PG . 13
Natasha Humphries - MTC Locked Out A
Heaven Q-93157 Photo by : Ev Lagoon
Travis says that Jeff Long , in the USA , has been another big influencer for them both .
‘ We ’ ve traveled over to Jeff and Liz ’ s for the past six years . He and Liz train out of their property in North Carolina . Jeff puts so much timing and feel on a horse , and is all about the stride pattern and where Western Pleasure is going . Every year , he ’ s given Natasha a horse to show and compete with at the AQHA Congress .’
Aside from the horses and shows , there are also a few other things the Humphries family like to do . Although they do love to travel to America , they say that their home and property is where their hearts are at .
‘ We both love entertaining at home ,’ Tash says . ‘ Trav really enjoys cooking for people using his smoker . But , for some more vigorous outdoor entertainment-because we also really love the water-we ’ re always up to go skiing and tubing , pushing ourselves until we almost can ’ t walk for a few days . We have a great time with that !’
T NT Training
Stables
Travis & Tash developed TNT Training Stables in 2009 . With much of Travis ’ s time often taken up with maintenance of the 100 acres and all the machinery , Tash takes on a lot of the training side of the horses at TNT . Both agree that training horses is not for the faint-hearted or the lazy .
‘ It ’ s a 24 hours a day , 7 days a week job .’ Tash says . The horses can ’ t feed , water & look after themselves , and as trainers , it ’ s our obligation to give them all the utmost care and attention ! You ’ ve got to have a total passion for it . The often sleepless nights , the long days and the early mornings-and I mean every morning-are all part of it ! But we love it so much and our horses are like family .’
As almost any trainer would agree , the couple say that ‘ you only get out what you put in ’ and that anyone aspiring to become a trainer , needs to be prepared to put in the hard yards .
‘ Blood , sweat and tears is what it ’ s all about .’ Natasha says . ‘ I will say , however , there is a light at the end of every tunnel-you just have to be prepared to stroll down and light it yourself . The end result is so satisfying . At the end of the day , as trainers in the equine world , we all need to really learn to respect every individual and equine discipline , horse and person , because on a whole , it really is an artform .’
The Shows
Most of the shows the Humphries attend are the majors for the year , one being ‘ Summer Sizzler ’ in Tatura , Victoria . They travel for two days and take around 15 to 20 horses .
MARCH / APRIL ISSUE 2021