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WORLD CUP SHOWMANSHIP-SUNDAY ANOTHER GOLD FOR TEAM USA; FIRST MEDAL IN SILVER FOR TEAM SWEDEN. BY ABIGAIL WILDER AND CHRISTINE HAMILTON SHARNAI SHOWS TO WIN IN SHOWMANSHIPA vision in pink, Team USA member Sharnai Thompson, 19, showed PDR Sandy Creek to a gold-medal finish in showmanship on Sunday at the Youth World Cup.
The 10-year-old gelding is owned by Joseph Pluhar, and is by Chico Freckles out of Jills Step by Sandy Step. Joseph’s mother, Jenny, said the horse was shown by all three of her children and did not have much showmanship experience. The sorrel is mostly shown in working cow horse and reining. “Logan, our 12-year-old-daughter is the only one who’s ever shown the horse in showmanship,” Jenny said. “He did showmanship in some 4-H shows a year ago. Sharnai has worked hard with him all week. He had the basic skills, but she tuned him up all week.” Sharnai’s grandmother Janice Selvey, made the trip from South Carolina to watch her granddaughter show. “I don’t get to come too often,” Janice said. “But this was a once in a lifetime thing. I think it’s wonderful.” Sharnai has won many medals during the Youth World Cup. Here are some of the other events: Saturday Western RidingSWEDEN TAKES SILVER
How does it feel to win the first Youth World Cup medal for your team? “Good! Awesome!” said a breathless 16-year-old Viktoria Ohman of Team Sweden. “I was really surprised.” She and the palomino horse, Masteritall, won reserve over a tough field of more than 40 competitors from across the globe. “The backup was really hard because my horse was backing crooked,” Viktoria said. A 1996 gelding by The Master Flash and out of Skip Sweet Lady by Sweet Sandy Cue, Masteritall is owned by Melissa Fell of Tulsa, Oklahoma. The horse is a multiple Palomino Horse Breeders Association world champion. He’s headed to compete at this year’s PHBA World Show next week. Viktoria started competing in showmanship when her brother, Sebastian, bought a reining horse six years ago. “He didn’t want me to ride her so I started to compete in showmanship with her,” Viktoria said with a smile. “It was my brother that started riding at a riding school when he was a kid,” she added. “And then we met a family with Quarter Horses and started to ride [Quarter Horses].” Viktoria says she’s learned a lot in her trip to the Youth World Cup, especially at the clinics given earlier in the week. “A lot of things, small tips,” she said. “Like when you square up, you only want it to take three seconds. If they don’t square you can turn them and pull it off. You learn that it has to be quick.” Team Sweden Coach Jonna Gullberg agreed. Although they have good riders in Sweden, she says, most of the training is for reining, and it’s hard to get coaching in all-around events. “It’s great to come here and get the latest techniques,” Gullberg said. “We can go home and know the difference in handset in western pleasure and horsemanship. To ride for all those great trainers in the clinics, it’s great!” And what are Viktoria’s future plans in riding? “I don’t know!” she said. “We’ll see what happens.” But she does have horsemanship yet to go in Sunday’s competition. For complete results, click HERE.
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