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AMATEUR WESTERN PLEASURE SMOOTH AS A CLOUD. BY CHRISTINE HAMILTON, JOURNAL EDITOR It's not often that a rider wins back-to-back world championships on two different horses, but it happened to Sharnai Thompson of Cornelius, North Carolina, on November 9. Sharnai climbed out of the pleasure driving cart pulled by her stallion, Hot Ones Only, fresh from the arena with a world championship in the amateur pleasure driving, and immediately shifted gears to get ready for the amateur western pleasure finals on her mare, Sleepin In The Rain. The class was full of talented horses and riders, but Sharnai and her 4-year-old mare got the last call for the gold trophy, and Sharnai took her victory lap bridleless, enjoying the moment. The evening wasn’t done for the two, however, they had the next two finals to go. When all was said and done, Sharnai and Sleepin In The Rain also finished third in the western riding and 11th in the horsemanship. Q. Tell me about the western pleasure win. SHARNAI: It was awesome! I did not expect that at all. There were some really, really good horses in the finals. I just had the best ride I could; she was perfectly steady. I couldn’t have asked for a better ride. Luckily, it was at the right time; she was really good; I was thrilled. Q. What is she like, I mean, describe the quality of her movement. SHARNAI: She is like being on a cloud. She’s very soft and you can almost feel each foot hit the ground and it’s really a good feeling, a pleasure. Q. I don’t often see victory laps bridleless, what made you do that? SHARNAI: I came out and Charlie (Cole) asked me, "Are you crazy? She’s only 4." I didn’t care; I was on an adrenaline rush. If I got bucked off, it was even better of a story but I didn’t care. Charlie won here a couple of years ago and took his bridle off on Majestic Scotch, who was much more broke, but I just kind of wanted to do the same thing. It was fun. Q. Is there anything else you want to add about today? SHARNAI: It was a great day, but I’m really glad it’s over. I’m tired. I think I’m still in shock, it hasn’t hit me yet. But I know that these days are really only once in a lifetime, so I’m going to enjoy it. Q. Is there any one moment today that really stands out, not necessarily your favorite thing, but that kind of crystallizes today. SHARNAI: I’d have to say that the third in the western riding was a really big accomplishment for me, behind Harley D Zip and Majestic Scotch, who are the greatest western riders ever, and I was right there behind them on my little 4-year-old mare. That was really exciting. Really exciting. WINNER STATS Horse name: Sleepin In The Rain Total class entries: 45
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