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WORLD CUP HORSEMANSHIP-SUNDAY ITALY’S SARA D’IMPERIO WINS HER SECOND GOLD WHILE THE AMERICANS TAKE SILVER AND BRONZE. BY TONYA RATLIFF-GARRISON AND ABIGAIL WILDER
On Saturday, July 1, Sara D’imperio and Im Rusty Impression took the silver medal in western horsemanship. On Sunday, July 2, they won the gold. Sara credits the 13-year-old gelding for helping her achieve first place on the final day of the Youth World Cup. “The horse was more quiet today,” the 16-year-old Italian said. “He was listening to me a lot more. He progressed in his trot very good, and his turn was also very good. He was just very, very good today.” Sara is accustomed to winning at home in Italy, but she was nervous about her chances at Youth World Cup. “I have to compete with very good riders here who have a lot of experience here,” she said. Sara still had to compete in hunt seat equitation and western riding, in which she was to ride a different horse, Hotroddin Jet. “I’m nervous about it because I really like this horse, but hopefully we’ll do well too,” she said. To read Sara's other winning stories, click on the links below. TEAM USA WINS THE SILVER MEDAL
The placings were flipped in Sunday’s Western Horsemanship at the Youth World Cup. Sharnai Thompson, 19, from Team USA, riding SR Is A Legal Gent, still came out with a silver medal. “We’ve only had him for a couple of days,” Sharnai said. “So I just tried to put everything where I could live with it, instead of trying to make everything perfect. We showed just like we practiced.” Team USA member Trevor Dare rode Sharnai’s mount in horsemanship Saturday. Owned by Abigail Blakeney, the 12-year-old black gelding is by Swoon N Red and out of Stubborn Irish by Good Behaving. Sharnai has ridden the horse only a few times since he arrived Friday. One of the horses the team was assigned had come up lame, so he was a replacement. “I felt pretty good about the horsemanship,” Sharnai said. “I didn’t think there were going to be any big problems, so I pushed it where I thought I could, and it worked. I knew what would be hard for him, being that he’s kind of a huge horse. I tried not to make anything too tight or too difficult.” Teammate Trevor took the bronze medal in his last ride for the 2006 Youth World Cup. “It feels good,” Trevor said. “I’m done,” he said dramatically. “The World Cup is over. It’s over for me! “We all got along the entire time,” Trevor said. “And then the fact that we’re all doing well, that makes it even better. I think the people who chose us made good decisions.” For the full results of Sunday's horsemanship competition, click HERE.
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