Finding the time ...

Whew ... whirlwind city!
So busy lately but trying to keep everyone up to date on happenings etc.
Magazine going to press NOW. Helping folks promote their events. There sure are a lot talented people out there.
I hope I can teach my kids to recognize the talent and beauty IN people and to learn from what others have to offer earlier than I did.
There are a few exceptions but it seems that we are all rather like Ostriches ( head in the sand) until we get to a certain or level of maturity ... maybe it's the idea of proving yourself ... by yourself or something that kicks in. Dunno?

I encourage you all to take time to sit in the sun and in the shade to appreciate the beauty in both. Remember to take deep breaths and to stretch your muscles. Drink lots of good water and rest when you grow weary. Hug those you love, smile at strangers and laugh when the fancy strikes you.

Blessings to you and yours!

Tess

Look out, cool thingz cometh!!

YEE HAW ... what a great week!! (Warning ... this post contains massive rambling!)

Well there was that lil spill I took off Terra ( y'all saw my horse on the cover of the winter issue with Ed Dabney right!). Well the ground is still hard, so don't go pullin my tricks and stay IN the saddle.
Jody and Dawn are down at the Southern Cross Ranch relaxin and soakin in the quaint atmosphere. Y'all have fun ... go to www.southcross.com to learn more about Noel's place down there in Madison, GA.
Kent and I spent the weekend with Templeton and Sam, doing our interview and gettin pics for Tempy's cover. In the words of the now re-incarcerated Paris Hilton (tehehe) ... it's going to be "hot"! Y'all will have to get it and read it.

We have a new advertising rep, some of y'all know the awesome and beautiful Georgiana Norcross. If you are a horsey business owner be expectin' a call from Georgiana!

We are doin' a feature on female farriers ... so if you know any Sheshoers send 'em our way. We will feature 10 from around the South!

We will also be workin on a feature called "The 50 most influential horsewomen in America!" I am SOOOO excited bout this! Y'all gotta help me, because you DO NOT have to be famous to be included! We have a list of famous - semi-famous folks but I really want to mix it up with some people that are really out there making a difference! Like my friend Sue Vetsch. Sue ain't famous ... but boy howdy she is influential!! Rosemary Spence ... again ... famous? A teeny bit, she did win a big AQHA award. But more influential than anything. Hmmm ... who else? Cheryl Flanagan ... of www.savethehorses.com and Debi Metcalf from Netposse.com ... those gals deserve medals!

OH ... whew - wait til y'all check out the "Ya Gotta Have" section in the magazine. We used to call this "The product paddock" ... but not no more. We changed it ... duh. Marienne Morrison from Smooth Stride sent me some riding pants and now I can't wait til my shoulder and ribs get better so I CAN ride again. These are awesome pants! Dawn's got hers with her at the So. Cross ... they are TEE NINY ( as Tempy would say ) ... but Dawn is TEE NINY. Mine are not so tiny ... lol, oh well ... can't have everything. You'll see Dawn's TEE NINY butt in Marienne's awesome britches in the next issue. I am sayin' britches not breeches ... Marienne does have breeches or a brand of them. But Dawn's pants aren't breeches.

As I type this Miss Vicki ( O'Hara - EquineExtravaganza.com ) is out in CAL EE FORN NI A at the Western States Horse Expo, she's laughin it up at dinner with Kathy from Valley Vet! Y'all have fun! Geez, everybody is somewhere but me! My youngins are watchin Air Buddies - Air Bud, remember ... he's procreated!

Check the hot blog a lot ... Robbi and Cindy from Flashpoint are gonna be bloggin about the Atlanta Summer Classic Hunter Jumper show and Grand Prix! That's comin' up real soon. Here in GA we affectionately call that show "The Bob Bell" ... are you feelin' the love Bob?

Check back ASAP ... there will be lots to tell!

Home from all the LUV

Wow is really all I can say about this weekend at Women LUV Horses.
I was talking with Marie-Francis, who is Lynn's right hand woman and I told her that I thought no matter how many people came this weekend ... that they all went away touched.
The gathering of these souls that Lynn had the fortitude to bring together (and hats off to Marie-Francis for pulling it all off with style too) this weekend really transcended beyond the retreat, beyond the entertainment and education value and just resonated deep within a lot of women there. I was fortunate to have HS staffers Beth and Caitie Bellinger with me and they are mother and daughter, it was wonderful to see them share their love of horses and to be inspired in the way that I know Lynn imaged. My only sadness is that my two best girlfriends in the world that I share my love of horses with could not be there. Dawn ... I love you and you are my inspiration daily and I missed you so much this weekend! Kim ... I never get to see you and I haven't ridden with you in years but you were heavy in my thoughts this weekend. Stacy rides a black horse that looks like your Bandy and I always cry when she performs knowing that you and Bandy shared a bond like that and how we both still miss him.
What's so special too is the new friendships that I made Templeton Thompson you rock girl ... what an honor and a joy to have a new friend that I can ride and SING with!! Whoo hoo!! If y'all haven't heard Tempie sing ... she is the cat's meow! And Sam, her husband what a talented guy. Can't wait to come visit y'all!!
Sometimes you just know it when you've made a new friend for life! Miss Vicki O'Hara (and y'all need to make sure you get up to Raleigh August 3-5 for the Equine Extravaganza !!) I know God put her in my life so we could inspire and cheer each other on!
I didn't get to do my interview with Martha guys ... she was too busy ... so we will have to push her cover and appearence in the magazine to the August/ September issue .. and this time in June we will bring you my new gal pal Templeton! She's a knockout ... so I know it's gonna be a great cover.
What an honor to have all these gorgeous ladies on my covers. Lynn, Templeton then Martha ... wow. I'll have to bring the fellers back in that's Chris Cox and Craig Cameron ... in that order. Then y'all ... Jane Savoie!! I can't believe it. I am calling Carmen (my childhood riding instructor) and tellin' her ... I sat with Jane and she's gonna do an interview with me.
Guys I met so many great ladies ... you just don't even know. Kowgirl Glitz is a company that the gorgeous Kristin Smith ( who is a real rodeo cowgirl) formed. Y'all gotta go to her website www.cowgirlglitz.com ... her stuff is cooler than cool. And y'all!! My little girl pestered the foo out of her ... she was so nice to her. Thanx Kristin, your kindness will be rewarded. I promise!
Donna from the "getting pretty stinkin' famous" Donne & Cavalli is really an amazing lady. She'll be writing some columns and then we will venture down to St. Simons and bring you a full story on her.
I could go on and on ... but my intention is not to bore you to tears but rather to hopefully spur you into attending these type events ... to show you that it's important to share your passions with like minded folks and to treat yourselves!

Blessings and Good Night!!
Tess

Women LUV Horses!

I sit here in in the hotel after the Cowgirl Party on the second day of Lynn Palm's Women LUV Horses event in Concord, NC ... I am tired but having a ball.
This gathering of women is nothing short of amazing.
Tonight we saw Stacy Westfall perform her now famous bareback, bridleless reining demo. We saw a astounding dressage demo. Lynn showed her talents in a Western then English demo that also included bridleless riding.
We ate together ... listened to Martha Josey tell us about how she got back into horses after enjoying them as a child. Trail queen Cynthia Cantleberry told us about the mean lil pony that taught her riding skills and started her journey into horses.
I sat next to the incomparable Jane Savoie at dinner, for a while anyway.
I have the kids with me so I was running around a bit after them.
A big thanks to Beth from Kerrits Clothing for taking care of Sylvi for me. It's always so fun to see friends at these events. Alana from Horse & Rider, my good friend Brenda from Hoofbeats Magazine, seeing Stacy and getting to meet Jane. Vicki O'Hara and I barged in on my Mom in the Motor Home and watched the Preakness!! Dang, the Kentucky Derby winner almost won!
I love to migrate to the booths and see folks. I got to meet singer songwriter Templeton Thompson ... wait till you see her new Hippie Chic Cowgirl shirts ... they are just perfect! I got me one! Tempe is so talented ... will be featuring her on the cover of our winter issue!! Followed by Jane Savoie in the spring.
It's been an exciting weekend and when Lynn announces the next WLH, y'all need to make plans to be there.
And a big huge thanks to HorseSouth staffers Caitie and Beth Bellinger for stepping up to the plate and doing the Achievable Horsemanship demo since Jessica and Dawn couldn't be here.
But we do have new FOAL ... and baby girl (spotless :( .. ) but cute ... might be a dun or grulla? Hard to tell.
More tomorrow!!

Here is it is ... the 2008 RTTH line up

Of course Chris Cox ... returns to defend his title and he will be joined by ...

Ken McNabb

and

Tommy Garland

Details to follow later ...

ROAD TO THE HORSE CLINICIANS coming up!!!

I already know ... but I can't tell you just yet!!
Check back in the morning .... you'll know who's competing at the 2008 RTTH!!

2008 Road to the Horse Clinicians Announced May 12 on Rick Lamb’s The Horse Show; 2008 Road to the Horse Tickets on Sale May 14 MURFREESBORO, Tenn., May 8, 2007: Road to the Horse Owner/Producer Tootie Bland announces tickets to the 2008 event go on sale Monday, May 14, 2007 at 9:00 a.m. CST. Can’t wait to hear who’ll be competing? Tune in to Rick Lamb’s The Horse Show radio program just two days before tickets are sold, Saturday, May 12, 2007, to hear the competitors’ names revealed live on the air. “One of the most exciting parts of producing RTTH is bringing new surprises each year,” Bland says. “Once again, Road to the Horse is on the cutting edge. We have some great an unexpected plans.” Find out what surprises are in store for 2008 on May 12 when you listen to Lamb’s radio show. Lamb is the Official Host of Road to the Horse and will be first to release the names of the 2008 participants. Find out when the show will air on your local station or listen online at http://thehorseshow.com. The show will be available as streaming audio, or as a down-loadable podcast. Ticket Prices:
Premiere Seating— $105.00 (Good for both days of the event)
General Admission Seating— $55.00 (Good for both days of the event)
VIP Hospitality Room— $250.00 (limited number; VIP Hospitality Room Pass does not include admission to the event or a seat. The VIP Hospitality Pass gets you into the Hospitality Room for catered buffet meals, streamed video of the live event and a chance to visit with the stars)
RV Parking Space— $25.00 per night (Park your RV conveniently next to the MTSU Miller Coliseum with hookups). How to Order:Modern technology has its advantages. Purchase your tickets online and you can print them immediately. Plus, you’ll have a chance to see the arena’s seating chart and choose the seats best for you and your friends. Phone and Internet lines will be open at 9:00 a.m. CST, 10:00 a.m. EST. Log on to http://www.roadtothehorse.com before tickets go on sale to see seating choices and chart your ticket-purchasing plan. On May 14, log on to http://roadtothehorse.com/tickets.html to order. Bonus: If you order online, you’ll be automatically entered for a chance to win two Hospitality Room tickets—that’s a value of $500. One person’s name will be drawn. Only two Hospitality tickets granted. Online orders only, no phone orders entered in bonus drawing. Void where prohibited. About Road to the Horse:Top horse trainers tame three virtually untouched young American Quarter Horses in front of a 6,000 capacity Tennessee Miller Coliseum crowd. Each clinician demonstrates his unique way of gentling a colt and preparing it to be ridden and negotiated through an obstacle course. Road to the Horse showcases the respected technique of gentling instead of breaking horses—the techniques commonly called “horse whispering.” For more information about Road to the Horse, visit http://www.roadtothehorse.com, or call 325-736-5000. Road to the Horse is produced by Tootie Bland/ Ride the Remuda Productions.