AQHA Magazine September / October 2019 AQHA Sept-Oct 2019 WEB | Page 14

PG.12
AQHA FEATURE
Prix club titles, and became one of the Awesome Foursome,
representing Australia against USA and New Zealand over
many years. They were very exciting and rewarding times!
But after a triple bypass totally ended my car racing career, my
daughter, understanding my competitive streak, suggested I
move to another form of competition with a different kind of
horsepower. Once I was back to good health again, I decided,
with Michelle’s help, to give it a go.
My first show was at CCQHA at Somersby, NSW, where I
showed one of Michelle’s Quarter Horse colts, GP Emporium.
Romeo’s dam was one of my daughter’s favourite mares,
DMB Yella Te, a lovely palomino. I went on to show Romeo
at my first QH Nationals taking home a Reserve Champion
Amateur Title.
I was absolutely hooked and I wanted more! Since then, I’ve
enjoyed some really wonderful wins, also showing GP He’s Ice
Te and GP Miss Te. But, Michelle thought that GP Man of the
Moment, who we call Frosty, would end up being the right
horse for me to show.
Frosty was born, bred and trained by Michelle, at our
Garraka Park Stud, Bishops Bridge, in the Lower Hunter
Valley. The result of a breeding between One Awesome
Moment, a stallion Michelle had imported from the USA, and
a beautifully natured chestnut mare, the imported Burkes
Model Te, Frosty’s temperament was just right.
Peter Garratt at the AQHA Nationals
Peter Garratt with one of his race cars
Frosty and I have since achieved some great successes in the
arena, winning numerous AQHA National and State Titles.
Showing him has undoubtedly been the highlight of my
Quarter Horse show career, and I’m really looking forward to
getting back out to show him in 2020.
So, there we have it, I took a complete change of direction
and now feel I’ve come far enough in the competitions of life
to offer some words of wisdom to people. Those being, that
you’re never too old to pursue your dream of showing horses,
if that’s what you want to do. Don’t hold back, get out there
and have some fun with it!’
Peter Garratt during his racing career
AUSTRALIAN QUARTER HORSE ASSOCIATION - WWW.AQHA.COM.AU