ED News

by Russell Hamilton, TWUA Executive Director

Father, Thank You. We bow our heads and humbly say thank you as we acknowledge that you are the creator. We take comfort in knowing that You remain in charge and control of life as we understand it. We need You, and we welcome You in all we do. We come into Your presence, seeking Your grace, Your calm, Your guidance, and forgiveness. Father, we pray for Your mercy and ask that You guide, direct, protect, and bless TWUA and its members. Amen

In West Texas, Lake Spence is sitting at 24.2 % (- 0.2 %). White River is sitting at 18.1 % (- 0.4 %). Panhandle - Lake Meredith is sitting at 34.1 % (- 0.2 %) and Greenbelt is at 16.1 % (- 0.1 %). If you want to get a complete look at current lake levels, go to waterdatafortexas.org. The drought has never left for some.

Mark your calendar for the 2022 – Amarillo will be April 4th – 7th . Beaumont will be April 25th – 28th . Abilene will be May 2nd – 5th . Arlington will be May 16th – 20th . Killeen will be June 6th – 9th . McAllen is confirmed July 11th – 14th . San Angelo will be July 25 – 28th . Ft. Stockton will be August 22nd – 25th . Longview will be October 10th – 13th . Lubbock will be November 1st – 3rd. The links to all the fliers will be activated as soon as possible so that you may register for any region now, thereby making use of budgets more efficiently.

Check the TWUA Website for the most up-to-date information related to TWUA Regional opportunities. If travel and being in crowds cause you concern or your employer has not approved travel, please look at the TWUA Computer Based Training options. (https://twua. org/online-class-dates). Also, there have been inquiries related to in-person classroom training. If this in-person training interests you, don’t hesitate to get in touch with Norma Clark (n.clark@twua.org). Dates For Annual School 2022. The 104th Annual School in Corpus Christi dates is September 26th – 29th, 2022. This will be Monday thru Thursday. The events have been pushed forward a day. The Opening Session and Awards will be Monday. The school will begin Tuesday and conclude with vendor move out at noon Thursday. We will have the information updated on the website soon, and the form will be live, so you could go ahead and preregister if you are looking for a legitimate budget expense.

Paper-Based TCEQ Testing - Help Spread The Word – if you want to continue to have the option of paper-based exams after TWUA regional events, we need exam numbers to justify TCEQ’s continued participation.

CBT - Click on or copy this link to find TCEQ computer-based testing locations. https://www.tceq.texas.gov/ licensing/exams/cbt_occ_lic.html

What does the acronym DATL represent ? There is an old saying; you are not through until the paperwork is done . . . well, you are not registered for a state exam until you . . . Designate A Testing Location.

Call the TCEQ staff in licensing for more information or the official statement related to the Exams, Licensing, and Computer-Based Testing. 512-239-6133

The Story Goes Something Like This –

Monty Roberts grew up around horses in California. His father was a horse trainer, and Monty was riding before he learned to walk. During the heyday of Western Movies and as a child, Monty rode horses in movies, often as a stunt double for child actors. He later got into rodeos and horse shows and earned a reputation as a great horseman.

Roberts always dreamed of being a horse trainer himself,

and with a wife and a couple of kids to support, he figured it was time to get serious, so he went into the business. In spite of his reputation as a great rider, Roberts was an inexperienced trainer and had trouble getting clients. He had only four horses to train, which wasn’t bringing in nearly enough money to support his family.

Roberts wasn’t sure what he was going to do when an opportunity was presented to work as an apprentice with Don Dodge, one of the most well-known and well-respected trainers in the area. He was told to bring two of his horses with him.

After ten weeks, the apprenticeship ended, and Roberts met with Dodge. One of the horses he had brought with him was named Panama Buck. Dodge told Roberts that when he got home, he should call up the horse’s owner, Lawson Williams, and tell him that he was wasting his money having Roberts train the horse because the horse was never going to amount to anything.

Roberts was understandably reluctant to do this, as that would eliminate a quarter of his already meager income. When he asked Dodge why he should do this, Dodge responded that the most important thing he could do was always tell owners the truth about their horses, and if he did this, he would soon get more than enough business to replace the loss.

Roberts went home and did as instructed, but Williams didn’t take the news well. He responded by berating Roberts, screaming, “You useless son of a gun, you wouldn’t know a good horse if it leaped up between your legs. That’s the last horse you’ll ever get from me!”

Several days later, Roberts’ phone rang. A voice on the other end said, “Hello, Mr. Gray here, Joe Gray.” He went on, “I was having lunch with Mr. Williams yesterday. You no doubt recall that he was complaining about you. But from what I took from the conversation; you must be about the only honest trainer I ever heard of. Well, we know that Panama Buck horse of his wasn’t any good, and I just wanted to test you. I have this horse I want to send to you; it’s called My Blue Heaven.”

From that point on, things started to turn around for Roberts. He gained a reputation as not only a great trainer but an honest one, and soon he had more than enough horses to train. Eventually, he would even have the opportunity to train horses for the Queen of England. And it all started with following some wise advice from a mentor to always be honest, even when the price is high. From the book Barefoot to Billionaire.

How has your integrity been tested? When was the last time you were asked to make a choice where doing the right thing would cost you more than you wanted to pay? Are you prepared to make the right choices when your test comes?

Stay Safe, and Remember – we do not need all the operators in Texas to be a member of TWUA – JUST YOU ! ! ! !