Page 34 - 27 April 2012

Their
Common
Bond
horses formed the fabric for the draper family ties.
by Diane Rice
You might think that a trainer whose horses have won two All American futurities and two All American derbies—including the Ruidoso Derby Triple Crown—would list one of those as his greatest achievement. But if that trainer was Carl Draper, you’d be wrong.
Instead, the gruff voiced, no-nonsense former rodeo cowboy says marrying his staunch supporter and firm right arm—his wife Fredda—holds that place in his heart.
“There’s no horse race even close to that,” Carl said. “She’s a fabulous, beautiful, intelligent, hard-working lady and I’ve been blessed to have her for over 50 years. Without her I would’ve been nothing—and then on top of that, having our two children, four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren—I love every one of them,” he added.
Building the Base
Carl grew up rodeoing around Roswell, New Mexico. Fredda was born in the Hondo Valley near Ruidoso and moved to El Paso when she was 2. Shortly after that, her grandmother took her to San Patricio, New Mexico, and raised her on the family’s farm.
When Fredda was 3, her grandmother bought her a Paint horse named Navajo, whom she had until he was 35. By age 5, Fredda was building her riding skills at polo matches held at the Peter Herd Art Museum nearby. “They’d throw me on the backs of the polo ponies to cool them out after a match,” she said.
Polo ponies led to the racetrack; at age 13, Fredda started working as a cashier at Ruidoso’s Jockey Club. Her brother also worked there in valet park- ing, and for a time, her mother as a bookkeeper. “Those were the glory days,” she said, “with people like Dale Robertson and Audie Murphy.”
In 1961, when Carl met Fredda on a blind date at the New Mexico State Fair, he jokingly told her he was a meteorologist. He actually read meters for the city. But that was just his meal ticket. On weekends, Carl pursued his passion: rodeo.
“All he cared about was horses,” Fredda said, “and all I wanted to do was ride.”
Carl spends time with great- granddaughter Paige Joy the day after DM Shicago won the All American Derby in 2005.
32 SPEEDHORSE, April 27, 2012