*While attending college, David was approached about being a model. He gave it a shot and has modeled off and on since he was 21 years old. (He is now 31 years old.) (Photo by Michael Downs)*

“I never knew how good I had it growing up,” David Thomas admits, but to an outsider, it might sound pretty apparent.

David was born in Crawley, West Virginia, an unincorporated community with about 1,000 people in it located in Greenbrier County, in the south central part of the state. His parents are Lorrie and Jeff Thomas, a state road highway employee and a school teacher, respectively. He has a twin brother, Robert, and a younger sister, Bethany. “I lived on a street that had a bunch of kids my age, and we would always be playing some kind of sport all the time,” David said. “My mom would pull up the window and whistle when it was time to come home. We knew to get running, too. I was very fortunate to be raised by caring and loving parents. I thank God for them every day for never giving up on me, because raising me was no easy task.”

*David models for a Cavender’s photo shoot.*
*(Photo by Scott Slusher)*

David’s father, Jeff, was a high school coach, and so he grew up in a gym or on a football field his whole life. “I was the quarterback of the football team and shooting guard in basketball,” he said. “During the spring, I’d quit track every year so I could ride horses. After graduating, I stayed home for a year and went to community college, then transferred to Fairmont State University in the northern part of West Virginia. I played rugby for four years in college, wasted a lot of money, and still didn’t know what I wanted to do. So, I decided to come home and just work.”

David started training horses to earn money and earned his personal training certification. He worked at a chiropractic office for a couple years running the rehabilitation and therapy.

After David lost his colt, Freezy, his friend, Sammi Damek, offered for him to come get this horse, Callie, and treat her like she was his own. He did just that, and David’s love of horses returned.

But about five years ago, something changed in David. A revelation of sorts led him to make some major life changes, and Texarkana has been the beneficiary of all his endeavors since. “Something hit me, and I just thought to myself, that I have an opportunity for a fresh start,” he said. “So, I decided to be the opposite of the person I was in West Virginia. For one thing, I started working at CASA, and it opened my eyes—probably one of my top three favorite jobs I’ve ever had.”

While working at CASA, David also earned his equine massage therapy certification and enrolled in college again. Not only was he a full-time student, but he held a full-time job at CASA and was massaging horses all while maintaining a 4.0 GPA at the university. It only took him a year to complete his degree at Texas A&M University-Texarkana, earning a Bachelor of Applied Arts and Science in 2017. Now, he’s working on his teaching certification.

*Anyone that knows David knows that 8-year-old Rodee isn’t ever far from him. Whether kayaking, leading a horse, or playing fetch, Rodee goes everywhere with David.*

David was not only a model student at the university, but he was also a student who modeled. He was featured in some of the advertising for TAMU-T, and now models for local businesses regularly, recently having completed a photo shoot with Cavender’s for their fall line.

David stays incredibly busy with many adventures, from his day job to night job, and plenty of things in-between. “I teach third grade math and science at Highland Park Elementary school,” David said. “I’ve always wanted to be a teacher, because I was able to witness the lives my dad has changed in his 33 years of teaching and coaching. I always said that if I could be half as good as he is then I’d still be doing pretty amazing.”

David sold everything to buy this colt and considered Freezy to be his future golden ticket because he was an own son of a #1 barrel racing sire. Unfortunately, less than 24 hours after getting Freezy, the colt broke his shoulder in the round pen, and David took months away from horses.

This is David’s third year to teach. “The most challenging thing about teaching is planning lessons and keeping up with all the data required, but my favorite thing is being around all the kids and the best staff ever!” David said.

In the evenings, David is a server at Twisted Fork. “I’ve been there for about a year now,” he said. “It started as a summer job while I was off from teaching, and it just ended up being a place I loved to work. My Twisted Fork family and customers have turned my bad days into good endings several times, and I’ve really just enjoyed it. My aunt taught me a lot about the restaurant world when I was younger, and I’ve served on and off throughout college. It was just something I missed.”

David’s free time is spent working out and riding horses. “I work out to stay in shape for modeling gigs,” he said. “Last December, I had the opportunity to work with photographer, Michael Downs, doing a fitness shoot. I love it because it’s extra money and helps me keep in shape.”

David is currently getting back in the saddle riding horses after a quadricep repair. “Before my recent injury and surgery, I would ride every day and barrel race every chance I could,” he said. “I’m finally back in the saddle, but just slow riding for now. It will for sure be awhile before I can compete again.”

*Although he has many irons in the fire (teaching, working out, riding horses, modeling, etc.), David also enjoys being a certified equine massage therapist and has had that career for 4½ years.*

Between horse racing, teaching third graders, appeasing a camera for modeling gigs, and serving delicious food and drinks at Twisted Fork, David Thomas is moving and shaking in the community, and Texarkana is better off because of it.

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