6 SIDELINES JUNE 2012
FOR HORSE PEOPLE • ABOUT HORSE PEOPLE
e
the Horse’s
(and Child’s) Mouth
H
ave you ever wondered what goes through
the mind of a rider as they prepare for
a huge show jumping competition? If
the show is the 2012, $200,000 Gene Mische
American Invitational in Tampa, Florida, then we
have answers! Winner Mario Deslauriers and
second place rider Molly Ashe-Cawley shared their
thoughts and feelings about the experience. Here
-- straight from the horse’s mouth -- is what it was
like to compete in the 40
th
American Invitational.
Mario Deslauriers
The American Invitational is held in the Tampa Bay
Buccaneers football stadium? What’s the atmosphere like?
It’s very impressive. It’s an event that all of the riders really
love. Like Aachen or Spruce Meadows, there’s that feeling in the
air of real excitement. When we watch football games there and
we see 50,000 people watching pro football and then we get to
come to that same stadium and jump there, it’s a great feeling.
And for the horses - some horses will grow from the experience
and some horses will be a little timid. Some horses get better with
that electric atmosphere; some others are a little shocked by the
whole thing.
The Invitational is a Saturday night class, what did you do all
day?
We drove in on Friday night and had dinner on Tampa Bay. I
rode my horse on Saturday morning and then hung around a bit
on the beach and then spent some time watching the Masters
(golf) on TV and then we went to the stadium around 4 pm. But,
when you have so much time, you have to try and relax a little.
After you ride in the morning, there’s not that much you can do
except wait (laughs).
Did you get butterfies before the Invitational?
Oh yeah. I think all riders do. And I think, with a little bit of
age, you get more. I remember riding in the Invitational as an
18 year old, talking with McLain’s father and eating a hot dog an
hour before I was to go in the ring. At a young age, I don’t think
you realize the magnitude, the importance of the competition and
maybe the nerves are a little better. But as you grow older and
gain a little more experience, you understand that there are a lot Mario and Cella jump to victory
Photo by Phelps Media Group
Mario Deslauriers, right, and Molly Ashe-Cawley on the
American Invitational podium
Photo by Kenneth Kraus/PhelpsSports.com
“The Winner’s Speak!”
Continued on page 8