Horses are moving in for the history-making 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games.
The first international horses began arriving in Lexington, Kentucky, last week for the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, the Lexington Herald-Leader reported. The first to arrive was an endurance horse from Colombia.
And the reiners are not far behind.
“We’re in the final stages,” Jeff Petska, chef d’equipe of the U.S. reining team, tells the Journal.
“When we’re going overseas, we tend to consolidate and leave from one point,” Jeff says. “When we’ve got riders coming in from different parts of the country, it can be a little bit more of a challenge.”
Reining teams from 18 countries are coming, from across the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Four additional countries are sending riders for the individual competition alone.
In true cowboy courtesy, reiners are helping reiners – Jeff says that AQHA Professional Horseman Pete Kyle is hauling in horses for several other teams.
“The (U.S. reining) team brings in a tremendous amount of equipment from Gladstone, (New Jersey), too,” Jeff says. “Curtains, buckets, trunks, etc. We’re going to do final vet inspections of the horses on Saturday (September 18) and Sunday (September 19), to see who will get on the trailer. We’ll be on site, everybody, by noon on Tuesday (September 21).”
The reining competition begins Saturday, September 25.
Since the first WEG in Stockholm in 1990, this is the first time WEG has been contested outside of Europe. Reining is just one of eight FEI-recognized disciplines worldwide to be contested at WEG, and the only western discipline.
To keep up with all the WEG goings-on, be sure to bookmark AQHA’s coverage blog.
NBC is offering an unprecedented six and a half hours of television coverage – the team reining coverage will be featured live on Sunday, September 26, with AQHA Professional Horseman Aaron Ralston as commentator.
And if you’re in Lexington, don’t miss out on the events planned by AQHA (official breed sponsor of reining at WEG), the National Reining Horse Association and AQHA Corporate Partner John Deere – test rides, demonstrations and more!
