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2008 AQHA YOUTH WORLD CUP WESTERN RIDING, DAY TWO BY CHRISTINE HAMILTON, FIELD EDITOR
TEAM AUSTRIA FIRST Vannessa Bauer and Envious Trip made it a repeat win in western riding for Team Austria on this last day of 2008 AQHA Youth World Cup competition. It was the last class, too, and all the teams are packing up stall decorations, turning in equipment and giving last pats to their competition horses. The Journal interviewed Vanessa while she was still horseback, waiting to have an official show photo taken. Tell me about your ride. My ride (today) was better than on Thursday (July 10). He was so…he was amazing! I was so happy to ride him – he was very easy to handle for my run. What made him even better than he was in the first round? I think it’s because I know him better. I think that was it. What is the most difficult thing about riding him? He’s a bit spooky. And you have to take care of him the full run. And then he’s fine. What have you enjoyed the most about the Youth World Cup? Everything. It was great people…we had fantastic horses, our team was great, our trainer, everything. The organization, also, was very good. And the food was also very good! (She smiled.) Did you learn anything in the clinics that helped you? Yeah! A lot. Different trainers use different tools. The more you learn the more you know. It was really great. What is something that your coach has said to you this week that really stood out to you? She just said have fun, that’s the important thing. And I’m really happy that she’s thinking like that. She’s not pushing the team, just have fun. What do you want the people back home to know about the Youth World Cup? They should come here, they have to come here! And I hope that they ride a lot to be allowed to come here for Team Austria. I promise, I would say that to them. Fun Fact: Click here to read about Vanessa’s first day of competition. The 2008 AQHA Youth World Cup is the first time she has ever competed in the western riding class. TEAM CANADA SECOND MacKenzie Harvey of Toronto, Ontario, was the very last rider of the very last class of the 2008 Youth World Cup, and she went out in a blaze of glory. Riding Docs Daring Me, MacKenzie won a silver medal for Team Canada. The Journal caught up with her at the photographer’s backdrop and asked about her ride. Tell me about your ride. Well, it was amazing. He was really good. The changes all felt really smooth and flowy. It just all came together. He was just listening really well. It was amazing. What was your first horsemanship ride on July 10 like for the two of you? The first time we did quite well. However, two of my changes were quite late. So they penalized me quite a lot for that. However, this time I did some different exercises to warm up and that seemed to help a lot. What type of exercises did you do? Just moving him around from leg to leg, making sure his shoulders were out of the way, make sure he’s really listening and stuff like that. What is “Cowboy” like? He’s a star. He does what he’s told and that’s it. No excuses. He’s a really, really good horse. I was familiar with him, and I’ve seen him shown a few times. As soon as I found out we drew him, I was like, “Alright, I know this horse. I like this horse. I want to get on him and see what he’s like.” And he turned out to be exactly what I thought – amazing. Did his owner, Paige Carter-Fleetwood, give you advice on how to handle him? Yes. She gave me a lot of tips and little twists to him, and it really helped me out. I probably couldn’t have done it without all that advice. Is western riding one of your favorites? I would say it is definitely my favorite event. My own horse has actually just started western riding, and we’ve shown him quite a lot and he’s been doing well. It’s definitely become my favorite. How was Youth World Cup for you? It was a great experience. It was amazing. I met so many people. I learned a whole lot of new things. I learned to really appreciate what you have. It was a really great experience. Is there anyone you would like to thank? All of my teammates, my coach, the manager, my parents and everyone who put this together. All their work was really appreciated. Fun Fact: MacKenzie is an AQHA Youth Champion and placed in the top five in several classes at the 2007 Region Four Experience. Go to the results page for the overall team standings.
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Check out a recap of all the AQHA World Championship Shows!
2007 FORD AQHYA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP SHOW
2007 BAYER SELECT AQHA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP SHOW
2007 AQHA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP SHOW
2008 FORT DODGE VERSATILITY RANCH HORSE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
 
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