WORLD CUP SHOWMANSHIP-SATURDAY

NORTH AMERICA DOMINATES SHOWMANSHIP WITH CANADA TAKING TOP HONORS AND AMERICA COMING IN SECOND.

BY LARRI JO STARKEY AND ABIGAIL WILDER

Melissa Hanscome met Blazing Smokey Joe six days ago, long enough to become an award-winning showmanship team together.

“O, Canada” was the first anthem played Saturday during Youth World Cup as Melissa Hanscome, 18, won the gold medal in showmanship.

“It’s amazing,” Melissa said of hearing the anthem while holding the maple leaf flag.

Melissa, who usually shows in all-around events, said she clicked right away with her assigned horse, Blazing Smokey Joe, when they first started working together six days ago.

“He was fun,” she said. “He’s really great to work with.”

During the showmanship clinic earlier in the week, Melissa picked up some tips that she was able to incorporate into her pattern, “things about my turnaround, my spins, to look out and not at my horse. It was really nice to hear advice from such accomplished horse people.”

Melissa, who has been showing since she was 3, took advantage of her experience to game-plan the pattern.

“I was concerned about the trot around the cone because it was so close,” she said, “but it was good.”

Melissa was joined in the top 10 by fellow Canadians Tausha Hellyer, who placed seventh, and Caitlyn Black, who placed ninth.

Their strong finishes garnered 16 points for Team Canada.

Melissa was scheduled to compete in the western pleasure later Saturday, and the gold medallist will see whether she can repeat her showmanship win during Sunday’s show.

UNITED STATES WINS SILVER 

Jolene Wadds and Im Supernatural compete in the showmanship class Saturday.

Jolene Wadds strode confidently into the arena with her horse, Im Supernatural. She performed a near flawless pattern, good enough to earn the pair a silver medal in showmanship at the Youth World Cup on Saturday. She was happy with her placing.

“It’s pretty amazing,” Jolene, 18, from Ovid, Michigan, said. “We still have five more classes to go, but to start out with a second place is pretty good.”

What is impressive is that Jolene taught the horse showmanship just in the last week.

“I started at ground zero with the horse that I showed,” Jolene said. “He knew nothing about showmanship, and he was fabulous. That to me is the best feeling. I couldn’t have asked for a better horse. He was so good.”

Jolene said she worked with “Red” two to three times a day since she was paired with him at the beginning of the week. She said the showmanship clinic was good additional practice time to work with him.

Jolene is not done showing for the day. She still has to compete in hunter under saddle, hunt seat equitation, western pleasure and western horsemanship.

The three Team USA members who competed in showmanship placed in the top 10. Sharnai Thompson, 19, showing PDR Sandy Creek, earned the bronze medal. Indy Roper, 15, showing Principle Income, placed sixth. Jolene said Team USA is just trying to place well consistently.

“It’d be nice to win everything,” Jolene said. “But you can’t ask for that right now, because you can’t guarantee anything. We just have to stay consistent, stay focused and stay soft.”

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