Mill Spring, N.C. – With a chance to be named to the FEI World Equestrian Games™ Tryon 2018 U.S. Reining Squad on the line, top reining athletes have shown up to contest the Tryon International Equestrian Center’s (TIEC) very first reining event at the WEG Reining Test Event and USEF Selection Trial. With the first go occurring Thursday evening, May 10 and the second go on Saturday, May 12, 17 U.S. combinations entered the show pen to show what they were made of.
“The goal with coming here, we are wanting to see what the horses do, how strong they are, and who can rise to the occasion,” said U.S. Reining Chef d’Equipe Jeff Petska. “There have been some really pleasant surprises, and some other surprises…This facility, this arena right now is a phenomenal arena. It’s big and the ground is looking good. You can just look around and see the facility and all the potential of what it is going to be. You can look around and see things changing daily, things going up, so I have no doubt it is going to be a phenomenal venue.”
A combined score from Thursday and Saturday’s rounds will help determine the U.S. Reining Squad. Full selection procedures can be found here.
After Thursday evening Dan Huss (Scottsdale, Ariz.) and Ms Dreamy, an eight-year-old Quarter Horse mare owned by Christen R. Frederick, currently sit in the lead with a score 224.0. Emily Emerson (Elbert, Colo.) and Wind Er Up Wimp, a nine-year-old Quarter Horse stallion owned by Susan Geiger, and Cade McCutcheon (Aubrey, Texas) and Custom Made Gun, a seven-year-old Quarter Horse stallion owned by Tim and Colleen McQuay, are tied for second on a score of 222.5. See the full results here.
Be sure to tune into the action on Saturday, May 12 at 5 p.m. EST to see the second round of the WEG Reining Test Event and USEF Selection Trials streamed live on Chronicle TV.
Stay up to date on U.S. Reining by following US Equestrian on Instagram, Twitter, and the USEF Reining Facebook page. Use #USAReining.
The USEF International High Performance Programs are generously supported by the USET Foundation, USOC, and USEF Sponsors and Members.