Cherokee, Tex and Snowball. Cherokee is a beau- tiful thoroughbred quarter horse cross. He has quite the personality, he needs to be exercised A LOT otherwise he goes nuts. Tex is a mix of so many breeds we don’t even know what he is, but we believe he has some Percheron in him as he is very thick and muscular with huge feet. We are currently working on getting him harness broke to pull a wagon and a sleigh in the winter. Snowball is our mini horse. The top of her back doesn’t even come up to my waist! We are also going to get her harness broke to pull a small buggy. I’m trying to convince my dad to do mini chuck wagon races with her! She keeps the big boys company. I used to be a competi- tive show jumper, so I always feel at home in an English saddle, but our horses are most familiar with a western saddle on so I stick to that now. I have recently become fascinated with Cutting horses and would love to try that sometime! My favorite breed has to be the American Quarter Horse.
Many of our readers enjoy the show “Heartland” which is a big hit in Canada, and worldwide! The music on the show is chosen well to match the scenes. Have you had an opportuni- ty to submit your music to the show? Heartland is great! I have had a lot of people ask me about the show. We go riding in the area that it’s filmed in all the time. It’s only a short drive away from where I live. Cherokee was actually owned at one point by the man that provides the horses for Heartland! I haven’t submitted my music to the show, but now that you mention it, I just might have to do that.
I hear a lot of old school in your guitar playing, and you have excellent timing. I hear the Robert Rooke sound! Vocally are you professionally trained, or does it come naturally? How did you get started in singing? Thank you! I think timing and phrasing are some of the most import- ant elements in playing an instrument. I’m glad that you hear that in my playing. I started out learning to sing on my own. I would hear a song that I liked and learn the chords, memorize the lyrics and try to make it sound like the original. I have taken a few voice lessons since then, but I still mainly work on it on my own. I feel like my voice is still developing and maturing, so I’m constantly practicing it.
You went to two professional guitar acade- mies. Tell our readers about your experience at the Royal Mount University, and how you developed the Robert Rooke sound? Mount Royal is the local University in Calgary. I
was very involved in the school band throughout high school and I wanted to continue with music after I graduated, so I decided to study Jazz Performance for guitar at Mount Royal. It was a relatively small program and they had a great faculty, so it was a great experi- ence and I learned a lot about music, specifically jazz. Even though I was learning jazz I was at that time heavily into Brad Paisley and started to dive into the country style of “chicken Pickin.” Learning Jazz opened up a lot of doors for me musically. It’s helped shape my sound in a way that never would have happened had I not studied at Mount Royal.
Are you on tour right now? When you’re touring in Arizona or across the southwest, please stop by our ranch studio. We can do a live show, and you can ride our horses! My husband is a professional musician; sounds like you two would have a great jam session! I’m not currently on tour right now. I have been busy writing new music and I have been preparing to do some recording. I will abso- lutely have to take you up on that offer! That sounds like it would be a great time.
Our theme for the February Issue is “Heart Healthy for You and Your Horses.” Can you share with the readers healthy practices that you have for you and your horses? Admittedly I spoil my horses and probably feed them too many treats but we make sure to burn those calories off! I like to get Cher- okee out on a lunge line to make sure he stays fit. During the winter it can be tough to ride outside so taking him to a ring and lunging him is a great way to exercise him. As for myself I like to be active outside and go to the gym. I have started to do a lot of running and have signed up for a half marathon in the spring! I don’t have a strict diet, I love food, but I try to stay away from too much sugar and fast food. I think being outside and enjoying nature is one of the best approaches to living a healthy life, for both you and your horse!
www.robertrookemusic.com HORSE & AG MAGAZINE I FEBRUARY / MARCH 2018 29
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48
