Page 137 - Speedhorse September 2017

Hatley built the ranch in 1989. Dee and Betty Raper stood the stallions, including Easy Jet.
Q: If you could vacation anywhere on the planet, where would it be & what would you do there?
A: I would vacation in the Bahamas...lay in the sun and enjoy not having a cell phone!
Q: Do you have a favorite quote and, if so, what is it?
A: My dad always told me, “Tell the truth, no matter how much it hurts, because if your word is no good, you have nothing.”
Q: If you could sit down and visit with anyone, past or present, who would it be?
A: Jesus Christ.
Q: Who’s your favorite athlete of all time, and why?
A: Jim Thorpe. An all-around athlete and he was from Oklahoma.
Q: What’s one thing you don’t like about Quarter Horse racing?
A: Abuse of the horse by using prohibited drugs is rampant in our industry today.
We have to be more diligent to stop the
use of compounded drugs like Zilpaterol, Ractopamine and Clenbuterol. It will never be appropriate to administer these drugs to horses who can’t defend themselves. I chal- lenge owners and trainers to help police the use of these drugs by anyone. If we don’t clean up and police our business, it will cease to exist as we know it today. I can envision race dates being reduced, purses being cut, and
tracks will not be willing to run live racing because of the abuse. What has happened to a person’s horsemanship skill? Racing commis- sions have to help in giving meaningful pun- ishment for violations of repeated offenses. Let’s return our business to the horseman who truly knows how to train a horse, not someone who gets a license and then chooses to drug horses to compete, rather than go to work and display horsemanship skills. Stop being lazy and train!
Q: What’s one thing you like about Quarter Horse racing?
A: Breeding a mare, raising a baby and watch- ing that foal develop from birth to the race- track. I love watching Quarter Horses sprint to the finish to show what great athletes they can be and what smart animals they are.
Rick Stevenson, JoAnn & Mickey Johnson, Carolyn Johnson, Kleo Aquino, Jordan Garner, Ronda Garner, Jaxson Hill, Randy and Stacy Hill and Stanley Johnson (front) in February 2017 at the OQHRA Banquet.
SPEEDHORSE, September 2017 135
THE LIGHTER SIDE