TOMMIETURVEY.COM

We're performing the show in Ft Lauderdale, FL area!

2012-03-27T13:25:53Z

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Greening of Whitney Brown Movie Poster

2011-08-16T12:53:41Z

This is the movie I trained and shot with Odd Job Bob, the Gypsy Vanner horse. The Greening of Whitney Brown. It will be in theaters in November and in Walmart stores in December. You'll get to see an incredible horse along with his sweet sidekick, Sammi Hanratty. It was challenging working with a kid that never rode before, but I used it to my advantage and got her to understand what to do while being her character and getting that genuine feeling of how it feels to be on a horse for the first time.
I see Odd Job Bob didn't get listed on the poster, as I feel he is the star of the movie (Bob is in about 90 % of the scenes). You'll also get to see Maverick too. I hope all you horse people go out see this movie. It is a great family film with a lot of lessons your "teens and tweens" will take to heart. If you fall in love with Bob, as everyone does, you can get your own Gypsy Vanner horse at www.gypsyvanner.com or just go there to check out Bob and his friends. Friend Bob on FACEBOOK too. Thanks to Ed Fitts and Sue Rathbone for the opportunity to work with such beautiful horses.
Keep an eye open for the premier. I'll be there. Ride Fast... Take Chances! tommie

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Monmouth County Fair

2011-08-10T05:20:05Z

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Back to the Ranch

2011-08-09T18:34:55Z

Here we are at the Monmouth County Fair in NJ. My niece gets a nice photo on Blade. She is a
cowgirl in the making with that smile.

We just back to Liberty Horse Ranch after being on and off the road all year. We set up a clinic here in Sept and have many movie projects in the works. We have a lot of things going on and are starting to book up 2012. It is going to be a busy year with many new things coming. We have podcasts, tv show, training dvd's, new product and apparel coming plus more than I can tell you now. Check out my new production hub link on the navigation bar and our website at www.equineextremist.net. Sign up for our email list to make sure you get notified of new clinics, shows and more. Thanks again for all your support and hope your training is going well. Remember, you are the trainer. Think ahead and think simple. It doesn't have to be a long process or 4 year study program to create a relationship with your horse. Ride Fast... Take Chances! tommie

All contents of the Website are property of Tommie Turvey and may not be copied or used in any way without the express written consent of the copyright owner.

IMPORTANT INFO

2011-05-20T18:17:12Z

Hey gang, most of you probably already heard about this, but I wanted to include it here to keep it fresh in peoples minds. This outbreak is a big eye opener as well. If you ever wonder why you need to have health certificates and papers for your horses, this is a good example of why. It is also why I limit the contact my horses have with other horses and people. Prevention is the best way, but when it does happen we need to quickly get this under control. It could effect many horses if people don't stop to think about these things now
Please read on and take this seriously. Thank you.

To: PRCA Members

Re:       Equine Health Alert

Date:    May 20, 2011

From: Cindy Schonholtz, PRCA Director of Industry Outreach
            719-440-7255
            animalwelfare@prorodeo.com

The PRCA continues to monitor the EHV-1 outbreak in the Western States; this is the second update on the issue. The first update can be accessed here:

http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs014/1101303344550/archive/1105560416151.html

We take the health of all livestock very seriously and have been in contact with many state animal health officials and are monitoring all official information from states that are reporting on the issue. At this time all of the information that we have is that all of the confirmed cases can be traced to the National Cutting Horse Association event in Ogden, Utah from April 30 to May 8 or horses that have had direct contact with those horses. Additionally, no restrictions on horse transportation have been put into place, any change in these two factors will cause the PRCA to send further updates and reassess the situation.

Please contact Cindy Schonholtz at 719-440-7255 or animalwelfare@prorodeo.com with any questions or concerns.

Tips for All PRCA Members:

The PRCA wants our membership to make informed decisions and do what they and their veterinarian feel is best for their individual circumstances!

1. If there is even a chance that you know of that your horse may have come in contact with any of the horses that attended the Ogden, UT or if the horse has any of the symptoms, isolate, call the veterinarian and do not move that horse. This is very important. This is a highly contagious disease that has an incubation period of 2 - 10 days. There is not a vaccine for the neurological form of the disease and no cure, but the symptoms can be treated and the earlier the detection, the more successful that treatment is likely to be. If your horse has any of these symptoms while at a rodeo, DO NOT LEAVE, isolate the horse and contact the rodeo veterinarian immediately.

Symptoms to look for:

· Fever above 102 degrees with no other explanation

· Decreased coordination

· Urine dribbling

· Loss of tail tone

· Hind limb weakness

· Leaning against a wall or fence to maintain balance

· Lethargy

· Inability to rise

2. If you choose to travel:

· Contact your veterinarian for advice if it is safe for you to travel with your horse
· Avoid nose to nose or close contact with other horses

· Do not share equipment, buckets, brushes, bridles

· Wash or sanitize your hands often, you can transmit the virus on your hands, shoes or clothing if
you come into contact with a horse that has the disease.
· When you return home with your horses isolate the horses that have been traveling from other
horses for 10 days and take their temperature twice daily.

3. Before transporting horses interstate, contact the State Veterinarian in the state you are traveling to insure there are no travel restrictions.

Directory of State Veterinarians

http://www.avma.org/disaster/state_veterinarians.asp

4. Join Pro Rodeo Livestock Facebook group for the very latest updates
5. Resources:
Excellent article on the Subject: http://www.thehorse.com/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=18264

Guide to EHV: http://www.aphis.usda.gov/vs/nahss/equine/ehv/equine_herpesvirus_brochure_2009.pdf

TIPS FOR PRCA RODEO COMMITTEES

1. Contact your State Veterinarians Office to ask to be included in any email update lists and let them know of your upcoming event and ask if there is any news or travel restrictions that may affect your event. If state animal health officials or local veterinarians recommend cancelling your event contact PRCA Rodeo Administration immediately.

2. Work closely with your on-site rodeo veterinarian to institute bio security plans as well as any other suggestions they feel will assist in keeping horses safe.

3. Have a plan for handling media inquires regarding the EHV-1 outbreak. Ask your veterinarian to assist you in preparing a written statement on the issue that can be use.

4. Email animalwelfare@prorodeo.com with any information you obtain in your area that you feel would be helpful to the PRCA.
5. Have available to all contestants the attached flyer on the subject. Download flyer here.
6. Work with your rodeo veterinarian to have a plan if a horse at your event shows any symptoms.

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASES

California Dept of Food and Ag

http://www.cdfa.ca.gov/ahfss/animal_health/equine_herpes_virus.html

Colorado Department of Agriculture

http://www.colorado.gov/ag

Colorado is requiring importation permits, info available on the link above

Idaho Dept of Agriculture

http://www.agri.idaho.gov/Categories/Animals/animalHealth/healthehv.php

New Mexico State Livestock Board

http://www.nmlbonline.com/

Oregon Department of Agriculture
http://www.oregon.gov/ODA/AHID/equine_herpes_virus.shtml

Texas Animal Health Commission

http://www.tahc.state.tx.us/news/pr/2011/2011May_EHV1NationalInvestigation.pdf

Utah Department of Agriculture

http://ag.utah.gov/news/index.html

Washington Department of Agriculture

http://agr.wa.gov/News/2011/11-10.aspx

Wyoming Livestock Board Release
Note: They are requiring extra transport requirements read this release for more info

http://wlsb.state.wy.us/NewsReleases/WyomingRequirementsHorses%5B1%5D.pdf

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Rehearsal for WEG

2010-09-01T04:31:02Z

We are at the Kentucky Horsepark getting ready for the World Games. We
have been going over the rehearsal for the opening ceremonies. I also
did a couple of shows at the park. It was a lot of fun. Tomorrow we
leave for Des Moines for the Gold Star Futurity. 700 miles on the
road, followed by 3 days of shows and then Discovery is flying me to
LA for a tv shoot on Sunday. I return Monday to drive the 1300 miles
back home to Florida, after we stop in to the Kentucky Horse Park for
a few more rehearsals with Dan James. Should be a good week. If you are in Des Moines,
stop by and say hi. Ride Fast... Take Chances! Tommie
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Testing new updating

2010-08-23T14:43:31Z

Technology and me don't get along so good, so anything that makes my
life easier is a good thing. I love my iPhone and now blogging is
easier too. This is just a test, but I hope it works. It will save me
a lot of time and steps.
Thanks to my tech Jamie
.
Tommie

Sent from my iPhone

All contents of the Website are property of Tommie Turvey and may not be copied or used in any way without the express written consent of the copyright owner.

Training at the Ranch

2010-08-23T13:50:00Z

Time really flies when you move into a new place. We have been training every morning and the rest of the day spent cleaning, fixing and setting up the ranch. It is a labor of love and takes a lot of planning and time. By the end of the year we will all be experts in landscaping, PVC fencing, plumbing, electric, wood floors, and remodeling. First thing was to get the bugs under control too. The horses always come first, so before we even started on the house or the office, the fences, waterers, bugs, manure, shavings, hay, grain, and pastures were cut, groomed and controlled. When you have horses, they become your way of life. Your schedule revolves around them. The saying "Dogs have owners, but horses have staff" is true here.
I've been working with the girls (interns) on roman riding the past few days. Kristen and Ashley have been doing very well. Chantal is also roman riding too. Looks like we might have a new act in the works...

We're working on a lot of new projects and also trying to get this place ready too. So be patient and we'll have our new intern program, training, and clinic agenda up by the end of the year. We have openings for interns coming up, so anyone interested please contact Karen. She will go over everything with you. You can send your resume and application to her.
Saturday afternoon we went to Amanda's to wish her a happy 13th birthday. Her new mini horse Bentley will be fun to work. He's a little overweight, but he is a good looking all white mini. Happy Birthday Amanda and we'll see you next time you come back.
I've got ot get back to the barn.
Ride Fast... Take Chances! tommie

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Working Hard at Liberty Horse Ranch

2010-08-11T01:38:00Z

First I wanted to post a photo that Chantal took of me and Maverick. I think it is awesome. For those of you who don't know Maverick, he is one of my three Australian Heeler Cattledogs I have. There is Bandit, Maverick and the newest addition is Cutaway. Bandit is pretty much retired, Maverick has a role in the movie "the Greening of Whitney Brown" with Kris Kristopherson and we do a live act with Blade as well. Maverick really helps me out during demos and goes and gets me a rootbeer from a cooler. Kids love to see him run and get excited about getting a root beer. Maverick loves to have a job, so anything I let him do, he loves it.

So many people asked me about how to train my dog to fetch a beer from the fridge that I made a video so anyone can teach their dog how to do it. You can find it on my website at www.equineextremistproshop.com. Maverick does such a great job getting a root beer for kids that we put his photo on bottles of JONES (HANSEN) all natural soda.

You won't see the dogs at the FEI World Equestrian Games since they aren't allowing ANY dogs on property during the entire event. They will be waiting for us back at base camp. You'll see Mav at Cowboy Christmas in Vegas and the Western Stock show in Denver, plus a whole lot more next year. We've got a great show line up and will be all over the country. So make sure you come and say hi.
Chantal and I took time out today from our grueling schedule to take a canoe ride down the canals at Weeki Wachi. It was just what we needed to get our minds off of training and the move. Beautiful calm waters and manatees all around. We stopped at rope swings and tried them out. It was a blast. What a nice way to relax and enjoy nature and the water.(and it's 8 miles from the ranch!) Back to training and filming tommorrow. Ride Fast... Take Chances! tommie

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Getting a lot done, Bob enjoys the shaded pastures.

2010-08-09T12:54:00Z

Time sure flies, but things are getting back to normal. The star of the upcoming movie "the Greening of Whitney Brown", Odd Job Bob is here at Liberty Horse Ranch. We're getting ready for his movie debut. We've been doing a lot of training. Chantal put together the daily training program and it has been working out well. The interns are loving it here. We get to train, ride and take care of the horses in the morning, have lunch, then have off until 5p to avoid the heat, then back to work with the horses until sunset at 8p. We absolutely love it here, there is so much potential to do so much with the horses. It is always a lot of work moving to a new place. Not to mention trying to get a new hay supplier, shavings, grain, farrier, vet and tack store. I've already walked out of one feed store because of poor service. The lady wanted to know why I wanted to see the feed before I bought it. She said I couldn't open the bags, but there may be a few broken bags back there to look at. I had to walk myself to the back to the where the feed was kept. The guys in the back were great. They let me look at the feed and told me all about what they carried. The filled me in on what was good for hay around here as well. So, I was feeling pretty good until I walked up to the front counter again. The lady was looking down and ignored me until I said "hello?" She then said "well, how many do you want?". Now I don't ask for much, but I asked her if that is how she treats all her customers. She said yes, so I told her I couldn't do business with someone who doesn't want my business. I went to the next store and to my surprise, I found a mom and daughter who went out of their way to show me the feed and tell me about their business. They asked me about my horses which means they are interested in helping me. It was a breath of fresh air to do business with someone who takes the time to care about me and my horses. I then got a call from our neighbor who was looking for hay as well. She got a few quotes, but said that one store she went in the lady wouldn't tell her the price unless she ordered it, since the prices change all the time. What? Guess which store it was? I'll give you 3 guesses, but you'll only need one. Again, this person may just be a clerk and doesn't understand people, but when I have a choice of who I do business with, I'm going to choose the place that I like and feel comfortable at. You don't have to roll out the red carpet or follow me around the store, but what I do care about is service and feeling welcome. The good thing about our new place is that I do have other places to go and there is a lot of options.
I didn't want this to be a gripe session, I just want people to realize that the attitude they have reflects what they get back. It happens all the time in horse training. If you don't appreciate your horse or go at it half-heartedly, your horse will lose interest in you and won't work for you. When it's time to work, pay attention to your horse 100% and you will get 1000% more in return. If only the clerk understood that. Ride Fast... Take Chances! tommie

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Moved our entire Operation to Florida

2010-08-05T02:43:00Z

Wow, time sure flies when you're working and around here, every day is a work day. First for the big news... In June we purchased a new horse training facility in Brooksville, Florida. It tooks months and months of searching and looking at lots of places before we found the perfect place. We looked in Tennessee, Kentucky, Georgia, and Florida. When we were filming Walking Dead, I had to make a quick 450 mile drive to Florida to see the facility and as soon as I saw it, I knew it was the right place. We are going to miss a few things from Sterling, like the Forest Inn, the butcher shop, Cindy from the western store, our banker Gayle and Andy Younger from K's Korner. We want to say a special heart felt thanks to the owner of Double G, Gary Schreiner who gave us the opportunity to manage and live at his wonderful facility. It helped get Clinton Anderson off to a good start and was good for us too, but as we grow we have other needs. My main love of this place is the barn and the pastures. There are 14 pastures with nicely shaded and very large trees to protect the horses from the sun. We are only 20 miles from the coast, so the breeze is cool. We have two deep wells on property, so the water is nice and cold (In Florida that is very rare) Each pasture, stall and paddock has automatic waterers, large soft dirt stalls, a hot walker, indoor and outdoor training area, miles of trails, and completely gated. Being that it was a race horse facility it does have a race track. I can't wait to take the boys out for a run on it. This is a perfect place for horses. I hope to keep up the vision that Al Alesso had for this place. I can see that he really cared about and loved his horses by the way the place was layed out and the materials used. All the fences are hot wired and PVC for the safety of the horses. Secondly, it has areas for tack, training, students, interns and a classroom. And lastly, it has all the room we need to grow our business. This place is so big that the zero turn lawn mower has a diesel engine. I'll post picks once we get settled in. We're working hard to get it into shape again.

This is the main aisle of the barn with a nice rubber mat to walk the horses, concrete walkway for durability and ease of cleaning along with the nice dirt stalls. The barn is also set on a hill to keep any standing water away. Fans on every stall and they stalls are open all the way around so the horses can see each other and get the nice breeze.

This is the main drive to the house, office, garage, back barn, horse swimmer, and camping area. The trees keep the place nice and cool. I'll have more about the place as we get it up to speed. We have a ton of things planned for here, so we'll keep you posted.
WALKING DEAD UPDATE
Since the Walking Dead filming and my last post, Chantal and I have done clinics in Kentucky, went to see Ray and Terri at the Cook Forest Trail Ride, worked a PRCA rodeo, worked a PCB Rodeo, did a clinic in Chicago, did stunts with Blade on the set of "War Flowers", and moved 16 horses and our entire business 1250 south to Brooksville, Florida, It took 10 trips and we logged over 25,000 miles in the past 30 days just on the move alone, but it will all be worth it. We have an incredible year shaping up for 2011 and an open house will be coming shortly. Hope you all can attend.

I just got the link for the Walking Dead preview reel. It was debuted at Comic Con a couple of weeks ago to incredible reviews. You can really see Blade and Andrew in the "city" shots. I'm the one doing the fast riding stunts, the rear, and the take down, but Andrew did a great job with the time I had training him to ride Blade. I think it is awesome in the shot where Andrew (the cop) is walking cautiously through the city and Blade has his ears up and checking it out too. Looks pretty cool. I am so proud of Blade and what he has become. Quite an accomplishment for a Mustang.

Here is the preview from YouTube. The video was recorded from the monitor at Comic Con. I think Frank Darabont has a winner on his hands with this. He has a great eye and feel. Enjoy!
Ride Fast... Take Chances! tommie

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Interview with Tracy Buckalew

2010-06-16T05:43:30Z

Well, we wrapped all of the scenes with Blade. We got some incredible shots. Blade did a fantastic job with all the zombies piling on top of him. While I was there in Conyers, I was contacted by Tracy Buckalew from Gaited Horse On-line magazine to do a story on me and my horses. As it turned out, she lived 30 minutes away, so I told her to come on over to see what I do. It is really hard to do interviews over the phone. It is hard to explain what I do in person, let alone over the phone or email. Tracy's arrival was a bit of a shock when she showed up in a beat up old truck. But I like the fact that she borrowed a friends old farm truck and drove 30 mins without air conditioning to get her story. She could have done it the easy way like most reporters do and talk on the phone. So, after a few minutes of teasing her about her "ride", she got a complete education on what I do with horses. You can read about it when the story hits in July. I'll link it here when it is posted. I just wanted to say thanks to Tracy for being a good listener and understanding why and what I do.

It was pretty hot here during filming, so I was glad I didn't have to put on zombie make up. My sister Kimberly and my Dad were my stunt safety with Blade, so they had to zombie-up and be part of the scene. Pretty scary stuff. Blade must of thought that these were the ugliest people he has ever seen as the mob of zombies devoured him (its a movie, it's not real folks). Ride Fast... Take Chances!

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Blade in the Shade

2010-06-10T12:43:52Z

We were waiting for a few scenes, so I had to rest Blade next to the
trailer in the shade. It is going really good. We've got rehearsal
today and then on camera for the next few days after that, Looking
forward to the Van Bert Farms clinic coming up. Hope to see you there.
Make sure you go see Jonah Hex movie coming out June 18. You'll see me
and Blade. Ride fast... Take chances!

All contents of the Website are property of Tommie Turvey and may not be copied or used in any way without the express written consent of the copyright owner.

On the Set of THE Walking Dead

2010-06-07T20:40:00Z

It has been really good here on the set. Atlanta has been hot, but I've been training Blade early in the mornings when its cool. Here is a practice shot of Blade rearing up at the training center. The Georgia clay gets to be a pain, trying to keep clean. It's a good thing he's a red roan, but his white legs get pretty red.

The main actor in the scenes I'll be shooting is Andrew Lincoln. I've been working with him to ride Blade, but I will also be doubling him as well. It is quite a challange training horses for movies, let alone people. Andrew will do well. Most actors are actually great students because they know how to take direction. It is also alot of fun to get Blade doing things he's never done. Whoever says that a movie set is "quiet" has never been on a movie set. We've got motorcycles, gunfire, mic booms, and lots of people running around and his attention has to be on me. I believe every horse should be able to handle noise, scary objects and distractions by looking to me (or their rider) for the answer.

This is Andrew Lincoln in costume riding Blade. It's typical on movies that you train for a shot and then 10 minutes before you are about to shoot, someone from wardrobe or set dress comes along and tosses a backback into the mix. On Jonah Hex, we rehearsed the transfer from horse to the train in costume (which was very hot in New Orleans) and then at the last minute they handed us these very heavy boots, trenchcoats and burlap sack masks and said that we had to do the stunts with them on. I learned that you gotta be ready, both you and the horse for anything.

Blade got busted for parking in a tow zone. Well, he is a Mustang. We've got a day off tomorrow, so I hope to get a bunch of stuff done. Looking forward to the Clinic at Van Bert Farms and the one in St Charles during the PCB Rodeo. Plus we've got the Ponca, Nebraska PRCA Rodeo to perform at in 2 weeks as well. Gotta Ride. Ride Fast... Take Chances!

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Started Shooting Stunts Today

2010-06-03T02:33:00Z

Things are going great. We started shooting the series today. We did a cannon roll over today. No horses, just a car with a nitrogen cannon device underneath that is triggered to flip the car over. The weather has been perfect, but I really hate the traffic here. It reminds me a lot of Los Angeles. I'll get some photos up as soon as I can.
Ride Fast...

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In Atlanta for rehearsals and scouting locations

2010-05-30T04:39:00Z

I am here in Atlanta for rehearsals for Walking Dead TV series. Have been scouting locations, setting up shots and training Blade for his scene. I will be doubling one of the stars, Andrew Lincoln. I am also training Andrew to ride Blade in the shot as well. Andrew is doing really well. I have been working on the safety for Blade and the rider as well. I spent 2 days looking for large foam padding. It is gonna be a great scene. Speaking of great shots, I saw the trailers for "Jonah Hex". Wow. it is awesome. The train transfer, train explosion, tent explosion, and stunts look fantastic. Can't wait until June 18 when it opens. Check it out and you'll see Blade and I on the big screen jumping on to the train and blowing up lots of stuff. Ride Fast...

All contents of the Website are property of Tommie Turvey and may not be copied or used in any way without the express written consent of the copyright owner.

Hitting the Road... again

2010-05-23T13:36:00Z

Loaded up and hit the road this morning. Chantal and I are on our way to Atlanta via Van Bert Farms in Stanton, Kentucky. We are getting ready for a clinic in June and it breaks up the 12 hr trip to Atlanta for the horses. We'll be in Atlanta for 3 weeks shooting scenes for an upcoming tv show called "the Walking Dead". Blade will be working on this with me. After that we head back to VBF for a clinic. They are such wonderful people at VBF with awesome horses. I'll have 2 of my Rocky Mountain horses there at the clinic to show how great of a horse they are and how far they have come in such a short time. It will be a lot of fun. Should be a nice drive since I just got a ton of work done on my trailer and truck. New shocks, trailer saver, tires, trailer brakes, wiring, holding tanks, and hoses. Some people just don't realize how expensive it is to travel down the road. This is the start of my personal blog here, so I will let you know how I see things, good or bad. So, follow me and you can ride along and I'll give you an insiders look at what it really takes to have a life down the road with horses and how exciting, expensive, tiring, and rewarding it can be.
I wouldn't change it for the world...

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