Q; How long have you been training barrel horses professionally and how long competing?

 

A; I started competing in barrels and poles in 1975 where I was born in Southern California. I have been professionally training since 1992. I started "TLC" Tina's Loving Care Barrel Horse Training in Colorado in 1992, than in Groveland, Florida in 2001. You can read more about TLC at www.tlcbarrelhorsetraining.com

 

Q; Why did you pick "TLC" for your business name and what is your business based on? Can you make a good living training horses?

 

A; "TLC" Tina's Loving Care was based on the LOVE for the horse, than the LOVE for the sport in that order. My goal starting TLC was if I could just help 1 rider and horse have a better relationship inside and outside of the arena based on love, trust, respect and communcation through cues than I met my business goals. For 20 years now I have been able to give horses better daily and competitive lives by educating owners and that is my passion. TLC has a slogan, "Ride with Heart" what that means to me is to LOVE your horse 1st, enjoy the sport, be your best, have fun, but always put your horse first. I do feel that is my "nitch" in this industry, I specialize in helping rider and horse be the best they can be. I do make a good living in my back yard. I take 4 or 5 horses in a month for training, I have lessons 5 days a week and 3 all day barrel racing clinics a year and average about $40,000 a year income. It's not close to what you can make in the corporate world, but it allows me to be home with my son full time and allows me to do what I love for a living, RIDE HORSES!~

 

A; Team TLC is my FAMILY! It is all of the people and horses that I have ever worked with from a horse in training, a private lesson to a all day barrel racing clinic. I love hearing how they are doing and it makes me so happy to hear they have met a goal, that is a WIN with TEAM TLC!

 

Q; How many horses or riders have you helped over the years?

 

A; That's a tough one, just in Florida in 12 years, I work with about 50 horses a year from training, lessons to clinics, so that is about 500 riders/horses easy in just 12 years in Florida. That is the 2nd reason I keep my Open horses after their futurity/derby year, 1st reason I am in love with them. I enjoy training horses and it takes a long time to make a solid barrel horse. Training and lessons can be very detailed, with lot's of slow work and small goals, so it's nice to have my Open horses to just go enjoy the finished horse on the weekends too.

 

Q; What is the pros and cons of your own training business?

 

A; In Florida training year round is easy, in Colorado the winters where tough, you lost a lot of income in the Winter months, I had to supplement it with barn sitting for others. I love my business, I am very lucky to wake up every am, take care of my son and just start riding horses. I mix up my days to make it fun; I train in the arena on basics, barrels and a mix of TLC special exercises. I am lucky to have 500 acres, with 60 cattle and babies on it to ride in daily, which is always an adventure. I enjoy my customers and love to see them clicking with a horse in training or see them improving one week to the next in private lessons or met a goal and win barrel racing. My clinics allow me to meet new people and teach my TLC Program to more people. I also enjoy writing training articles for FloridaBarrelHorses.com and FloridaEquineAthlete.com. It is not a 8 to 5 job, it's 24/7 and hard work, my Dad visited for the 1st time in Florida and said, "You must really love what you do, because it's a lot of work!" I must as I didn't see it that way, I guess because it's a labor of LOVE! If one of my articles teaches someone a kinder, more natural way to work with a horse that would be great! The downside for me is having all of our family out of state. I am tied to the ranch with so many horses and very little help. I compete every weekend but it's usually within 2 hours from the ranch, as too many to care for at home. One day when my son is off to college, I would like to slow TLC down for a few months and go rodeo and super show more.

 

Q: How long did it take to establish your business, how hard was that, what is a normal day like for you?

 

A; About 2 years of hard work in each state. When I 1st started TLC in Colorado I would take anything, start colts, bucks, rears, I would say BRING IT OVER! LOL, I don't miss those days. Well, maybe a little, it was nice to start colts the "right way", it was nice to help a horse that was scared or in pain, get better, but I was in my 20's and early 30's than, now in my 40's I don't care to see my life flash before my eyes as often! I break easier, not bounce like I use too. I had to do the same thing when I got to Florida, to build a solid reputation. It is hard to be NEW when there are trainers born and raised here, established and build a new business. I did know this, if I work hard, did my best for every client, tried to improve myself and expand my knowledge for better ways to teach and train, my business would grow with happy clients and happy horses and it has. Word of mouth has been my greatest seller of my business, the more people that you help the more people that they tell and your business grows. A normal day 5 days a week for me is up at 6am feed, water, chores, son to school, ride 7 a day, 1 or 2 lessons a day, feed again, clean stalls, in house by dark to cook, laundry, clean, PBRA/TLC computer work, shower and fall in my bed exhausted, but I love it!

 

Q; How often do you compete what title have you won?

 

A; I try and compete 1 time a week on my personal mares; Brisco, Maggie, LiL Sis & Belle and 1 time a week haul training horses. I have won many titles since 1992, but only pick 1 association a year to chase titles with, and just go where I want, when I want for the rest of the year.

Some titles I have won:

 

 

Q; What advice do you have to someone wanting to start their own horse training business?

 

A; Have a game plan, work hard, be honest, passionate, have integrity, communicate with owners often, make them be involved in weekly training so you will know they are happy and can do what you can do with the horse, care for and love the training horse and treat them as you do your own, have principles that you stand by and stick too no matter what (for me it's doing best by the horse, not a human goal or show schedule), be open to learning from each horse and owner you met, continue to strive to be your best, always working at perfection and LOVE what you do as if you love what you do you will be GREAT at it!

 

Q; What is your favorite thing about training and your least favorite?

A; My favorite is the horses and people I get to met that love their horse, love taking putting in the practice, patience and effort that is required to be their best with their horse. My least favorite is the question, "what bit will fix this problem", my sarcastic answer is "a bit more knowledge" but my true answer is TRAINING, you must connect to the horse's mind first, a hard mouth is from a hard mind, get their mind soft, relaxed and happy and see what a soft, relaxed horse you have. Indians rode horses with string in the mouth, standing on them shooting buffalo! How could they do that? They spent every day all day with their horse, they had a relationship built on trust and communication!!! People today have too many horses, not enough time and are going a million directions, they don't put in the time with ONE horse! The perfect horse is made by TIME together and the knowledge obtained to teach.

 

Q; When training a horse for barrel pattern what is the most important thing to do first?

 

A; The most important thing to do 1st is get them BROKE and exposed to as much as possible. I like to tell my customers to pretend in arena they are Dressage horse on Monday, do rail work transitions and riding into the bridle breaking in the poll with hindquarters engaged and top line rounded. On Tuesday pretend in arena they are reining horses and do a lot of loose rein riding control of big and small circles, stops and spins, working of your seat and legs, on Wed work on bend/flex, body collection in the pasture straight lines and circles. On Thursday do slow work on barrels and some TLC exercises. On Friday track cattle or relaxing trail ride and by the weekend you will a light responsive, versitile broke horse that is tuned and ready to WIN! I know that is not realistic for everyone to ride every day, but keep is exciting, fun, do different types of training not just speed stuff in the arena. The great horses had some one put a lot of time and patience into them. Also, remember not every horse learns at the same pace as others when you do take them to the pattern only go as fast as they can do it without mistakes. Some take years to become their best others catch on quicker, don't judge a horse by that, look at Martha, many time NFR Champion, not a great futurity horse but look at her now! Is it the training, the match of horse and rider or patience, letting the horse mature and develop on it's own pace, maybe a little of all it!!!!!

 

Q; Did you have mentors in your life or people that helped you along the way?

 

A; Oh yes, first God I don't think I ever prayed as much as I do on the back of my horse or driving down the road with a trailer load and I pray about everything when I am alone. LOL! My parents for supporting our horse habit as kids and giving us that life style! My husband and son for always being supportive of my business and schedule. Martha Roper, my 1st barrel horse trainer coach when I was 8 years old, she was a true horsewoman! Many people in my adult life I have learned from Sharon Camarillo, Martha Josey, Ed Wright, Kelly Conrado, Clinton Anderson, Tom Dorrance, Charmayne, Molly Powell, Dena Kerpatrick and so many more. There are so many you can learn from if you just listen. Not every thing someone teaches will feel right for you, but get to know their WHOLE program before you judge it, realize that EVERY HORSE will require a little different timing or technique, but stick to your principles no matter what...for me that is easy...if the horse can't get hurt, I can't get hurt, the horse is learning and happy and not going backwards than it is something I will use, if not, I will not. I have much to be thankful for and I feel very blessed. If you want to keep up with me and Team TLC I have a Facebook & YouTube page with weekly updates too!

 

Q; What is PBRA and how does that conflict with your TLC business?

 

A; PBRA, Professional Barrel Racers Association is a barrel racing association I started in 2011. I think it is an exciting NEW CONCEPT for barrel racing. It was just an idea I had over a year ago, I had no idea if anyone else would like it but I thought I would put it together and see what would happen. It is a Florida state wide side pot that lets you compete for another check while at the same jackpot or super show you are already at. It let's you have more chances to win, while competing for year end titles and awards when you want to enter, on your schedule not someone elses, and all the Divisions and placements pay the same out in winnings. You can read more about it at www.professionalbarrelracersassoc.com The 2nd year of PBRA begins 1/1/12 in Florida and it's 1st year paid out over $23,5000 in winnings to Contestants, there are over 300 members state wide and 20 Jackpot Hosts at this time and growing. It does not get in the way of TLC at all. It's something I do when my body needs a rest from physical work outside, I work on my laptop at my lunch break or after dark, it only takes a couple hours a week to maintain PBRA, and I enjoy competing in it too!