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2008 AQHA ALL-AROUND AMATEUR YES, FRANCINE, WE THINK YOU BOUGHT THE RIGHT HORSE. BY CHRISTINE HAMILTON, FIELD EDITOR Nicole Barnes and Zippos Ace Of Spades snagged the 2008 AQHA World Show All-Around Amateur title Friday night, November 14. Nicole Barnes of Glenview, Illinois, won amateur trail and showmanship, placed 6th in western riding and 12th in horsemanship. And that's how she and Zippos Ace Of Spades won the all-around amateur award at this year's World Show. Q: What's the story behind "Ace?" Nicole: A couple of weeks after my first show with Ace, my mom asked, "Brad, do you think we've bought the right horse?" Both Brad and Valerie (Kearns, Nicole's trainers) answered, "Yes, Francine, we think this is the right horse." So now that's the big joke. Whenever I do really good, I call Mom and ask her, "Hey, do you think we bought the right horse? Do you think Ace is the right one?" and she's like, "Oh, hush, you guys. You're never going to let me live that down!" Q: What was her concern? Nicole: I don't know. Previously, we had owned Silver Screen Pete. He was just a fantastic horse, and it's always hard to transition to a new horse ... to go from a good one who knows how to do all of the events to a new one that you kind of have to teach all of the all-around classes. Mom was a little leary at first, but I'm sure she's on the same page as us right now. Q. Tell us how you found out you won the all-around award. Nicole: After the showmanship, I drove home Wednesday (November 12) and got home about 11 that night. I got up and went to work yesterday, which was Thursday (November 13). And then at 7:30 p.m., I got a phone call from Brad, and he asked me how my day at work was. I told him I didn’t get everything done I’d planned to, but I’m going to stay late tomorrow and get it done. And he said, "Well, no, you’re going to leave tomorrow at 2 p.m." I said, "Excuse me? Leave?" He said, "You have to come back, and if you win the all-around, you need to be here." It really just wasn’t processing in my head at all. I got a flight booked and I packed last night and got up this morning, came here and here I am. It's still a whirlwind in my head – the trophies and the all-around ... definitely, it's not clicking. Q: What's it like to win this award? Have you processed it all? Nicole: No, not really. But last year, I won the showmanship here, so I assumed with my automatic invitation back that made me eligible for the all-around, however, we found out in March, that I actually had to get the number of points it takes to qualify for that class to count toward the all-around here. So, it was a last-minute scramble to get those points for showmanship, which I'm glad I did because I did so well. I really don't look at any go-round stuff until I'm done showing. I just track it day-by-day, class-by-class. The fact that my mom won this award at the Select World with this horse ... I'm still on cloud nine. Ace is going to get a lot of treats. Q: What was the class you were most concerned about? Nicole: That's hard. Horsemanship has a very special place in my heart. It's by far my favorite class. I worked very hard for that class; I had a little bobble, but that was OK. Trail was very, very rewarding for me. I've worked hard for it, too. The first time, several years ago, when Brad, Valerie and my mom wanted me to show trail with my old horse, I locked myself in the bathroom and cried until the class was over because I didn't want to do it. The fact that I've won a reserve and a world championship in that class – yeah, things have changed a little since that first class that they tried to make me show in trail. The day after that first trail class, they somehow tricked me into going into the class. It was an uphill battle, but I've made it to the top of the mountain. Q: What's going to happen next year? Nicole: Back to the show ring. I would like to get my junior horse, Obsessive Impulse, qualified in showmanship and equitation, and he's just so much fun. He fits my personality quite well. He's an "Impulsion," so he's a little firey at times, but he's a blast. I love the young horses when they're at the end of their 3-year-old, beginning of their 4-year-old and 5-year-old year, when you can go and teach them everything ... teach them to turn around, run around in the arena trying to get him to change leads, and all of that stuff. It's really fun. Ace is a trooper. He will keep going until he can't go anymore. He would tear the stall down if the trailer pulled out without him. We both like horse shows a little too much. Fun Fact: Nicole's mom, Francine, and Zippos Ace Of Spades won the Sooner Trailer All-Around Amateur Award at the 2008 Bayer Select World Championship Show. To read her interview, click here. WINNER STATS Horse name: Zippos Ace Of Spades Top 5 All-Around Contenders: All-Around Amateur Prizes: The reserve all-around amateur received $2,500 from AQHA, while the third- through fifth-place finishers received $1,000 each.
RESULTS
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