Page 79 - March 2017

Those who know Lonnie and Cheryl particular kinds of mares and other things
Terwilliger describe them as honest, down-to-earth folks whose hard work, perseverance and dedication to the horse
industry have brought them success on the track as well as in their personal lives.
John Hammes, the Terwilligers’ trainer for close to 30 years, says, “He and Cheryl are just wonderful people, good family people, and good to train for. A lot of things can go wrong in racing and you have to be able to accept the bad things. Fortunately, they can.
“As far as breeding, Lonnie’s very particular,” John adds. “He can pick out a little thing from
a mare’s pedigree three generations back that catches his eye, and he knows that’s where he’s got to go. He’s really good about trying to pick out
in a pedigree.”
“I admired them [the Terwil-
ligers] back when I was just getting
into this industry,” says Laura
Erickson, co-owner of Royal Vista Ranches in Wayne, Oklahoma. “They bred and raised and sold their own horses or sent them to the trainer—they did it all, and I admired that
about them before I really knew them.”
In the nearly 20 years
since then, Laura has got-
ten to know the couple,
who farm and ranch in
Dighton, Kansas, through
the mares they send to
Royal Vista to be bred
and foaled out. “Lonnie
loves his horses,” she says.
“He’s genuinely interested
in their overall well-being.
And, I think you have to
truly love and be passion-
ate about your horses in this industry to stay with it as
long as he has.”
But as much as Lonnie loves
his horses, he recalls his father, Dwight, saying that although
racing and the horses are enjoy-
able, the true treasures of horse rac- ing are the people you meet along the way. And he couldn’t agree more.
SPEEDHORSE, March 2017 77