He also judged rodeos and worked for Loretta Lynn and her husband, Mooney. She sold the company, Loretta Lynn Rodeo, to Longhorn Rodeo. Drinkard also owned a cement finishing business employing as many as 25 people that he folded in 1988, a year after winning his first race at Birmingham. He says that while his property has no resemblance to a place like Calumet Farm, he's happy with the surroundings. He trains on a 1.6-acre tract pounded out of a pasture, surrounded by hardwoods and pines that was stocked with deer about 30 years ago.
Tree stands are on the rim of the woods for capturing big bucks on film.
From the other company they keep, it's evident the Drinkards are genuine animal lovers. They have cared for a deer in one of their horse stalls since late June, when their dogs ran it into the yard and wrestled it down. We got a permit from the Conservation Department to raise him. 8-feet tall on one acre of land. We plan to do that.