George B. Hatley, past executive
secretary of the Appaloosa Horse Club and one of the breed’s
most tireless supporters, died September 16 (2011) in Moscow,
Idaho, of causes related to age. He was 87. He was widely
known in the horse world as “Mr. Appaloosa” for his efforts
to preserve and promote the Appaloosa horse, and is a member
of the Appaloosa Hall of Fame.
Hatley was born July 18, 1924, to Ray and
Neva Dole Hatley on the Hatley ranch south of Pullman, Washington.
He attended elementary school at the Irene country school
near Union Flat Creek, riding horseback to the schoolhouse.
He was exposed to Appaloosas and stories about them at a young
age. A great uncle had fought in the Nez Perce War of 1877,
and a smattering of area farmers, cowboys, and native Americans
still possessed the occasional Appaloosa.
In 1936 Hatley’s family moved to a farm west
of Moscow, near the present location of the Appaloosa Horse
Club. He graduated from Moscow High School in 1942. He acquired
an Appaloosa stallion, Toby II, during this period, and after
reading an article about Appaloosas in an issue of “Western
Horseman,” joined the newly created Appaloosa Horse Club as
member No. 45.
Hatley worked on the construction of Farragut
Naval Training Station and later took basic Navy training
there. After discharge from the Navy , he met ApHC founder
Claude Thompson, who soon appointed him to be his assistant.
Hatley took the reins as executive secretary in 1947, the
same year he married Iola Golden. He attended the University
of Idaho on the G.I. Bill, graduating in 1950 with a bachelor
of science degree in animal husbandry. The couple’s son, Craig,
was born in 1955.
Hatley worked as executive secretary of the
Appaloosa Horse Club for 31 years, the early ones without
pay. He started the association’s magazine, “Appaloosa News”
(now “Appaloosa Journal”), published its first studbooks,
implemented the first National Appaloosa Show and Sale (held
in Lewiston, Idaho, in 1948 and 1949), and started the Appaloosa
Museum. He wrote hundreds of articles and several books, including
“Horse Camping,” a classic now in its third printing.
He was instrumental in development of the
Chief Joseph Appaloosa Trail Ride, and rode the 1,300-mile
route of the Nez Perce War Trail twice. He also completed
the 100-mile, one-day Western States Trail Ride, or Tevis
Cup, across the Sierra Nevada. Hatley enjoyed horse racing
and had two winning lines come from his breeding program.
The Appaloosa racing stallion Double Patch won 22 races, and
another stallion, Apache Double, won 18 races and went on
to become an all-time leading sire.
He was a longtime cattleman who also enjoyed
driving horses and collecting horse-drawn vehicles. He made
his Deary, Idaho, ranch available for Pony Club, dressage
and combined training, 4-H trail rides, and driving events.
The Apalousey Trail Ride and Dutch Oven Dinner, a benefit
for the Appaloosa Museum, has been held there the past 14
years.
Hatley received numerous honors throughout
his life, including membership in the Idaho Hall of Fame and
a showcasing in “Sports Illustrated.” In 2004, the United
States Pony Clubs designated Hatley a legend for his efforts
on behalf of USPC.
He greatly prized an honor presented to him
during a Lewiston Roundup by the Nez Perce tribe, where he
was presented with a pair of beaded buckskin gauntlet gloves
and a Pendleton blanket.
Hatley is survived by his widow Iola at their
Moscow home, along with son Craig and daughter-in-law Cheri
Hatley in Deary, plus grandchildren Justin Hatley and Danielle
Hatley Pierson (Derek), and a sister, Veletta Frink. He was
preceded in death by his parents and by a sister, Berneda
Hamilton.
Details of a memorial service are pending.
Burial of ashes will be at the Hatley Cemetery south of Pullman.
Hatley left an epitaph for his gravestone, which is to read,
“He has returned to the hills he loved as a boy, and will
be a part of them forever.”
Memorial contributions may be made to the
Appaloosa Museum, 2720 West Pullman Road, Moscow, ID 83843,
and the Hatley Cemetery, P.O. Box 1035, Pullman, WA 99163.
