“We decided to let her do her thing. I just needed to sit there and let her do her job. She carries me. She’s truly awesome.”

“I also needed to remember that Diamond will jump anything for me, so I just needed to believe in myself and in Diamond and know that we will go over the jumps and we look great together.”

In 14-18 Level 2 Trail, Klair Merrell rode Chillin Ona Dirt Road to a win with a monster score of 214. Not only was she the winner of the Level 2, but she also tied to have the high score in the 14-18 Level 3 class as well heading into the finals.

“It got a little nerve-racking, because it’s his first World Show, and I’ve only shown him a few times,” she says. “He’s only four. He was amazing. I couldn’t have asked for anything more. There were some really good horses out there today.”

8-year-old “Maurice” and 15-year-old Brooke have been a team for four years now under the guidance of Kelly McDowall Quarter Horses. They had a marathon day with a class that started at 8 am and finished at 3 pm. Brooke and Maurice were seventeenth in the draw, so they had a long wait ahead of them.