Mission Statement:  
 Our goal is to provide a positive atmosphere that will cultivate the development of life skills while promoting physical & emotional growth in people of all ages & abilities by acquiring horsemanship skills.

     Monty Turnbow has been riding horses all his life.  At the age of seven, he had the first horse of his own.  Growing up, his horse was his main form of transportation.  Riding instructors were not as common then and so he learned how to ride mostly from watching cowboy and Indian movies.  It was these movies that inspired him to construct his own bridle out of leather.  Also known as an Indian bridle, it simply had a piece of leather that went through the horse’s mouth and connected to a single rein.  Little did Monty know that this little bridle was just the beginning of his life as a horseman. 

     Monty’s first job with horses was at E C Johnson Quarter Horses in Longview, Texas.  He was nineteen at the time and worked cleaning stalls.  It wasn’t until a man by the name of Jack Peak saw Monty ride and realized that Monty needed to be doing more than just cleaning the barn.  Mr. Peak gave Monty the opportunity to ride some very nice horses.  Some time after, Monty decided to join the Army and attend college.  At the age of twenty-three, he started his own horse training business and has been in it ever since. 

      In 1980, Monty found himself in the Paint business (APHA).  By means of Mike and Barbara Henry, he got the opportunity to train and show some very nice horses.  Monty then went on to train and show several APHA champions.  He showed several horses to achieve their Superior All-Around status, had the Texas State Champion All-Around horse and also had several horses complete their ROM’s (Register of Merit).  Monty also trained several youth and amateur clients to finish in the top ten at the APHA World Show.  More recently, he has also become involved in the AQHA circuit.  In 2011, he had the High Point and Reserve High Point Amateur riders at the Athens Summer Jubilee in Athens, Texas. 

      It was in the middle of Monty’s show career that he met Cindy.  It had always been Cindy’s dream to be involved with horses, and that dream was fulfilled when she married Monty.  Monty shared his knowledge of horses with her and they quickly became an unstoppable team.  Together, they became very involved in the local 4H club.  In 2004, they were awarded the Outstanding Leadership Award in their county.  They also received the Award of Excellence in their district in 2009.  In 2007 and 2010, they led their 4H club to win the High Point District Award.  Cindy is also certified through the Equine Growth and Learning Association program.  She is currently involved in helping people with impairments reach personal goals through the use of horses.

     Monty and Cindy continue to train horses at their current location in Longview, Texas and are still actively showing on the APHA, AQHA and Open show circuits.

      Leah Stites is a riding instructor and trainer here at Turnbow Performance Horses. She was born and raised in Mount Sterling, Ohio.  She started taking riding lessons when she was five years old and then started showing horses at age seven.  Throughout Elementary and High School she was actively involved in the 4H horse program and also the AQHA show circuit.  Growing up, she had the opportunity to ride with horse trainers, Doug and Tammy Rath, located in Ohio and also with nationally recognized horseman Ken McNabb, in Wyoming.  Also, Leah spent four summers in Alaska working for Victory Ministries as a horse trainer and riding instructor.  It was in Alaska that she realized her love for children and that she could incorporate that with her passion for horses as well.  She graduated with a Bachelors degree of Arts specializing in Youth Ministry from LeTourneau University in May of 2011.  She has been a part of our team here at Turnbow Performance Horses since September of 2008.  She loves sharing her knowledge of horses with the kids, while also building relationships with them that go beyond just riding at the barn.