Tommie Turvey
Tommie Turvey
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Tommie Turvey - Entertainer, Trainer, & Horseman
An accomplished performer and horseman in many disciplines, Tommie works in all aspects of the entertainment and equine industry. You’ve probably seen him in feature films, television commercials, as a featured performer at dinner theaters, a specialty feature act at a touring circus, a main character in a wild-west show, to performing his “extreme” shows at horse expos, equestrian events, rodeos, fairs, and numerous international horse shows around the world. In additions to shows, you may have seen Tommie featured in a national Absorbine Jr commercial, or seen him on RFD-TV shows with Clinton Anderson, Pat and Linda Parelli, or Rick Lambs the Horse Show. He is also a professional stunt man and recently worked on the feature films, "Batman" with Heath Ledger; Larry the Cable Guy's "Witless Protection", and HBO's Mini Series "John Adams" with Paul Giamatti.
Tommie’s partners and traveling companions are his prized paint horses. Pokerjoe has been with Tommie since 1996 years and has travels over 100,000 miles a year performing in front of hundreds of thousands of people. Pokerjoe is the veteran of the herd, is a solid performer and “upstages” Tommie in the “Riding Instructor” comedy act. With Tommie since 2000, Joker and Ace, Tommie’s black and white paint horses are full blooded brothers. Tommie acknowledges “You are as only as good as your horse, so I have to have a lot of discipline to keep them working consistently. With discipline and respect comes love and understanding.” Joker was also featured as a Breyer model horse at the 2006 Breyerfest Celebration in Lexington, Kentucky. Tommie Turvey's Joker #711106" is a proud replica of Joker's strength and beauty.
“I love what I do”, proclaims Tommie. “It’s great to be able to play with my horses, entertain people, and make a living out of it”. Tommie’s experience shows it is a consistency in training methods and routine which get the best results. “If you can get a horse to trust you, you can get a horse to do anything you can think of.” His trust building techniques are what has enabled him to roman ride over a wall of fire, leap through rings of flames and in an amazing feat of courage and trust performs a death-defying stunt by roman riding his horse while he is engulfed in flames. This is a dangerous stunt which has never been attempted by anyone other than Tommie.
Tommie is a second generation horse trainer, raised on a paint horse ranch in California. Tommie spent his time growing up working with horses and performing on horseback. He is the only son of a professional rodeo cowboy, stuntman, actor and Marine Corp. veteran. It was his father’s strict guidance and "just do it" attitude around the horses which became Tommie's destiny. “To successfully train a horse you must know how to convey what you are thinking to the horse in their language and in a way they can understand”. It is Tommie’s imagination and creativity what make him unique in the horse industry.
When Tommie is not on the road with his own shows, he calls the Equine Extremist Equestrian Center at Double G Farms in Sterling, Illinois his home. He spends his time training his own horses and giving clinics to those wanting to learn his proven methods of training. His days consist of training people and horses for trick riding, team driving, and trick horse training; as well teaching the daily disciplines needed to have a well mannered horse. In addition to his career with horses, He is a certified scuba-diver, licensed hang glider pilot, class B skydiver, and black belt in Tae Kwon Do. As a member of the Screen Actors Guild, he frequently adds his talents as a stuntman in movies and television features. All of this experience combined enables Tommie to train horses and people in the safest manner possible. “Being extreme is not just physical. It is having mental focus, the ability to think under pressure, and seeing danger before it happens and avoiding it.”
Tommie has an exciting future planned for his company. Karen, his sister and partner was the quarter horse trainer and a featured performer in the highly acclaimed equestrian show “Cavalia” from their start in May of 2003 until January 2005. “It’s great to be working with Karen. We have the same type of thinking. She is a top notch trainer and a big part of this company.” Equine Extremist Entertainment offers clinics to its line-up in addition to performing their highly sought after acts. Due to overwhelming response, Tommie is now publishing training materials to offer everyone the chance to pursue the “Equine Extremist” in us all. From DVD's to books, Tommie believes everyone can benefit from the knowledge he has gained over the years. "I think people look at horse training too hard sometimes. It doesn't need to be hard, or time consuming. You have to do the little things to get you there. I train in small steps and for short times. I'm just like everyone else who would rather ride than train, so my training is precise, consistent, and dependable. I want to make sure my horses understand my cues and that I don't create a bad habit or an undesirable response. I see more people who over-train their horses so much that their horse just submits or gives up at the slightest pressure. My training keeps my horses thinking and keeps them focused on what I want. The don't do tricks whenever they want, it is when I ask them. If I train a horse to step on a pedestal, I don't want the horse getting on the pedestal on his own without me there. If I put the pedestal in their stall or in the arena with them they won't just walk up to it and get on. They have to be cued before they will get on. This is for their safety. I train them to do it when I ask. This way it doesn't create bad habits or potential dangers or problems. I use this logic to train in all aspects and once you make the change in your training, your horse will respond."
