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Canada, Australia and the U.S.
sealed the top three spots in
Sunday's hunter under saddle
competition. |
When the announcer called out the name of the gold medalist in Youth World Cup hunter under saddle Sunday, winner Caitlyn Black couldn’t hear her own name.
“I was standing there (in the lineup) and everyone started cheering, and I was like, ‘What number is it?’ because there was another Canada girl right beside me,” Caitlyn said. “I knew we had a good ride, but I can’t tell who won. Then she wasn’t moving up, so I said, ‘All right, I’ll go.’”
Caitlyn didn’t have time to savor the victory. She rode Chips Diamond Rio up to accept her winner’s medallion and the flag of Canada, heard the anthem, handed off her prizes and was the first rider in the next class – hunt seat equitation.
Caitlyn first met Chips Diamond Rio, a 1994 bay gelding by Chip O Zip and out of Chocolate Midnight by Chocolate Dart, on Monday, and she used the clinic time to get to know the horse better. Even by Saturday’s show, she hadn’t quite figured out how to ride him.
“The first day that I did the hunter under saddle, I didn’t feel like I was on,” Caitlyn said. “I didn’t feel like he was an English horse, so I didn’t show him. Then after I did well the first day, I decided that I would show him like an English horse and treat him like an English horse. And that’s what I did.”
Caitlyn was in the second cut of hunter under saddle, and she rested the horse between her go and the final round.
“He’s exhausted, physically, mentally, so I just walked him before I went in the ring,” she said.
It was a tactic that paid off. Caitlyn, though gives part of the credit to teammate Jesse Crandall, who was charged with drawing the set of horses for Team Canada, after he had a run of bad luck in the Houston airport. (To read about Jesse’s travel woes, click HERE.)
“We figured he had to have some luck (coming due),” she said. “He picked us a great set. He’s been excited about that set all week.”
Caitlyn became interested in Youth World Cup when her older sister represented Team Canada in Australia in 2004. Caitlyn will still be eligible when Youth World Cup is in Canada in 2008.
Will she apply?
“I could,” she said.
SILVER LINING FOR AUSTRALIA
Monica Watts will take a silver medal home to Australia after her reserve championship in hunter under saddle, but what she’d really like to take home is her co-champion Luke Pleased.
“It’s challenging riding a horse you’ve never ridden before, but you just have to find one you can connect to,” she said. “He worked out amazing for me. I’m still trying to talk my Dad into letting me take him home.”
“Luke” is by AQHA world champion Luke At Me and out of Sweet Talk Me by Regal Lark. The brown gelding was donated to the Youth World Cup by Beth Forrest of Canyon, Texas.
Monica is an experienced hand in the show arena down under. She has been showing for nine years, and competed in every event at the Youth World Cup except for cutting.
“This is the most exciting win I’ve ever had,” she said. “Our team has worked really hard to get here, and I feel lucky I was able to ride a horse like this in competition.”
The 17-year-old was raised around horses and got involved in horse shows after she attended a natural horsemanship clinic in 1996. A year later, she bought her first American Quarter Horse, Suzies Wyoming Cody.
When Monica’s not in the show pen, she enjoys trail riding on her Quarter Horses.
For complete results of the hunter under saddle competition, click HERE.
