Trevor Dare knew he had a chance to place going into the reining pen Friday afternoon.  He had a solid ride on Zananic, scoring a 77 under Judge Todd Crawford and a 72.5 under Judge Casey Hinton. He was only the sixth rider to go out of 32, so he had to wait a while.

“I was probably more ne

Trevor Dare of Team U.S.A. wins the gold medal in reining at the Youth World Cup, under both judges.

rvous after I rode than before I showed,” 18-year-old Trevor said. “I felt like I had a good horse, but then afterwards I was nervous watching, thinking, ‘Oh, this person might beat you.’

None of the other riders were able to top Trevor’s scores, so the United States added two more gold medals to teammate Sarah Locker’s cutting win yesterday.

“It feels amazing,” Trevor said. “To have two people who are judges and that respected in the reining horse world; to win under both of them, I thought it was a big honor.”

The Hilliard, Ohio, native said he was able to figure out his horse’s strengths and weaknesses during Todd and Casey’s clinic earlier Friday.

“The clinic was a lot of fun,” Trevor said. “It was very beneficial. Casey Hinton had some great words of advice for me and what I should do to my horse. Todd Crawford also gave me some words of advice; I think it helped me when I showed.”

Trevor said he’s glad he won for Team USA.

“I feel great because we’re doing our job for our team and if you’re not doing your job for your team, that’s a big let-down, Trevor said. “So Sarah and I, we’re trying to do better not for ourselves, but to get lots of team points so we can win as a whole.”

SILVER TO THE CZECH REPUBLIC

Team Czech Republic's Pavel Orel wins the silver medal at the team's first Youth World Cup competition.

Pavel Orel just might be a name to remember. The 18-year-old from the Czech Republic captured the Youth World Cup silver medal in reining under both judges.

The second rider on “Barney,” a West Texas A&M University school horse on loan for the competition, Pavel didn’t have much of a chance to get familiar with the horse before heading into the ring. But he rode Barney confidently, earning a 74.5 under Todd Crawford and a 72 under Casey Hinton.

Pavel has hardly had a chance to practice his reining lately. His last horse show was in July 2005, and he’s ridden English all year while at school.

“He just finished school and came here!” said Czech Team Coach Karel Kubata, translating for Pavel.

“Our team is here for the first time, so it’s pretty good to get second place on our first World Cup,” he added.

According to Kubata, Pavel is remaining in the U.S. after the Youth World Cup to work for a year with Joe Hayes Quarter Horses in Gainesville, Texas, a move he’s planned for more than a year. He hopes to learn all he can about the Quarter Horse industry and return home to the Czech Republic.

With the way reining is growing in Europe, Pavel plans on helping the sport grow in his home country. His father, Milan, owns a ranch with some cattle and horses, and Pavel would like to have his own place.

He expressed thanks to his father, Milan, and his longtime trainer, Karel Kubata. But he doesn’t have time to savor this win just yet – he’s got to ride horses for tomorrow’s competition.

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