Page 150 - May 2017

Born To CompeTe
The wild ride of Paint racing for Sandra Garnett Tatom
by Desiree Heath, photos courtesy Paint Horse Journal
APHA members share a love of the Paint horse, and they are also alike in that no one APHA member is the same as another—they all have a different story to tell. One such unique member is former APHA Racing Committee member Sandra Garnett Tatom of Groesbeck, Texas; she has had an interesting ride with Paint racing that she wouldn’t change for the world.
Different Athletes, Same Game
Sandra grew up with horses—her fa-
ther trained race horses for decades in New Mexico, and she started working with barrel horses early on in her adult life. A lover of all things unique, Sandra always had a fascina- tion for Paint horses and their matchless pat- terns. Who could blame her? She did not start her journey with Paint horses, however, until she met her father-in-law’s Paint roping mare. Catching the Paint bug soon after, Sandra decided it was time to work with the breed that intrigued her most.
Sandra soon decided that she wanted to go a step further and combine her two main interests: Paint horses and racing.
“I figured I had racehorses and barrel racers but not any Paint racers, so why not start train- ing them?” Sandra said.
Still working as a teacher and athletic coach, Sandra couldn’t yet train full time, and her father advised it would be financially wiser to wait until she retired to take on training and racing full time.
“My dad would say, ‘You’ll starve as a trainer. Just wait!’ Back then, that’s how it was, but I couldn’t wait to get to the track and race my Paints,” she said.
In the meantime, Sandra taught English and coached girls’ athletics. She also coached her children into their high school years, and they became successful athletes. Sandra found ways to work with her beloved breed, as well. She worked with her parents during the breed- ing season foaling out Quarter Horses and, of course, Paints. After nearly 30 years of teaching and coaching, Sandra retired in 2005. Ten days after her retirement, she was at the track racing her Paints.
“I stayed at the track for 10 years and had so much fun doing what I always dreamed about doing,” she reminisced. “I used to play college basketball and have always been very competi- tive, so I guess you could say I’ve been compet- ing and training all my life! From athlete to coach to exhibitor and trainer, the transition was an easy one to make. After all, I’m just changing venues and types of athletes.”
While Sandra competed and trained at the track, her parents also kept their Paint breeding program going. After 10 years of training, Sandra retired from the track life and came back home to become a full-time breeder alongside her parents. Together, the family was frequently changing tac- tics to get that “nice horse.” The family kept try- ing, but it seemed like nothing really worked— that is, until Dial A Jet Oak came along.
’Til There Was You
Dial A Jet Oak is a 1993 sorrel Quarter Horse mare by Jet Toro and out of Ima Dial Oak. Sandra originally purchased the mare for her client’s breeding program, but the client soon after decided the mare wasn’t a fit. Sandra decided to keep Dial A Jet Oak and use the mare in her own program, where she proved
to be a valuable asset. Out of Dial A Jet Oak, Sandra got Just Streakin and Dial Judy, both of which proved valuable in producing top run- ning Paints.
Just Streakin is a 2003 chestnut Quarter Horse mare by Streakin Sixes. The mare has produced two foals to date: Cowboy Mafia
and Jes Dance. Both have earned their Register of Merit in racing, and Cowboy Mafia was a contender, along with Dial Judy’s foal Camo Cowgirl, in the Masterpiece Paint & Appaloosa Challenge in 2015. Almost all her foals have shown to be quite the contenders on the track. Just Streakin is still in racing form, and Sandra still races her on occasion.
Dial Judy is a 2000 sorrel tobiano mare by noted Paint racing sire Judys Lineage, and she earned a Register of Merit in racing as a two year old. After running in the Speedhorse,
Pot O’ Gold Futurity and Masterpiece in California, Sandra decided to bring the mare home. Dial Judy has had 11 foals, including Camo Cowgirl and Awesome Judy, and almost all of them have proven to be successful com- petitors. Dial Judy has now had two World Champions and several stakes winners and stakes-placed foals.
Camo Cowgirl, born in 2012, is named for Sandra’s granddaughter Lauriel.
“She noticed that the Paint pattern on ‘Cowgirl’ looked like camo, which she was al- ways wearing at the time, and the name stuck,” Sandra said.
“Cowgirl” showed her stuff at the Master- piece Challenge in 2015, bringing her lifetime
Camo Cowgirl wins the 2015 Masterpiece Challenge at Lone Star Park.
148 SPEEDHORSE, May 2017
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