Horse lovers help children's cause
By Lindsay Borgman – Rapid City Journal Correspondent
March 9, 2008
Imagine a horse in a "downward-facing dog" yoga position. That's one of the poses Tommie Turvey gets his horses to perform. Turvey and Julie Goodnight are celebrities to horse lovers, who were treated to their workshops and performances Saturday at the CASA Horse Expo. The two teach horse-training workshops on television and at events throughout the country.
The event, held at the Pennington County Event Center in Rapid City, is the biggest fundraiser of the year for the Northern Hills Court-Appointed Special Advocates, who help abused and neglected children through the legal system.
Gypsy Petz, director of the agency and Horse Expo event coordinator, said she expected attendance to top last year's total of 3,000 visitors.
Dixie and Jim Lees of Whitney, Neb., visits Rapid City every year for the expo. They watched Goodnight teach about lead changes on Saturday. Dixie Lees said even though she ha been riding horses her entire life, she learns something new at each expo.
One highlight Saturday was a performance by the Red Rodeo Girls from Calgary, Alberta.
The sparkling foursome performs trick riding.
"It's gymnastics on horseback -- at full speed," Red Rodeo Girl Brittany Biggar, 16, said.
The girls acknowledged their stunts can be dangerous but said they try not to think about that. "You just get in your tricks as fast as you can," said 10-year-old Paige Wilson.
"We do take spills, but it's part of learning," Madison MacDonald, 15, said.
All the girls have been riding most of their lives. Jocelyn Potter doubled behind her mother when she was a Red Rodeo Girl.
Barb Reckling of Wall spent the day at the expo with her granddaughters. They watched Tommy Turvey get a horse to lie down so he could sit on it. Reckling said she was impressed with the amount of trust between the horse and Turvey. She had just seen him on TV recently, so it was a thrill to see him in person.
Her granddaughter, Destiny Gyles, 11, said she has ridden horses at her grandpa's. She likes the feeling of her hair blowing while she rides.
She said, "I'm half city girl and half cowgirl."
