Maryland Young Rider Rodeo Riding with Morissa Hall by Katherine O. Rizzo


When 15-year-old Maryland High School Rodeo Association (MDHSRA) member Morissa Hall rode into the Las Vegas Conven- tion Center in Nevada for her first round at the 2021 Junior World Finals, she felt nervous. Ner- vous because it was a huge rodeo with tons of atmosphere. Nervous because she was about to enter the biggest rodeo she had done to date on a horse she had only been riding for a few weeks. “It was nerve-racking but also calming because I just had to remind myself that this is a show just like any other show and I need to do my best and put in the same amount of effort,” she said. “I tried to overpower my nerves and just let her go but then she had so much power and I got in her face and we went too wide and missed a turn.” Te mistake cost Morissa a first round score as she broke pattern in the Poles 17 & Under divi- sion. Morissa may have left the ring disappoint- ed in that moment but she was not defeated.


Crash Course in Rodeo Te expression “born in the saddle” is com-


mon among many riders. Although others in her family ride horses, Morissa did not start riding seriously until a few years ago. “Our family reunions had horses and pony rides and I’ve always loved animals of all types,” she ex- plained. “But we didn’t purchase any horses and start rodeos until three years ago.” While her mother rides recreationally and her sisters used to take English-style lessons at Equilibrium Horse Center, Morissa, who lives with her father at their farm in Upper Marl- boro, turned to rodeo. “It’s what I was first ex- posed to,” Morissa said as she went on to talk about attending the Bill Pickett Rodeo at the nearby Prince George’s Equestrian Center ev- ery year when she was younger. “We have a lot of friends who rodeo too, so the


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people we knew were already in rodeo,” her fa- ther Morse Hall said, adding that their family is close friends with Cory Jackson, whose son Nicholas is a fellow MDHSRA member. “Our kids have known each other for nine years. His kids were already competing in rodeo and we just went along with friends.” Nicholas is a champion teen bull rider who finished fourth in the final round of the Bull Riding 12-13 yrs division at the 2021 Junior World Finals. Morissa competed in her first official rodeo in 2018 when she participated in a multi-state rodeo at the Howard County Fairgrounds sponsored by MDHSRA. “Tey let the kids try it out before joining to see if they even like it,” Morse said. For that first rodeo, she was riding the family’s Paint horse Apache, who had previously been trained for Dressage and Western Pleasure. Morissa and Apache com- peted in Barrels, Poles and Goat Tying. “Tat’s when we found out that Apache didn’t like anything about rodeo!” she said with a chuckle. Like many sports, there are ups and downs,


but through it all, Morissa never gave up and focused on one goal: learning how to succeed. Without any formal les- sons and with her father as her coach and cheerleader, Morissa learned about the sport and about riding as she went. “My dad always tells me you have to ride every stride,” she said. “It’s something I have to keep working on. Being more focused.” Morissa’s perseverance paid off when she got to ride on an experienced barrel horse named Wranglelena.


The Competitive Edge Although Morissa was learning quickly as she


went from rodeo to rodeo, to be competitive in any equestrian sport takes a competitive equine partner. “Tis entire way of life takes money,” Morse stated. “At some of these rodeos we’re up against people who have multiple ranches across the country. And for the rest of the world that doesn’t have those resources, how do you compete with that?” Morse, who is a physical therapist and has


learned to be a rodeo coach along the way, added, “As a parent and a provider we have to ask our- selves, ‘what are you going to do to help your kid succeed?’” Building connections was one solu- tion that came naturally to the Hall family with so many friends already invested in the sport. “Tere are no short cuts in equestrian sports,” he said. “Tis is a sport where you can’t just get


off the couch and go compete. You have to get on another animal that has a mind of its own and become a partner with it to do well.” Morse also commented that his training in physi- cal therapy has helped as he is trained to see movement. “It helps me teach Morissa how to sit properly and how every move she makes af- fects the horse,” he explained. Apache may have helped Morissa get started, but her next mount helped her become com- petitive. “We were at a rodeo and Tomas Allen came up to us after one of Morissa’s runs and we got talking about a next horse for her and he just up and offered us Lena,” Morse said. Te Halls now consider Allen Morissa’s “Ro- deo Grandpa” for all the times he has helped Morissa at rodeos. “To be given the opportu- nity is what we are so grateful for,” Morse said adding with a laugh, “We didn’t really know what we were getting into at first though.” Morissa described her first few rides on


Wranglelena, a 19-year-old registered Ameri- can Quarter Horse, as “terrifying but fun.” She explained, “Lena used to just take off and was really hard to work with but we learned to trust


Morissa Hall and Wranglelena competing in Poles


each other and things got better.” A prime example of Lena’s sometimes expres-


sive behavior came at the first rodeo Morissa took her to, the Battle By the Bay in 2020. It took five other girls on horseback to help her get into the arena. “Lena just wouldn’t go in and the oth- er girls just came together to help Morissa out,” Morse said. “Tat’s the type of family rodeo is.” Morissa and Lena qualified and competed


at the National High School Rodeo Finals (NHSRF) in July 2021 in Lincoln, Nebraska, where they rode in Barrel and Poles. Morissa was the youngest competitor there. “Let’s not talk about my first run,” Morissa said with a laugh. “It was horrible! I let the anxiety of it be- ing my first run get to me.” She was able to push the competition jitters aside and put in better runs after that. “Te others were really great!”


continued... THE EQUIERY YOUR MARYLAND HORSE COUNCIL PUBLICATION | FEBRUARY 2022 | 27


Katherine O. Rizzo


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