During this time of crisis, horse trainers Brad Jewett and Tim Kimura, aka “Tim the Trail Man,” decided to provide riders and trainers another online outlet by starting an equestrian talk show, Keeping it Real. Jewett and Kimura debuted their show on Facebook on March 25th, 2020.
Since starting Keeping it Real, they have been sharing their knowledge as well as inviting guests on the show to share their expertise. So far, they have interviewed AQHA Professional Horseman and Horsewoman of the Year, Leonard Berryhill and Karen Graham, and the Executive Director of the National Snaffle Bit Association, Stephanie Lynn, as well as other trainers including Charlie Cole of Highpoint Performance Horses.
“Keeping it Real is a talk-show about all things equestrian,” said Brad Jewett. “It is not delegated to just AQHA or NSBA or APHA. What we originally started to do is talk about the trail video series that we have out. We wanted to do it live, then, all a sudden, tons of people were in. Then, when we got done, people were like okay; what are we doing tomorrow? And what is the topic for tomorrow? So we did another show, and all of a sudden, I asked the AQHA Professional Horsemen of the year to see if they’d like to be on, and they did. So, it has just kind of rolled from there.”
Before Keeping it Real, Jewett and Kimura were already close friends who are heavily involved in the horse industry.
“We love to talk about sports, and we love to talk like this all the time,” said Tim Kimura. “So it is funny that we are at both our houses, and we talk to each other two to three times a night. Usually, we just talk basketball and now, like every day, we are like what is next? What are we going to do next? I mean, it is fun. It is fun to watch the process. Keeping it real for sure.”
One of their main points of discussion has been how COVID-19 has impacted the industry as trainers. “We had trainers on, Dean and Kristy McCann from Washington state,” said Jewett. “And that was one of the hardest-hit areas, especially first. They had people come from Wuhan, China, to Washington state. The conversation started about how it has impacted them.”
Kimura added that it is not all about training horses when interviewing their guests. Tim wants viewers to know that their guests are ordinary people, as well as those we look up to for training tips and advice.
“We are all so busy at the horse shows, training our horses and giving lessons, that you would never know something about them that you would find out here,” Kimura explains. “I always have a probing question like tell me about the book you wrote, tell me what you like to do, tell me something I don’t know. I want to know there is something behind that skin. Something behind that layer that you are normal at keeping it real.”
Jewett shared that, once horse shows can begin again, they want to do live shows.
“We will be setting it up at the horse shows and interviewing people at the horse shows. Win, lose, or draw; it does not matter,” Jewett says. “It is not necessarily just about interviewing the winners, but having a guest. We will also have some guest hosts.”
Kimura and Jewett are looking for new people to interview, so if you know someone who would be a great guest, reach out to them on their Keeping it Real Facebook page. Future guests are posted on the Facebook page. This Friday, April 10th, features Gil Galyean.
CLICK HERE to find out more about Keeping it Real.
