Ceresola Girls Sweep 2008 NRCHA Stakes Youth Classes NRCHA Website Article - 3/29/2008

During the awards ceremony for the Youth classes at the National Reined Cow Horse Association Stakes, held at the Idaho Horse Park in Nampa, Idaho, it seemed that one family collected all the spoils. In the Youth Bridle class, Danyelle Ceresola, of Lodi, California, competed on three different horses, and topped the class on Shining Codied Rose. She collected a C.R. Morrison trophy and a check for $525. “We kicked up a little in the rein work. But when we got the second cow, it was a little slower, and she felt really good,” noted the 11-year-old exhibitor. Shining Codied Rose – nicknamed Abby around the barn – has a very special place in the Ceresola family. The now 8-year-old mare was the first horse Diana Ceresola trained to take to the NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity. After the awards ceremony, Danyelle admitted she had been riding for someone else – her Grammy Ceresola, who had recently passed away. “I won this for her,” she said. Danyelle placed third and fifth on her other two horses. Cheyenne Ceresola earned the Youth Limited Championship on Docs Smokinic. “He felt really good, although he was a little hot in the reining. We crowded the cow a little more to get it to work in the cow work,” she explained. The 12-year-old won $370 and a C.R. Morrison trophy for her win. Diana Ceresola was as excited, if not more, as her daughters were about their wins. “I’m so proud of them,” she said. “I’ve been saddling their horses from the time they were little. I’ve helped them with everything with their riding, and to see them both succeed is very wonderful. I couldn’t be more thrilled. Both girls joined other NRCHA Youth shortly after the class for an informal meeting of the newly formed National Reined Cow Horse Youth Association, According to an NRCHA Spokesman, plans are already underway for more meetings and the first-ever Youth Elections are set to be held during the NRCHA Celebration of Champions slated for January 31-February 8, 2008.