Nestled on a farm that’s been in the McAllister family for five generations, Tami and Garry McAllister hang their hats in Southbury, Connecticut. The McAllisters have both been horse enthusiasts for over 20 years — long before their horse training operation began.

Both Garry and Tami were born into families that were involved with horses. Garry’s dad, Joe, has been involved with the American Quarter Horse Association for decades. At age 14, Garry attended the Quarter Horse Congress in Columbus, Ohio, with his family. When he left Columbus that year, he made the decision that he wanted to show at the Congress the following year. That was when Garry started showing competitively at AQHA shows.

Garry showed throughout the rest of his youth career and immediately took his open card when eligible. After graduating high school in 1988, Garry went to work for Jim and Lisa Farrell as an assistant trainer.  This was the beginning of his training career.

A few hundred miles north, in Canada, Tami grew up in a family of horse trainers. Her parents were all around trainers and she showed with them at a local level.  By the time Tami turned 18, she had her own clients and it was then, she recalls, that she became more serious about showing at AQHA shows.

Several years later, Tami and Garry happened to be stalled next to one another at a horse show in Maine. They instantly hit it off and began a long distance personal relationship.

“After we had been dating long distance for six to eight months, I moved to Connecticut to work for Jim Telton; in less than a year we were engaged,” Tami recalls.

Their engagement led them back to Canada, where they started training horses out of Tami’s parents’ barn. Their relationship continued to grow and marriage followed. Tami said it had gotten to a point that they either had to buy a place of their own or move. So they packed up and moved to Connecticut in 1995.

“I had never shown at the Congress or World and I was ready for that next level,” Tami recalls.

The couple rented stalls from Garry’s first employers, the Farrells, and helped with their operation as well. Later they moved and rented stalls from AQHA judge and trainer, Gretchen Mathes.

Their business didn’t stop growing. In 2003, they moved back to Garry’s hometown and in 2010 they took over the McAllister family farm. Now, their farm has a large indoor arena, large outdoor arena, several pastures, and 36 stalls.

The McAllisters are all-around trainers with a heavy emphasis on Trail.

“We navigated toward the all-around from the beginning,” Tami explains, “In order to compete on a national level, we couldn’t afford the pleasure horses. You can take a mediocre pleasure horse, work hard, and make it a Trail horse.”

That discipline as a specialty has driven the business and is something that Tami claims that they thoroughly enjoy.

“Trail is a very positive thing,” she explains. “When you do a pattern, and you mess up, you go home and work on it and test yourself again.”

Tami and Garry’s bloodlines carried what people may call “the horse gene,” and it’s fitting that their children inherited it, as well.  Joey, 14, and Jessica, 11, spend time with their parents at their farm all the time.

“When the kids get out of school, they come straight to the barn and ride,”  Tami says. “It’s very much a family affair.”

Joey started riding in 2012 and is very involved with the care of the horses.

“He helps out around the barn, but doesn’t want to show yet,” his mother says. “He enjoys being around the animals, loves his dogs and horses.”

Jessica, on the other hand, loves to be in the show ring. She started competing at the age of 5.  At age 6, she showed in the Trail at the Congress. Tami says Jessica has always gone to the barn and ridden any of the horses available. Last year, the McAllisters brought home a horse that Jessica fell in love with. This past year, she showed at the 2013 Regional Show in Springfield Massachusetts. Tami said that Jessica did well, “She whooped on us.”  Jessica also qualified her own horse and showed at the 2013 AQHA World Show in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

Last year proved quite successful for the McAllister program. Garry was Reserve Champion at the AQHA World Show on Unfaithfully Good, owned by Wendy Ward.

“The fun part about this horse is we bought her at the Congress as a yearling and she has gone through our program,” Tami explains.”

Garry was also third in the Senior Trail at the World Show on Hot Rod Number Eight, owned by Katherine Hug.  They also coached Joanne Garnett and So Much Potential at the World Show and she was third in Amateur Western Riding and Reserve in Amateur Trail.

While they travel quite a bit, Tami tries not to be gone more than two weekends a month. Some months this is possible, others, not so much.  While the family is home, Tami gathers her family with friends and family and head out into nature for camping trips. The McAllisters join three or four other families and camp all over the Northeast.

Even with the McAllister’s show record continuing to accumulate points, ribbons, and trophies, Tami says that they still have what she calls “holy crap moments.”

“When I drive up my driveway to my new barn I go ‘holy crap, we actually built this,’ she explains. “We’ve been so lucky, we have a supportive family that has always supported us with our decisions, great customers and have been very lucky to have great horses.”

But the McAllisters are careful to key on the family aspect of their operation.

“We try to keep everything real ‘family’ and the care of the horses comes first,” she says. “Then the prizes come.”