the most entertaining demos and were always having fun. We got so many great comments from people who really enjoyed Tommie's demos. Our booth was swamped every day. Tommie signed so many autographs and Joker Breyer Horses, I think his hand was going to fall off. After the show on Saturday, Tommie got swamped in the arena by fans getting his autograph. I was getting the props put away and saw this sea of people crowding around him. He signed every program and picture until the last one was there. Here is a photo of Tommie and Josh Lyons signing autographs after the show. This year we had a friend of ours, John Laughingwolf to perform original indian dances with full costume while his sons did a traditional hoop dance. It was an awesome addition to the show. Matt McLaughlin performed flawlessly with dressage, while his horses Pecos and Corral looked great. Josh Lyons showed the crowd he can rein like the best of them. Flash hit his marks and spun and stopped on a dime. Texas trick rider, Austin Anderson, his girlfriend Pamela, and Leanne Pollick performed trick riding and mounted shooting in the style of the old west. Austin spun his six shooters like a true cowboy. They are always fun to work with. Lynn Palm and Diana Beuchert also performed with their beautiful horses as well. Our assistants, Lori and Giddy were part of the show too. They roped alongside Tommie as well as performed an act with fire bolos. We also celebrated 2 years of Lori being with our team.(Yea!) Tommie performed his fast action Roman Riding, Bridle-less riding & Liberty, comedy act with Pokerjoe, trick riding and roping, and on Friday performed a fireburn on horseback. It takes a lot of concentration and trust to perform and ride while you are on fire while riding a horse. He has performed the fireburn while roman riding, but this time he wanted to slow down the action and show how calm and trusting his mustang, Blade could be. This was the first time in front of an audience with Blade, so it took a lot of preparation, plus we got some great footage for our upcoming television show.
Well, we just want to say thanks to everyone who came to see us at the show. Your support really helps us keep doing what we're doing.Tommie did a morning tv show, several magazines, and this interview during the PA Horse World Expo.

Tommie gives a demo on his training during the expo. Here he shows the incredible relationship he has with his black and white Paint horses, Joker and Ace with Liberty and Trick Training.

Tommie showed how he has been working with two Rocky Mountain Horses. Our assistants, Lori and Giddy took them out in the arena and had them lay down very calmly. Tommie even rode by High Roller to see what he would do. They are the most willing horses I have ever worked with. These are 2 year olds with only 60 days on them. They will be up for sale soon, check our website if you interested in getting one of these wonderful horses.

During Tommie's demo in the Equine Arena (pictured above), one of Tommie's favorite students, Lizzie and her pony, Toby showed everyone how she now rides bridle-less and even jumped a fence while bridle-less and bareback!(Click here to watch her video) She is such an inspiration as she rides with only the horsehair neck rein Tommie designed. The arena was packed with standing room only as Tommie introduced his friends, horses, and even his red heeler, Maverick, who promptly fetched a soda from the cooler for a few audience members. Tim Farley, a friend of ours from our Arabian Nights days and the son of Walter Farley, who wrote "the Black Stallion" was there promoting the "Black Stallion Literacy Project". Tommie and I worked with them and toured doing shows in Texas and Arizona for kids who were inspired to read because of horses. Tommie also had a chance to talk with Dr. Anna Marie from the Weather Channel. She is also a friend from our days in Orlando as well. It was nice to see everyone and how things have evolved over the years.
All in all, we were incredibly busy, but we had time to go and visit our friends in Harrisburg after the show Saturday Night. It was nice to get away for a few hours and relax with great food and wonderful hospitality. Again, thanks to you all who have supported us through the years. Liz, Annette, Mark, Lizzie, and Hopefully we'll see you next year, discussions are in the works already for 2009. Ride Fast... Take Chances! karen

Tommie Turvey Feb 2008 Clinic

Tommie Turvey and his students successfully lay down the horses during the 5 day clinic. The participants came from PA, LA, WI, TN, IL, and MO.

We just finished up a 5 day clinic at our facility, Double G in Sterling, IL and then we had a 3 Barrels Productions, Barrel Race on Saturday, and today it rained and flooded everything. Now it is freezing and everything is a sheet of ice. Tuesday, we leave for Harrisburg, PA and the PA Horse World Expo. We also spent 4 hours today booking our Spring and Fall line of Ariat merchandise for the store. We have lots of shows this year and need to keep up with the new styles and fashions. For the PA show, we'll have a new DVD, belts, boots, cool hats, nice and warm hoodies, Joker Breyer Models, and lots more. Come see us if you are in the area.

The clinic Tommie put on was a lot of fun. Here are photos from it. Richard successfully lays down his horse using Tommie's techniques. The other students also brought their horses and worked on everything from liberty, groundwork, tricks, and riding. Each person worked on their goals as well as helping them discover new ways to work their horses. Tommie helped them gain insight on how he would work on a problem and broke it down step by step.



Cindy gets her horse up on the pedestal and communciates her actions and direction through body language and verbal cues.

Bonny's horse, Val lays down as her horse calmly relaxes under them. Her horse had been to several trainers without success, so she was very happy that Tommie was able to have her horse lie down after 2 days. Bonny said Tommie is truly a horseman who knows how to read horses and gets them to do things typical trainers can't do.

The girls have a little fun with Tommie! As you can see it's not all about learning, its about having fun, reaching goals, and learning the important things to improve your horsemanship skills.

We leave for the 900 mile trip to PA Tuesday, so I'll try to get some info and photos of the show while we are there. Talk to you soon. Ride Fast... Take Chances!

Nothing but COLD COLD COLD

Oh my! It is -1 here and with the 40 mph winds it is unbearable!

Tommie and I are getting ready for the upcoming PA show and we also have a 5 day clinic here at the facility. It will be cold but our indoor facility is a nice 40 degrees. Perfect for training! We had the chariot horses, the Rocky Mountain Horses and our riding horses out to pasture and had to bring them in. It should get to -30 tonight. The horses love it outside, and we know people who will keep theirs outside, but we have a place to bring them in, so we don't make them tolerate it (which most horses will!). We bring them in and stall them inside until it gets back to 30 or higher. We've been digging out from the past 2 snow storms along with freezing rain and ice. Everything is frozen solid. I can't wait until we get a training facility in the South. We can train up here in the spring, summer and fall, but when winter comes, I want to be in Florida, Arizona, Georgia, Kentucky, Texas, well, let's say anywhere it doesn't get weather like this. We are currently talking with sponsors and it looks like everything is on track for 2008 and 2009. It is so time consuming with the facility, store, merchandising, marketing, training, riding, booking, videos, website, and the horses. We are looking to add more staff and depts as we continue to grow. I just wanted to say thanks again to Claire and John at Guardian Horse Bedding. Due to the weather and backorder of bedding over the winter, we just ran out and aren't getting a load until next week. I called them up and without hesitation they got us set up with 2 pallets. I drove up the their farm in Rockford and not only did they hook us up with enough bedding to get us by unti the order arrives, they even helped load each bag on to the truck. That's just another reason we love Guardian Horse Bedding. Not only do they produce the best product, but the people are willing to go the extra mile to make it happen. Thanks for the "pin" too. Now I've got to get the facility plowed out from snow and drifts, plus get storage ready for the 14 pallets of bedding coming. We just finished post production on the dog training video. It's how to get your dog to fetch a drink from the fridge. That is the one trick that people can't believe. So, Tommie put together a video to show anyone how to do it step by step. It's really fun. Well, my to-do list is quickly getting longer so i better go while I can. Hope to see you all in Harrisburg, PA in two weeks. Keep in touch. Ride Fast... Take Chances! karen

Here is Maverick getting a beer from the fridge. He is 2 years old and does it really well. It is usually hard to train a young dog to do complicated steps other than sit, shake, etc... He gets really excited, but he gets it. Check out our site at http://www.fetchmeabeer.com/

Maryland Horse Expo 2008

Here is Tommie Turvey and Ace during a clinic at the Maryland Horse Expo 2008.

Tommie is at the Maryland Horse Expo outside of Baltimore. He is doing demos on training. They said it snowed about 5" on Thursday, but was really nice today. They sent me photos of Tommie's first demo. They'll have more on Saturday. If you are in the area, stop in and say hello. I'll post more photos when I get them. Tommie has 7am and 9am media spots on local Baltimore tv stations tomorrow, so you might see him then also. Wish I was there, but I had to stay back here to take care of the horse, farm, and western store. It is freezing here! About 15 below zero... Ride Fast... Take Chances! karen

Discovery Channel films show at Double G Arena

The Discovery Channel film crew gets a shot of the racing chariot with the host and co-host.

This weekend was really warm. It went from 11 degrees below zero wind chill and 20" of snow to 50 degrees and lots of melting snow. It was a perfect weekend for the Discovery Network to bring its film crew and hosts of Weapon Masters to our facility for a 3 day shoot. It was awesome. They featured the archery from the battlegrounds where the soldiers would shoot from the backs of the chariots. We provided the facility, horses, drivers and chariots for the shoot. It is wonderful to be able to have a facility and the notoritety to be able to bring in national tv shows and events. Double G is the perfect place. We have plenty of resources and room to make any event a success. We have been expanding from offering horsemanship training, breed shows, speed shows, fun shows, and the like. We are always looking at new ways to bring in more exciting events. We are hoping to have the likes of Troy Crumrine (Barrels) and Larry Whitsell (Gaited) here this year for clinics as well our own with Tommie and I. If you have any ideas or want to add your event, please give me a call at Double G. 815-626-3770. Thanks again for all your support. Come check out our Western Store too. We have lots of new things that you just haveta have! I love the Cruel Girl Perfume, the Ariat Terrian Boots and the Pink Toes Shirts. Ride Fast... Take Chances! karen

Here is Tommie and I helping the host and camera crew get a great shot inside the chariot. Ceasar and Spartacus were the horses and they were fast!

Welcome 2008!

Just had to post one more time. 2008 will be non-stop. We have a barrel show starting at 8am and then we have inventory in the Western Store for 2 days, a video shoot for the Discovery Channel on Fri/Sat/Sun, then we head to Denver for 5 days of the the WESA market to get new product and check out cool stuff for the store, then we head to Maryland for the Expo with Tommie. Upon returning, we have production scheduled for our video, so that should round out January. If you have any questions, please email me at karen@equineextremist.net. Happy New Year! Ride Fast... Take Chances! karen

Happy New Year!

Hello everyone. Just wanted to say Happy New Year. 2007 has been quite a year for us. Thanks for all your support and we are looking forward to seeing you all in 2008!
Ride Fast... Take Chances! karen

YESTERDAY'S TOWNS: IN MEMORY OF MATT ZAMPERLA ZOPPE

YESTERDAY'S TOWNS: IN MEMORY OF MATT ZAMPERLA ZOPPE

Christmas in Maine

Here is Jamie and I. Merry Christmas!
This is what a white New England Christmas looks like.
Here I am refreshed and revived after a nice night at the Wentworth by the Sea.
Here is Jamie overlooking the 8" of snow that fell during our stay.

My husband and I got away for a few days and went to Maine for Christmas with his family and to have a few days away for our anniversary. We stayed at the Wentworth by the Sea and had a beautiful New England Christmas with tons of snow! We drove up to LL Bean in Freeport to get a few presents and have sushi with our niece, Joann. We met one of Jamie's best friends, Webber and his wife in Portland for drinks and hear stories of Jamie and Webber's exploits. Then we had a big Christmas with Jamie's family and all the nieces and nephews on Saturday. Lots of great food and conversation. We went skiing at Sunday River Ski resort. It was awesome. We skied all day, had a great lunch at the Shipyard Ale House and there was hardly anyone there. (With 130 trails it felt like we were alone!) We figured it would be really busy, so we got to the mountain at 7:30am. We were the first in line for tickets and gear. It was cool to go skiing with the family, Mike, Sue, Lynn, Michael, Sheila, Chris, Alex, Andy, Austin, Colleen, Danny and Katie. I just want to say thank you to Jamie's Mom and Dad for putting everything together and making it a wonderful Christmas for us. Love you and Merry Christmas.
We returned home on Christmas eve to spend Christmas with Tommie, the horses, our doggies, and the girls. (Lori and Giddy) Here is Tommie, trying to guess the present before he opens it.
Merry Christmas! karen

In Memory of Matt Zoppe

I just returned from my Christmas vacation with my husbands family and was floored. On December 22, 2007 a talented performer, wonderful person and a good friend's life ended too soon. Matt Zamperla Zoppe was 5th generation circus and a true performer. We watched Matt and his brothers perform marvelously at the Circus, Cheval Theatre, Dixie Stampede and at Arabian Nights Dinner Theater. My brother and I featured the Zoppe family in a pilot we shot called "Extreme Horsemen". We brought together the most talented bareback riders under one roof. Matt and his family showed us why they are the best of the best. We experienced the magic of the Zoppe family as they practiced and performed. This is a sad day to know Matt is gone from this earth. He will be missed by everyone. Our hearts go out to Diana, his daughter Angelica, his family and friends. Below is a few pictures of Matt as we will always remember him. God Bless.


Here is Matt with his brother, Olissio.
Here is the Zoppe family performing at Arabian Nights. Here is Matt and Olissio along with Timi Loyal, Christine Drentwett, Joanne Mintel and other talented bareback riders during our "Extreme Horsemen" shoot.

Here is Matt alongside my brother, Tommie. We will miss you Matt.

Great photos of Tommie Turvey

I found a bunch of photos of Tommie performing this year. I thought I would post some for you to see.


Here is my brother, Tommie jumping his roman riding team of Joker and Ace over fire at a show. He has such confidence in his horses. I'm there standing next to the jump. I'm there for safety to set the jump, light the jump, and extinguish the jump. Tommie, Joker and Ace look awesome as ever!

This is the first shot I've ever seen of Tommie during his comedy act, "the Riding Instructor", where it was taken from behind. Tommie parts the tail and enters from under Pokerjoe and in between his legs. A lot of people are amazed by Pokerjoe's quiet stance. It is just very basic horsemanship of de-sensitizing and trust, NOT of bombproofing where the horse is oblivious of what's going on. We want horses to be horses and coherent to the outside world. We want them to "spook", because when they do we want them to look to us for safety and guidance. The trust is developed when we are consistant with the training and teach them to come to us. They learn to look to us for safety instead of running off or knocking us down. We teach a lot of this in our clinics and demos.

Here's a great shot of the arena during the Western States Horse Expo in Sacramento. The Saturday Night Showcase was the biggest and most attended show they had ever done. Wayne Williams announced and Jamie, my husband ran the technical aspects of our acts. Hope to find more photos for you. Until then, Ride Fast... Take Chances!
karen

Has it Been a Month?

I just noticed it has been a month since my last post. Well, we have been to the AZ Horse Fest and the Ocala Equine Capital Horse Expo. It was a nice 5,200 mile round trip. The AZ Horse Fest wasa great show. Tommie said he was impressed by how well it was run. The facility, Empty Acres was a large facility with nice stalls, arenas, and layout. Tommie said they were nice "mare" stalls with soft dirt and lots of room for his horses, so they can relax. Most shows have their stalls on concrete, so we have to use 8 bags of Guardian Shavings just to make it soft, so it is nice to have a place where you know your horse is very comfortable. It addition to Tommie's 4 acts in the show, they had the Mini Horse Drill Team, David Davis and some reining demos for the night time show. For clincians they had Tommie Turvey, Craig Cameron, Jane Savoie, Kerry Huhn, and Karen Scholl. These are some of the best clinicians you'll find. They are not only knowledgable, they are all approachable. People come to these events to learn something new or gain more insight on how they can create a better relationship with their horse. It is nice to have an expo where you can talk one on one with the clincian and get feedback on your specific problem or question. Tommie loves questions from the audience. It is the reason people support and come to these events. The 80 degree weather was real nice too. The people seemed to come from all over as well. We had people from AZ, CA, NV, NM, TX,CO, MO, and OK, come by and say hi. We were very impressed and are looking forward to next year and putting on a few clinics at Empty Acres in Buckeye as well. There is nothing better than working with promoters and trainers who respect and appreciate each other.

Here is a photo of Tommie and Ace from the Ocala Equine Capitol Horse Expo taken by Steve Priest. Steve has been taking photos of Tommie for about 10 years now.
The Ocala show went very well. We set up our 40x40 tent and had our own "compound" at the Post Time Event Center. Josh and Jana Lyons were there as well. Tommie and Josh did their demos back to back, having lots of fun as well. They remind me of 2 little boys trying to out-do or make the other flub up. They are best friends and had a great time. People say it was the most entertaining demo they had ever seen at an expo. In addition to Tommie and Josh, Matt McLaughlin, Stacey Westfall, Pat and Linda Parelli, and Jimmy Driver were on hand to give really nice educational and entertaining demos. The Dinner in the Dirt was held Friday Night and was exciting as always. Tina puts the audience in the arena and we do the entire show around them. Tommie did his 4 acts, plus Lori skied behind Ceaser and Jon Wearley and I did the Chariot Race. We planned it all down to the wreck at the end. The entire show went off without a hitch. Tina bills it as "extreme" and "dangerous", but don't worry, we know exactly what we are doing. Many many years in the stunt business makes sure that you are prepared. We looked at every position and found the safest way to perform each act. We just make it look dangerous. We would never put our horses lives or other peoples lives in danger for a "show". We are entertainers, not daredevils. Thanks to Tina and Gordon who put on this event for their incredible hospitality. This is our 5th year working with Tina and we love every show we do with her. We are now back in Sterling for much needed rest from the road as we prepare for 2008. Sorry for the being so late in posting. I'll try to add to this more often, now that I'm home.We've got so much going on from the Rocky Mountain Horses, Mustangs, Chariot racing horses, and more! Clinics coming for 2008! Ride Fast... Take Chances! karen

2008 Tour - Ready to Roll

I wanted to thank our newest sponsors. Extend-a-Cool will be along with Tommie in 2008. We got the crew together and posed for this photo in front of Tommie's new rig for the 2008 Tour through out the US and Canada. Tommie also picked up 3 beautiful Rocky Mountain Horses from Van Bert Farms, KY to start working with. Tommie was looking for a friendly, good looking, and simply ridable horses to have for trail riding and pleasure. These Rocky Mountain Horses will be perfect for this endeavor. We'll track their progress as Tommie gets them ready for riding, liberty, and traveling. We've got lots of new and exciting things lined up for next year as well, so get ready to come by and say hi when we come to your area! Ride Fast... Take Chances! karen

A great entertainer, horse trainer, and a dear friend will be missed.

A dear friend of the world has passed. On Oct. 6th, 2007 Gaylord Maynard was taken from this earth where he will forever be remembered in our hearts and laughter. He was truly a man of incredible talents. For those fortunate enough to see him perform, you know how he loved to make people laugh. I was in and saw his comedy act hundreds of times, and I couldn't stop laughing. Even when I was the "vamp", he would try hard to get me to crack up while I was on stage. He never did it to be mean or to make me look bad, he did it because he knew it put me in the right frame of mind to perform. You really had to concentrate, and he would always have me smiling the entire act. It was his way of keeping us on our toes and getting the best he possibly could from us. I learned a lot from this man. He had wonderful ideas and always took the time to share his wisdom. He will always be the man entertainers aspire to be. He was humble and never took his audiences or his animals for granted. He is a legend in the entertainment community and will be missed greatly. Here is a photo of me and Gaylord taken at Arabian Nights. This was my favorite part. I get to hit Gaylord with the blanket! He would whisper to me, "Give it to me baby!" and I would hit him good.

Here is Gaylord with Chief Bear Paw III. Gaylord was an incredible horse trainer. They don't make them like him anymore. Tommie and I learned alot about horses and the business from Gaylord, just being around him and how he kept his eye on his horse, the audience, and could roll with whatever happened. He will certainly be missed but not forgotten. Every time we hit the stage, we will always think of Gaylord Maynard. God Bless. See you on the other side.
Ride Fast... Take Chances. karen

Here's the new 2008 Rig

Here is the Freightliner with the 6 Horse Trailer. Our horses are very happy!
Ride Fast... Take Chances! karen

New Rig for 2008

Tommie just got back from picking up his new rig for 2008. This gives us better accomodations for getting our horses down the road. Tommie prefers Ford and I like Dodge, but nothing will give us more piece of mind than a Freightliner Sport Chassis and a 6 horse 8' wide trailer to give them more room, hay troughs, on-board water, a canopy big enough to shade them from the sun, good ventilation, and plenty of room for extra hay and Guardian Horse Bedding. Tommie wants to make sure that his horses are safe and taken care of and he also wants to add more. Cameras to check on the horses while driving, A GPS system to help minimize getting lost and having to make u-turns or sudden stops, a portable misting/fan system to keep the horses cool, and a portable generator to keep the power on during an overnight stop. Everything Tommie does or wants revolves around his horses. Especially when he finds products that help him take better care of the horses. For example, the Extend-A-Cool wraps are perfect for traveling. You can tuck them away and when you need a cool wrap for your horse it is ready to go and stays cool for hours. Before he found Extend-A-Cool, he would have to have an ice box with wraps or ice packs, or stop and find a place to run cool water on their legs for 15 mins. Extend-a-cool saves time, money, and most importantly, does the job of keeping the leg muscles cool and swelling down. We even use strips on the back of our necks when we are working in the hot sun to keep us cool. We've been approached by many companies to endorse products and put their logos on the truck and trailer, but we really take our time to research the products to make sure that it not only benefits our horses, but also to be able to recommend them to other horse owners. It's a tedious process, but one that Tommie doesn't take lightly. He makes sure he loves the product and uses the product before he will wear the logo. We have been fortunate to have companies support us like Alpharma, Absorbine, Wahl Clipper, Guardian Horse Bedding, and the Natural Horse Vet. We welcome companies to talk with us and are always on the lookout for products we can't do without. I have been trying to add a photo of the new rigg, but Blogger is down for some reason. I'll have one added as soon as it gets fixed.(Sorry....)
We've got lots going on here at the Wahl Equestrian Center with the Haunted Corn Maze, Pumpkin Patch, Barrel Shows, Wahl Winter Series, and with the upcoming tours to Arizona and Florida. Well, gotta run while I can.... Ride Fast... Take Chances!
karen

New Arrival to the Facility

Tommie picked up three new additions to our stables. Tommie picked them up from Van Bert Farms in KY. They are Rocky Mountain Horses and are 1 year old colts and a 2 year old mare. They are going to be some really nice trail horses and riding horses. They will be a nice chocolate color with blonde manes. Tommie will be putting them through their training regimen over the next couple of years. Tommie also video taped a segment on RFD-TV's Natural Horse Vet with Dr. Dan. Tommie is really interested in checking out the Natural Horse products. We'll put them through the paces and see how they stand up to our expectations. This will be a lot of fun working with them and working with Natural Horse Vet products. Ride Fast... Take Chances! karen

Olathe Kansas

We are here in Olathe, Kansas celebrating 150 years of history in the old west. We are set to perform this weekend. It is going to be awesome. This place is like going back 150 years in time. The building, encampments, food, and clothing are like stepping back in time. We'll be performing Sat and Sunday. We got in and set up this afternoon. Tomorrow and Sunday we have an intro, demo, and show, so it'll be a busy weekend.Here Lori and I are setting up the horses in the barn, just like they did 100 years ago.
We are ready to roll. Tommie will be performing 4 acts, a demo, and a special in the "wild west show." Our interns are having fun too. It's a lot different than Las Vegas that's for sure, but the common bond is the horse. They are truly universal. Gotta sleep. See you tomorrow.

Ride Fast... Take Chances! karen

Been a Long Time...

Wow, I just realized how long it has been since I've updated my blog. A lot has happened this summer with the facility and of course, Tommie. My brother just returned from his West Coast rodeo run with Cotton Rosser's Flying U Rodeo and Steve Gilbert's Diamond G Rodeos. Tommie said it was fun, but there were lots of forest fires and it was HOT. He was happy to get to meet so many people on the west coast and Utah. It isn't easy being on the road from June 5th to August 16th and living in a LQ horse trailer with 3 horses and 2 dogs. Some places were nice with indoor stalls covered from the heat while some were just panels under the grand stands where people throw their garbage. It's not luxorious, but that's the entertainment biz. You never know what you'll get from the promoter, but the audience is always makes up for anything with their support. Tommie said he did at least 3 interviews at every stop, so he would have to pack up and move to the next rodeo a day or 2 before the event just to do the media calls. Then, when Tommie got back to the facility here in Sterling, he wasn't here for more than 2 days and he was scheduled to work on a new movie in Chicago. This was for stunts, so he went for the one day. After the shoot they hired him to work the horse scenes the following week. This is a big budget movie that I bet most of you will be going to see next summer. I can't give any details just yet. As this is happening, we are preparing for our own show here at our facility, The Wahl Equestrian Center @ Double G Farms in Sterling, IL. We have been advertising and putting all the details together for quite a few weeks. It was a 2 hour show with equine entertainment featuring some of the best acts in the world. We had a great line-up with Tommie performing his 4 trademark acts, plus with me in the Chariot race, Matt McLaughlin our friend from Texas who is an incredible high school dressage rider and instructor, Cassie Bastien who saw Tommie a few years ago and got inspired to want to perform on horseback, she is 14 years old and she did vaulting and wild west style whips and mounted shooting, plus our very own Lori Miller with her fun skiing act, the Midwest Renegades Drill Team from Woodstock, IL who has two of our former interns on the team, and many surprises and giveaways. My Dad and our friend Rich Brunner played the characters of Poncho and Lefty. They kept the crowd entertained and laughing with their antics. We also had the great Sumo challange where we put two people in these sumo suits and they try and wrestle. It was hilarious!!! My husband did the announcing, the music, and kept the show flowing. The attendance was awesome. We had well over 1000 people and lots of people from Wahl Clipper. There were a lot of new faces too. We really appreciate the support from everyone. This facility takes a lot to keep it going and every time you come and support us here it helps us keep this place alive. Tommie signed hundreds of photos after the show courtesy of Wahl. Even after all of this, Tommie had to leave at 4am on Sunday with our Dad and 2 horses to make it to the movie set in Chicago at Soldier Field. I am so proud of my brother. He is doing exactly what he wants to do. We even had Sugar, our American Cream Mare, Eve the Black Friesan I am training for Aline Wiersema, and Cees my loveable easygoing Quarter Horse in the show. We got a special treat when Matt McLaughlin brought his horse Corral II. Corral is 22 and is retiring this year after 19 years of traveling and performing over 3000 shows around the world. We were lucky enough to see this great horse one last time with Matt. He also brought his new Andalusian, Pecos. He is 11 and is a beautiful strong horse. It was awesome. If you didnt' get to go, we are planning another show hopefully in October when we do our pumkin and haunted hayride here. Now that's gonna be fun. I love Halloween. Well, I gotta run. We leave for a show in Las Vegas at 5:00am with the two trucks and trailers, seven horses, 7 people, 4 dogs, and tons of stuff. We'll be back in a week. Then Tommie goes to PA for 3 days of performing at the Lucerne County Fair. That's over 5,000 miles of traveling with horses in 13 days. So, I'll try to take some time when in Vegas put some pictures up. We'll be at the South Point Casino, Hotel and Spa, but don't count on it!
Ride Fast... Take Chances!
karen

Trail Ride for Confidence

Well, this week is the kids camp, so I am swamped and tired. BUT Kay sent me this photo and I loved it!! This really shows how much confidence these people had after two days of sensory and confidence training. All I can say is "WAY TO GO!" In this photo I'm in the front, leading the pack on a water crossing. We even got near a train as it went by. I saw a lot of improvement in the riders and the horses confidence. Don't try to fix horses overnight, just keep them heading in the right direction and it will come. Keep it up girls!

Ride Fast... Take Chances!

Karen