Day Two of showmanship got underway early Sunday, July 13, with 47 entries. Once again, it was Team USA’s Marissa Dalton and MT Lucky Cash taking home the gold. Walking back to the team’s stalls, Marissa talked about her second win. To read about Marissa's first showmanship win, click here.

Tell me how your pattern went for you today.

Well before we went into the show pen, my horse got kicked so we were really concerned he wouldn’t be all right. But he went in there and he gave me it all. I was really excited. At first (after he was kicked), he wasn’t putting any pressure on his leg. But he ended up doing great.

It sounds like it didn’t faze him at all, though.

He was wonderful. I’m so excited.

So you really like MT Lucky Cash?

Oh yes! I’m going to be sad to give him back. He is such a great horse and he’s got such a great personality. He’s a cool horse.

How has the Youth World Cup been for you?

Amazing. It’s been the best experience of my life in horses, honestly.

Why is that?

Meeting all the people and all having fair horses and trying to work with everybody and see which horse works best with you. The people who have put on this have done a wonderful job in getting everything ready. It’s just great.

What will you take back home from this experience?

Obviously placing. That was great. Meeting all the friends. That’s going to be the most cherishable moment of mine just because the people are wonderful and everybody understanding. Everybody cheering for each other’s teams.

In your last interview when you won showmanship on day one of showing, you thanked some people. Is there anyone else you would like to thank?

I want to thank all those same people again. They’ve done great. Mamie Tomlin has coached me for hours and hours in the showmanship. She’s one of our alternates. My coaches, my entire team has helped me get ready, the parents, everybody, I thank them all.

Fun Fact: Marissa qualified two horses – Sheza An Elegant Dream and Behind The Wheel -- for the 2008 AQHYA World Championship Show. She will be showing showmanship, hunt seat equitation and horsemanship. Marissa said she’ll be taking the skills she learned at Youth World Cup to Oklahoma City in August. “My showmanship and eq horse is new for me, and we’re just becoming a new team. Hopefully, now we’ll do better at the Youth World Show.”

For The General and Cara Walker captured second place for Team United States in the second round of showmanship. They went 22^nd, in the middle of the go. The horse and rider have become a good match through the week – on day one they placed fifth in showmanship and won the hunter under saddle.

How was your go today?

I got him out yesterday to school, and I was having a lot of trouble with him sticking his right shoulder out so I worked for about an hour yesterday. Today my go was good, but this was a really difficult pattern for him because he’s so tall. (For The General, aka “Shorty,” stands taller than 17 hands.) There was a real tight corner you had to turn and so I had to go really far out to get him around it. But he stayed very straight in his body, and everything we worked on yesterday he did perfect.

What is his best quality as a show horse?

He’s so laid back. If he does something wrong, you tell him what to do. You don’t have to be real aggressive with him, you just kind of get him in his place and he’ll do it. He learns really quick and wants to try his hardest for you.

What is one thing you’d like for the folks back home to know about this competition?

I was talking to my trainer back home last night (July 12) and she asked me the same question. I told her it’s just so much fun meeting different people. I think it’s helping me a lot as a rider, riding different horses and having the coaches and clinicians help us. It’s making me learn a lot about myself as a rider, how to work through different problems. It’s so much fun.

Tell me about your teammates.

They’re great. We’ve had a lot of fun; everyone’s so nice; we’re working really well together. Really supportive.

How does the day start, usually, in Team United States’ stalls?

We all get horses out and longe. Usually whoever is going to show that horse first that day gets their horse out and either rides or longes it, whatever they think it needs. Then we all talk. Some of us, there are only two riders riding each horse, so they talk about what the plan is for that horse that day and what we’re going to do between classes and when we’re going to give it a break. That’s where we get along so great – we talk about everything. Then we show and everyone’s real supportive of everyone, everybody goes and watches our team.

Fun Fact: The 18-year-old from Columbia, Missouri, began showing Quarter Horses in lead-line classes at the age of 2.