Nicole Ackerson Varela was born and raised in Bay Shore, NY, where her love of horses began. Nicole and her twin sister learned to ride horses at a summer camp in Lake George, NY, on broke polo horses in the English discipline.

She moved to Denver, CO, in 2010 to attend the Bel-rea Institute of animal technology. She graduated in 2013 with an associate’s degree in applied science and worked as a veterinary technician for 10 years. Nicole met her husband while in school in 2011 and got married in 2015. They have two daughters, ages 10 and 6. They moved to Yuma, CO, in 2020 to work on a cattle ranch. She is currently a code enforcement officer in Fort morgan Colorado.

Nicole’s current horse is a 14-year-old AQHA mare named Mini Pepto Pie. Mini is a been-there, done-that type of horse and has been a flag horse at the 2024 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. Nicole’s hobbies and interests when she’s not being a mom or a cheer coach for Yuma High School include barrel racing, ranch rodeos, branding, and spending time with her friends and family.