We are saddened to report that legendary western pleasure mare, Chocolate Zipper has passed. She was 26 years-old. AQHA breeder Clarice Cooper of Cooper Quarter Horses in Maysville, Georgia has owned Chocolate Zipper for more than 20 years and retired the gorgeous mare after her show career and kept her until the very end.
“I loved you from the first time I saw you,” says Clarice Cooper, about her beloved mare known as Chloe. “You gave me so many great memories. It’s hard to put into words losing your best friend. Chloe gave me and taught me so much. As she passed away, I held her head in my lap and tried to comfort her. Due to old age and arthritis we had been doing everything we could to keep her comfortable, however, it was getting too hard for her. We made the decision it was better to let her pass gracefully. It was time and I promised myself I would never let you live in pain. I hope you are loping with your daughter (Show Diva) in heaven. RIP Chocolate Zipper.”
The 1989 brown mare by Zips Chocolate Chip was inducted into the NSBA Hall of Fame in 2006. She is a six time Congress Champion, AQHA World and two-time Reserve World Champion in Western Pleasure, as well as a World and Congress Champion producer.
“The only thing bigger than her heart was her engine,” said Debbi Trubee who showed Chocolate Zipper in the all the major futurities for owner Pam Ritzenthaler-Foster.
When Trubee trained her during her late two year-old and three year old year, she always rode her in the pasture, and Debbi said it was always a good day if she didn’t try to buck her off. “She was tough, no doubt, but, I think what makes those truly great ones special is their grit…and Chloe had grit,” she said. “Chloe taught me how to prepare one for a major event and know the difference between thinking I was ready to show to being really ready to show.”
When Clarice Cooper bought the mare, she probably had no idea that Chloe would change her life forever.
“I remember the first time I saw her. She was the prettiest
horse I had ever seen. I told my mom that if she was ever for sale that was the horse I wanted. Not too long after I first saw her, Chloe’s owner was going through a divorce and needed to sell her. It was the best $30,000 I ever spent. It changed my life. I didn’t realize it then because I was a real quiet kid, but I realize now how lucky I was to be able to have a horse like her.”
There is no doubt that Chloe made Clarice work for everything when it came to showing. “She was a little spitfire,” Cooper recalls. “It was never easy with her. I remember one time in Georgia when she just lost it and my belt buckle got hung on the saddle horn and all the buttons on my vest popped off. I had about the same number of good and bad rides, and I learned a lot of lessons from her–a lot of wins and many heartaches. But, I wouldn’t have wanted it any different. Who wants their rides to be the same every time? I’m glad she was challenging and mixed it up.”
Charlene Carter, who was Cooper’s trainer along with her husband Mike Carter, remembers several memorable moments about this talented mare. In 1994, Clarice and Chloe were Reserve World Champion at the AQHA Youth World Championship Show in Western Pleasure, and returned the following year and were crowned AQHA World Champion.
“She was so beautiful,” Charlene recalls fondly. “When we got her, she had never been shown in a bridle. The day Clarice bought her, Mike was trying to get her started in the bridle. Her head was in the rafters, but we all knew that once he got her, she would be one of the very best.”
“Chocolate Zipper was very sensitive,” Charlene recalls. “I remember one time at the Whistle Stop, I tried to pay one of the other trainer’s sons one dollar if he would stop riding his bike up and down the road in front of the show arena. He didn’t want to take the dollar, so I kept holding his bike. He told me that he was gonna tell his Dad. I told him that that was okay, after the class I would tell him myself. And I made sure that I did!”
Even in her retirement, Chloe liked to challenge and frustrate Clarice. “She hated to be palpated and she never let me catch her in the pasture because she knew what was coming. She also challenged me breeding wise. It was really difficult getting her in foal.”
When Chloe was first retired, she had no idea how to be a horse. “She
would stand in the shed for days and not move. I had to put an old
broodmare in there with her to show her how she was supposed to act.” (pictured right–still gorgeous in her retirement)
One breeding that really worked was when Chloe was crossed with Good Version, resulting in a 2001 foal they aptly named Show Diva. The late, great Show Diva was a two-time AQHA Reserve World Champion who accumulated over 2000 points. She was owned and shown by Theresa Moran under the guidance of High Point Performance Horses until she passed away due to complications associated with colic surgery in 2011.
Cooper says that Chloe is the reason she remained involved with the horses. “She gave me the taste of greatness. She gave me the opportunity to experience the joy of winning. I will never forget that feeling. It’s what keeps us going. I would love for my husband or my sister-in-law to experience that feeling, and Chloe was responsible in helping me achieve those goals.”
We send our heartfelt condolences to Clairce Cooper, Ryan Shotkoski, their daughter Cooper, and all associated with this beautiful mare. Rest in peace, Chloe.
Photo © Kelly Graphics
