ABOUT TOM:
The part that has meant the most to the horse and me is the communication
between us. This is the part where I really had to devote a lot of thought. I
have watched horses when they are loose by themselves or loose in a group;
gentle raised or wild range raised, their naturalness will show. And by
studying their actions and reactions I have been helped to understand how to
present myself in such a way that the horses will respond to what I may ask of
them. This I believe is true nature.
This is something I have
had to develop in myself, for myself, by myself. The True Unity and Willing
Communication between the horse and me is not something that can be handed to
someone, it has to be learned, it has to come from the inside of a person and
inside of the horse. - TD
I try to feel what the horse is feeling
and operate from where the horse is. - TD
Tom has been referred to as the "horse's lawyer". He
gives the horse credit for his knowledge of a horse's feelings and problems.
He says, "What I know about the horse I learned from the horse."
Michael Martin Murphy
presenting Tom with
The Chester A. Reynolds Award.
The Chester A. Reynolds Award was established in 1990 in
honor of the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum's founder, and
recognizes a person whose lifestyle represents the ideals of the American
West. This award is presented by the National Cowboy Hall of Fame.
photo credit: Heather Hafleigh
In 1994, The National Reined Cow Horse
Association (N.R.C.H.A) awarded Tom
"The Vaquero Award".
In 1999, The American Association of Equine
Practitioners awarded Tom "The Lavin Cup". The Lavin Cup, named for AAEP past
president Gary A. Lavin, VMD, recognized non-veterinary organizations or
individuals that have demonstrated exceptional compassion for or developed and
enforced rules and guidelines that protect the welfare of the horse.
May 11, 1910 - June 11, 2003
Down Memory's Lane with You
I'd like to ride down Memory's Lane
Together, you and I...
And sing the songs we used to sing
In the pleasant days gone by.
Our thoughts will bloom like flowers
And we'll gather every one;
We'll laugh at things we used to do,
The joyous things we've done.
And then someday if God is good
Perhaps beneath the sky...
Hand in hand, we'll ride once more
Together....YOU AND I!
Tom and Margaret
(Tom's 80th Birthday Celebration)
5-11-90 Merced Horsemen's Arena
