Page 54 - August_2023

Tom with his family on a trail ride in Colorado.
Courtesy Thomas Scheckel
THE ROAD TO COME
With just one full-time and one part- time employee, Tom breeds about half of his mares himself and does some outside embryo transfers on what he considers his better mares. “I have about 30 broodmares here and try to race about 10 of my own each year and sell the rest,” he says. “We have a good Iowa- Bred program that offers quite a bit, and then
I buy some of my horses in Oklahoma for the Oklahoma-Bred program.”
He also enjoys trail riding, riding side- by-sides and camping at the family’s cabin with his children and grandkids. “I’m getting rid of some of my horses, my cattle and my construction equipment and just making things easier for me to manage,” he says.
The past few years, Tom has rented out most of his farm acreage, holding on to 400 acres for pasture and hay for his cows and horses.
As he simplifies his life in preparation for retiring, he looks forward to visiting his horses on the backside and strategizing with his trainers. “I just like looking at the horses and having a few drinks while I watch them win, then going to the winner’s circle,” he says.
Tom Scheckel in the winner’s circle for Kool N Foxy’s Remington Park Oaks victory with trainer Shawna Manriquez and jockey Daniel Torres on April 22, 2023.
52 SPEEDHORSE August 2023
Myriam Maynard, Speedhorse