In 1977, Chatty Collier of La Quinta, California, started showing American Quarter Horses.
Her love affair with them didn’t start as a whim.
“The first word I ever said was ‘ho,’ because I was born in England, and they have horses pulling the beer wagon. I’m sure I looked out of the stroller and said, ‘Oh, I sure do like that.’”
Chatty showed A Dolly Design on August 29 in the aged mares class at the Bayer Select World Championship Show, placing eighth. Like the seasoned competitor Chatty is, she took it in stride.
Before that, though, Chatty, who lives up to her name, was willing to take time out of her schedule at the Bayer Select World Championship Show to tell stories about horses, carousel horses and her favorite horse.
On the AQHA World Championship Show: I never rode at the World. I only did halter. I had a fabulous gray gelding named Runnin Late, and he was first under all five judges in 1993. He was my first world champion. That’s when they lined them up (under each judge). I have it on videotape, and you can hear the gasps from the crowd when the last one pulled me out. I was crying. I didn’t know where I was. When I walked up to get my prizes, I didn’t even know if I had a horse with me. I loved “Bobo.” But this new horse is good, too.
On showing in halter: In 1997, I had two back operations. I could go back to riding now, but I don’t want to. I’m 70 years old. I don’t want to do that (any more).
On Hez Sum Kinda Hank: I had a great horse that haltered and rode. I had four Superiors on him: amateur western pleasure, open western pleasure, amateur halter and open halter. Hank was my favorite horse. Hank was everybody’s favorite horse. Hank was absolutely gorgeous. He was gray. He was huge. He was a lot of work!
I’d get up at 5 o’clock in the morning to bathe him, no matter what. In the cold, in the dark, tied to a tree, tied to anything. This was in Oregon, and it was freezing. I did halter in the morning and then saddled him up to do western and English. He was a great horse. He was just too big to ride the eq patterns, because by the time I got him started loping, the cone would be back there (behind us). It was gone! It was over with!
I showed him for two years, and he went lame, and I put him out in Bobby (Avila’s) pasture. He died in 1995.
On life: I sit around and laugh a lot. I have no skills. I’m overeducated and underemployed. I was an art major at Stanford. I collect carousel animals. (My house) used to be full of them until I got a divorce, and now my little (new) house is not so full of them – my garage is full of them.
On horse shows: Who wouldn’t want to go? Great horses, great people, great clothes.
