It’s been a pretty big year for TSB author Tik Maynard. In June we released his hit memoir IN THE MIDDLE ARE THE HORSEMEN, and we are very excited to now congratulate Tik and his wife eventer Sinead Halpin on the birth of their son, Brooks Tobin Maynard, born September 4, 2018.
We caught up with Tik and Sinead BEFORE the baby arrived and asked if they would share a little about Tik’s typical day at Copperline Farm in Citra, Florida. (Note: The way it was BEFORE the new addition…we promise to follow up in a few months and see how it all rolls with BTM in tow!) With plenty of change surely in store, this is Sinead’s take on “A Day in the Life of Tik,” pre-fatherhood…
Our days here at Copperline are a little different right now, considering we are expecting our first child in about four days! With that being said, Tik is doing the work of two while I am stuck at home on “stall rest.” I saw this “Day in the Life” assignment on Tik’s to-do list and figured I was up to the task…AND I would tell the truth, while Tik might insert visions of some superhero or the Lone Ranger in your head. While Tik might be a mix of both these characters, they do not show up until he gets into the groove of his day. He is more like Eeyore before mid-morning!
5:45 am We live in Florida all year round, so the mornings in the summer start before dawn. Tik is on his first horse by 6:30, which is a little before the sun comes up. The alarm goes off around 5:45 am, which is normally followed by me getting up, turning on the kettle, the puppy attacking Tik, and then a lot of groans from the not-morning-person. The phrases “you don’t understand” and “it’s the middle of the night” tend to whine out from the bedroom. He eventually manages to scuffle into his britches, pour some coffee from the French Press into his Yeti, and sloppily apply sunscreen to his face (not-at-all-rubbed-in, for dramatic effect), then out the door he goes, with a very happy pup scampering behind him.
We have a Ride Board that has every horse (23 currently) listed and all the days of the week. We try and fill this out at the beginning of the week so gallops, cross-country schools, and lessons can be scheduled and everyone knows the plan. When Tik pulls up to the barn, tack is already on the first horses. The girls in the barn often set the order in which the horses are worked so it collaborates with turnout, farriers, vets, and any other goings-on that they manage. Tik has anywhere from 8 to 14 horses on his list a day.
10:00 am The more schooled horses and horses requiring a bit more time tend to go first thing, also those that don’t have owners coming to watch their training. Normally 4 to 5 horses are schooled by around 10:00 am, and by that point it is also necessary for Tik to have another Yeti full of coffee or a snack! Around this time Tik is also becoming able to carry on conversations with humans as well as horses, and the one-liners and puns start rolling in. (To Lauren, grooming a pony: “Are you sick? Cause it looks like you’re feeling a little hoarse.” To Rain, as she brushes a tail: “That tail looks rough. Oh well, might make a good tale.” And when Abby tells Tik about the stray pregnant cat that has set up shop amongst our winter blankets: “Oh my cat, you have got to be kitten me.”)
After the coffee break, Tik carries on with the list. The working students start hopping on horses once morning chores are wrapping up. Often the next group of horses are slightly greener, and it’s good for them to stand in the tack while Tik teaches, or he schools while keeping an eye on the others.
1:00 pm Around now, if Tik doesn’t get some food, the language and focus skills start waning, so he makes a quick run back to our house for a sandwich and often a wardrobe change. He gets really sweaty here in the summer! The afternoon is often filled with horses that need to be worked on the ground and lessons that need to be taught, so it’s normally to everyone’s relief that a full-stomached, re-motivated, freshly clothed Tik returns to the farm. Tik is probably one of the happiest and most laid-back people I have met … as long as he is fed and has coffee 😊.
3:00 pm Hopefully horses and riders and lessons are wrapping up around 3:00 or 4:00 pm, at which point Tik tends to hop on the zero-turn mower for a few hours to make sure the farm is looking good. We have some part-time maintenance help a few days of the week at the farm, but Tik loves his mower, and to be honest, we have had some arguments over who he prefers spending more time with… John Deere or me!
6:00 pm When the door opens at home the end of the day, I have to carefully guide Tik toward the bathroom as he starts filling me in. He is like a five-year-old and starts stripping off layers of dirty clothes before the door shuts. If I am not careful, he ends up stripped to his boxers before he has reached the kitchen, with a trail of clothes, dirt, and horse and dog treats falling from his pockets marking his progression. (Enjoy Yums are the horse treat of choice!)
Next, I normally hear a yell from the bathroom because he has forgotten to grab a towel and is conflicted about what to do, ask for help or scoot to the bedroom. I usually come to his aid, as I get equally upset when he leaves pools of water across our bedroom floor….
One day he will be trained.
7:00 pm Tik usually spends the next few hours answering emails, writing for Off-Track Thoroughbred Magazine, or working on his next book, but first the question that must be answered is normally brought up at lunch, and that is: “What are we doing for dinner?” We tend to cook something easy at home and catch up on the day, or Tik heads to play basketball at the local YMCA a couple days a week with his friend Zach Brandt.
10:00 pm Depending on the scope of the day, the lights normally get turned off after vegging a bit or reading a Jack Reacher novel. On lighter days he will read maybe a horsemanship book, like one by Mark Rashid, or sometimes a book he picked up at the airport—he just finished The Elephant Whisperer by Lawrence Anthony. He is also working his way through Animal Training 101, which was written by Jenifer Zeligs, a lady from California that trains sea lions!
With owning a farm and running a horse business, there is never a dull moment. But Tik and I often joke that even if we won the lottery tomorrow, we would still do the same thing…with a few improvements to the property, and—you guessed right—a live-in chef!
Thank you to Sinead Halpin for her willingness to share a glimpse of her life with Tik, and congratulations to them both on the birth of Brooks. We’re guessing they’ll need twice as many snacks in the house, now!
Thank you to Lauren DeLalla for the use of her photographs.
Tik’s memoir about his life as a working student turned professional horse person IN THE MIDDLE ARE THE HORSEMEN is available from the TSB online bookstore, where shipping in the US is FREE.
CLICK HERE to download a free chapter or to order.
Be sure to read the other installments of TSB’s “Horseworld By the Hour” blog series:
Trafalgar Square Books, the leading publisher of equestrian books and DVDs, is a small business based on a farm in rural Vermont.