MaClay Walker performs well for the judges

By MONETTE TAYLOR | South Central Texas Edition

MaClay Walker poses with her dad, country music artist Clay Walker, after winning in Houston. -Staff photo by Carolyn Rost

March 18, 2004 -- She sits very tall in the saddle, and rides her horse, Oscar, with pride. MaClay Walker, an 8-year-old from Hempstead, loves to perform and does it with class.

Recently, she won first place, and her first big belt buckle, after competing in the Palomino Western Events at Reliant Arena at the 2004 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. MaClay and Oscar (named for boxer Oscar De La Hoya), won first place in the "Walk and Trot" competition for ages 9 and under.

Riding since she was 4, the second grader doesn't hesitate to tell you that she loves riding and horses. When asked what she was thinking while she was riding in the competition, she had a quick answer: "Do good, MaClay! Do good, MaClay! Do good, MaClay!"

Although she does Western riding, the young equestrian said she really likes "English riding," and that is on her agenda for the future, too.

Her sister Skylor, who is a few years younger, has already started riding, too, and the girls were eager to talk about their horses and experiences. Even though each has had riding accidents, they said they got "right back on the horses."

Oscar is over 16-hands tall, and after watching MaClay in the saddle, it's apparent that the horse knows what she wants him to do during competitions. Before Houston, they competed in Jackson, Miss.

While it is likely you will continue to see the Walker sisters in competitions at Houston in the future, you just might see their dad, too. He is the singer-songwriter Clay Walker, and was a performer at the Houston Rodeo last week. Like most dads, too, he was on hand to congratulate his daughter MaClay after her big win on March 9.