Marissa Dalton competed in her last class of the 2008 Youth World Cup and ended up winning another gold for Team USA. She and For The General were first under one judge and third under the other, giving the overall top spot. The Journal caught up with Marissa as she was handing off “Shorty” to teammate T. Joe Jeane for him to ride in western riding.
Tell me about your ride today.
The horse is amazing. We went in and did our pattern. He did everything I asked for and was awesome. When I showed him first in horsemanship, I wasn’t used to riding him yet so our first go wasn’t that great but this time he was awesome and did everything I asked for.
Is horsemanship one of your stronger classes?
Yes, horsemanship is my favorite event. I just love the pattern work. It’s always been one of my favorites.
What is the horse like?
He’s real big. He’s real friendly and has a great personality. He’s really easy to get along with and a great horse. He knows a lot. He has been our team’s strongest horse. The others are really good too but he was the one we always had in the backup if something failed.
This is your last class. How was your Youth World Cup experience?
It was greatest experience ever. Meeting everyone was awesome. The riders were great. The horses were great. The people, like my team, we got along really well. Everything was real nice.
You seem very excited every time you won. How does this rank as far as your show career?
I think it was the best show honestly because not many people can come to this show because you have to earn a spot on the team. And winning is even a greater honor. It’s like a mini-Olympics.
What’s next for you?
(Ford) Youth World. Have to get ready for that now.
TEAM UNITED STATES SECOND
Cara Walker of Team United States rounded out her 2008 AQHA Youth World Cup experience with a second place in the horsemanship riding Zippos Got Rhythm - the two also placed second in the horsemanship in the first round on July 10. With "Jackson" settled in his stall, she’s off to cheer for teammate T. Joe Jeane in the western riding, the last class of the day.
Was it difficult to change gears from your ride in the hunter classes earlier today?
Not really. My body’s finally getting tired from all the riding this week. But I was ready for Jackson, and he was good. He did everything I asked him to do.
How are you guys managing the horses so they don’t get tired?
The last two days our horses here at the stalls we haven’t shown, so the one day we had off we just walked them and got them out on the longe line and let them stretch out. Then yesterday we rode them again, lightly. But we tried to give them a couple of really light days so they could rest up for today. Thursday (July 10) was a really big day and today, again, was a big day for all of them.
How have you guys held up?
Well, every night we say we’re going to go to bed at like 9 or 10 p.m., but it hasn’t happened yet. We just get so excited when we get back (to the dorms), hanging out with all the other kids from the different countries. At night you have time to mingle, because at the show, during the day, we’re so focused and busy. At night we’ve used that to hang out and really get to know people. We’re all pretty worn out and tired, but we’re all pretty excited for tonight.
Is there one thing that your coach and manager have said over and over to you this week?
Just keep going and have a good time, no matter what happens. Come out, smile, have a good time, enjoy yourself. Work as a team. They really want us to have fun. We want to do good, but they want it to be a good experience for us.
Fun Fact: It's been a good day for Cara. In this second round of all-around classes, she won second in the showmanship and third in the hunter under saddle with For The General, and a seventh in the hunt seat equitation with Zippos Got Rhythm.
