The World Games 2010 Foundation will begin activities for the much anticipated 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games this summer when the Kentucky Cup Reining—the official test event for the discipline of reining—will slide into the new indoor arena at the Kentucky Horse Park this July.

A four-star FEI event, the Kentucky Cup Reining offers a similar format to the Games in both nations cup competitions and individual championships. Nations expected to field teams include Brazil, Canada, Dominican Republic, Germany, Great Britain, Israel, Italy, Mexico, Switzerland and the United States.

Additionally, many nations are anticipated to send athletes for the individual competition, including Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, The Netherlands, France, Spain, and Uruguay.

Participants in the Kentucky Cup Reining will be among the first to compete in the newly opened indoor arena at the Kentucky Horse Park, giving them a first glimpse at the same structures where the 2010 Games Reining Championships will be held. This opportunity is important for all nations interested in bringing home medals from Kentucky next fall.

The Kentucky Cup Reining will be held this July with the Nations Cup competition scheduled for July 21 and the Individual Final scheduled for July 23.

Tickets for the individual finals on Thursday evening, July 23, will be available from the World Games Box Office, and at greatly reduced prices to encourage everyone to come and enjoy the relatively new sport of reining. More information on how and where to buy tickets will be announced as it becomes available.

Reining was added to the FEI as a discipline in 2000 and was featured for the first time in 2002 at the FEI World Equestrian Games (WEG) in Jerez, Spain. Huge crowds for the reining competitions at the 2006 WEG in Aachen, Germany, launched the discipline and its athletes into fame, with sold-out performances and loud, fanatical crowds.

As the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games come to Kentucky, the sport of reining is sure to enjoy a sort of “homecoming” in the U.S., as the only Western discipline recognized by the FEI. Plans are well under way to feature reining in new and exciting ways in 2010, including a newly approved schedule format, allowing for more public sessions of the discipline.

Reining stars like Tim McQuay, Rudi Kronsteiner, Shawn Flarida, Duane Latimer, Pete Kyle, Matt Mills, and Craig Schmersal are currently qualifying for their national team.