Zips Chocolate Chip’s AQHA Hall of Fame Nomination
(The short version) by Ann Myers...stats as of 4/18/2016
Nominee’s Name: Zips Chocolate Chip
Registration No: 2302598
Birth Date: 5-5-85 ¡Cinco de Mayo!
Date of Death: 9-3-15
Sire’s Name: Zippo Pine Bar
Dam’s Name: Fancy Blue Chip
Breeder: Ann R Myers AQHA #0740381
Owner at Time of Death: Ann R Myers AQHA #0740381
Zips Chocolate Chip as a competitor:
Zips Chocolate Chip had as close to a perfect show career as we could have asked for. He won most of the futurities that we sent him to and if he didn’t win he was reserve.  "Chip" showed in 10 of the largest futurities of the time (5 as a 2 yr old & 5 as a 3 yr old) Out of the 10 futurities, he won 7 (placing 1st under all 5 judges 3 times) & he was Reserve Champion at the other 3.
Overall, Zips Chocolate Chip never placed below third and that was at the 1988 AQHA World Show. So, to qualify for the 1989 World Show, Chip ridden by Cleve Wells, won 10 successive Jr Western Pleasure classes. And, to finish out their perfect year, they WON the 1989 AQHA World in Jr. Western Pleasure Placing FIRST under All Five Judges!
Throughout his show career, Chip earned $59,443 along with a Superior in Western Pleasure earning 81 points.
AQHA related activities, offices, honors:
- Zips Chocolate Chip was The Leading Sire of AQHA Performance Horses & The Leading Sire of AQHA Incentive Fund Earnings for many years.
- Zips Chocolate Chip held the honor of being AQHA’s ALL TIME LEADING SIRE of Western Pleasure Point Earners
- Zips Chocolate Chip is the sire of 1570 AQHA Registered Foals amassing over 44,380 AQHA Points & over 2 million dollars in AQHA Incentive Fund, World Show & NSBA earnings
- Zips Chocolate Chip has sired 20 AQHA World Championships, 12 AQHA Reserve World Championships,
52 QH Congress Championships, 30 QH Congress Reserve Championships
646 AQHA ROMs
264 AQHA Superiors
19 AQHA Hi Point Wins
29 AQHA Champions
1304 AQHA Show All Around Wins
1105 AQHA Reserve Show All Around Wins
(as of 4/8/2016)
- Zips Chocolate Chip sponsored the Western Pleasure at the AQHYA World Show for a long time To all the finalists, he gave mugs, with his logo etched on them, filled with goodies including his chocolate chip cookies, crystal chocolate chips, his trading cards & other fun stuff like colored pens, chapstick, tiny games Pinata in a mug!
- Zips Chocolate Chip proudly has his own AQHA Youth Scholarship fund.
Other equine industry achievements, honors, awards:
- Zips Chocolate Chip won at the first two NSBA Stallion Owners Futurities in 1987 & 1988. He won as a 2 yr old &, also, as a 3 yr old. Both years he placed 1st under all 5 judges!
- Zips Chocolate Chip has been the longest supporting stallion of the NSBA IF & NSBA BCF
- In 1999, Zips Chocolate Chip was the first horse ever to be inducted in to the NSBA Hall of Fame in two categories; as a show horse & as a breeding horse
- Zips Chocolate Chip was honored by being asked to be a 2003 Limited Edition Breyer model
- Zips Chocolate Chip has been published in a coffee table book from New York City, 1001 Reasons To Love Chocolate.
- Zips Chocolate Chip is on two trading cards which have the prestige of being in a trading card pack with the famous Marguerite Henry pony, Misty of Chincoteague
- Zips Chocolate Chip has sired 8 APHA World Championships & 5 APHA Reserve World Championships
- Zips Chocolate Chip has sired 15 PHBA World Championships & 8 PHBA Reserve World Championships
- Zips Chocolate Chip has sired 7 ApHC Bronze Medallions, 2 ApHC World Championships, 2 ApHC National Championships, 3 ApHC Year-end High Point Awards & 1 ApHC Hall of Fame inductee
- Zips Chocolate Chip has sired 2 PtHA World Championships & 3 PtHA Reserve World Championships
- Zips Chocolate Chip has sired 6 IAHA Half Arabian US National Championships, 1 IAHA Half Arabian US National Reserve Championship, 3 IAHA Half Arabian Canadian National Championships & 3 IAHA Half Arabian Canadian National Reserve Championship
Other Supporting information:
Well, where do I start? Zips Chocolate Chip was an ambassador. He was known all over the US, Canada and overseas way before we had the internet! He was breeding well over 100 mares a year before the AQHA approved shipped semen. He was, for sure, a once in a lifetime horse! He was magical
Everything came easy for Chip, he was a true natural no gimmicks, no political pull. He was what he was and we followed his lead. He took us to places that we had never dreamed of.
I was a Novice, Novice Amateur when Zips Chocolate Chip was born. I would read the QH Journal & see all the famous horses and famous people. They were like movie stars to me. I had never shown to the AQHA World Show level and had no idea what it took to get there.
As a young horse, Chip floated when he moved and he was always balanced like a ballerina. He never took a misstep. I thought he was wonderful but had no idea how wonderful until he showed. I chose Cleve Wells to train and show Chip. In 1987 when I sent Chip as a two year old for training, Cleve was a Rookie. Neither Cleve or I had been to the top in the horse show world. We had no experience and no strategies to guide us. Chip took the lead & we followed behind him. The best thing Cleve did was stay out of his way and let his natural ability carry them. There were no gimmicks, no political pull for Zips Chocolate Chip. He didn’t need them! And, we were too naive to think of those things.
The very first time for Zips Chocolate Chip to show was at the 1987 Texas Breeders’ Futurity. He won the big 2 year old futurity placing 1st under all 5 judges! And, we were off on his “Magic Carpet Ride”.
Zips Chocolate Chip’s whole life was like his first show, everything went right. Cleve suggested that I ask Bob & Ann Perry if they would consider standing Chip at their ranch in Valley View, TX that they had built for Zippo Pine Bar, who was Chip’s sire. .I thought, “Why would they want to do that?!” But they welcomed Chip and us. The Perrys were wonderful! Their giving Chip the start of his breeding career at their ranch contributed greatly to his success as a sire. Because he was standing with his sire, he had the opportunity to breed more mares and better quality mares than he would have anywhere else.
Zips Chocolate Chip did all the work which allowed us to play! He was forever baking up things for us to do. First of all, he had his very own original chocolate chip cookie recipe which we were REQUIRED to bake and take to all horse events. Everyone got cookies!
Zips Chocolate Chip was responsible for yo yo contests at the QH Congress using his yo yos that looked like chocolate chip cookies. For his first contest he had Jerry Wells as one of the judges. Keith Bradley, “The Voice of the Congress”, offered to and did the announcing at Chip’s second yo yo contest.
Zips Chocolate Chip gave his cookies to exhibitors for good luck. They worked so well that he went looking for more ways to bring luck. He found these clear, crystal, hand blown chocolate chips that were over-the-top lucky. For the ones who got a crystal chip, winning at a horse show was just a part of what the crystal chips brought to their lives. Feed back we got were things like, they found jobs, found Prince Charming, won money in Vegas,.all kinds of great things!
Zips Chocolate Chip’s show and sire records speak for themselves but he went far beyond that in reaching people. He always had cookies and chocolate chips all over his magazine ads. And, he was featured many times in popular horse magazines. One time he was the centerfold/poster horse for a kids horse magazine called “Stable Kids”. Also, he was one of the very first Quarter Horses to have his own website. Along with the usual biographical information, photos, contracts and contact information on his website he had games for kids and coloring contests. If you ever played checkers against Chip, sometimes he would cheat! That always embarrassed me.
Zips Chocolate Chip was a happy horse and he loved to make people happy. Joe Jeane, his breeding manager for 26 years, said that in all those years he never saw Chip pin his ears or be grumpy even if another stallion came in close proximity to him. He was beautiful; he was kind; he was popular. He brought great visibility to the American Quarter Horse breed at home and around the world.
Everything Zips Chocolate Chip ever did was seamless. We never had to work hard at anything for him .from his show career through his breeding career. Thirty years of fun! Did I mention that he was born on Cinco de Mayo? Every day with him was a Fiesta!
He was the most amazing horse!!!
How were we so lucky?
I believe Zips Chocolate Chip meets all the criteria to be a candidate for the AQHA Hall of Fame. Being inducted into your Hall of Fame would be his highest honor. I hope you will consider his nomination.
Sincerely,
Ann R Myers
AQHA #0740381
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