Team USA Wins Third Reining Gold at WEG; Canada Fifth

The powerhouse team from the United States took the gold medal at the FEI Reining World Championship, presented by John Deere. Their victory made it a three-peat, since they’ve been victorious in each World Equestrian Games that has included reining. Belgium won the team silver medal, while Italy earned the bronze.

The order of finish for the remaining top-10 teams was: Austria, Canada, Germany, Brazil, the Netherlands, Great Britain and Mexico.

U.S. Reining chef d’equipe Jeff Petska noted how tough the competition was at this year’s World Games, but he said the United States “brought a bunch of heavyweights to a heavyweight fight.”

Veteran rider Tim McQuay – who also won the individual silver medal in reining at the 2006 World Equestrian Games – said, “The difference in quality of the overall exhibitors at this event has grown so much. It’s just unbelievable how much better they’ve gotten.”

But Team USA, as Petska said, brought its best. In order of their runs, McQuay and Hollywoodstinseltown scored a 220.5; Craig Schmersal and Mister Montana Nic scored 223.5; Tom McCutcheon and Gunners Special Nite scored 224; and Shawn Flarida and RC Fancy Step earned a team-competition high score of 227.

Flarida’s performance came after the United States had effectively sewn up the gold medal, so his score wasn’t even necessary for the win. But it’s not like Flarida, who claimed the 2002 WEG individual gold medal and has earned more than $3 million in National Reining Horse Association competition, to back down.

“I’m not good when I go in there and cruise around,” he said. “I need to go in there and do my job.”

For Belgium, which has a small but developing reining community, the 2010 World Games brought the country’s first-ever team reining medal. “We were dreaming for third place, but getting silver is like a dream come true,” said Belgian chef d’equipe Susy Baeck, whose sister, Cira Baeck, is a team member. “Tomorrow morning when we wake up, we will realize, and we will have a headache for sure.”

For the Italians, however, international success is nothing new. They have claimed reining bronze medals in each of the previous World Equestrian Games. In 2008, they bested the U.S. team by winning the FEI World Reining Championships. “We’re tired of being third for the third time. It’s time to move up!” said Italian chef d’equipe Mario Sbrana.

The Belgium team members were Baeck, Jan Boogaerts and Bernard Fonck and his wife, Ann Poels. Italy’s team members were Nicola Brunelli, Dario Carmignani, Stefano Massignan and Marco Ricotta.

A “second-chance” qualifying competition for the individual finals will be held Tuesday. The top five riders will advance to the finals, which will be held on Thursday, along with the top 15 horses from the team competition.

The Canadian Reining Team Finishes in Fifth at World Equestrian Games

The Canadian Reining Team, comprised of Duane Latimer, Shawna Sapergia and Vernon Sapergia, finished in fifth place today at the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games (WEG), which are being held in Lexington, KY September 25—October 10, 2010.

Latimer of Bienfait, SK, rode Dun Playin Tag, Lance Griffin’s Canadian-bred six-year-old Quarter Horse gelding, to a sixth place score of 223.00. “We had a little tough luck when we lost one of our riders right off the bat in the jog, and that is hard to recover from,” said Latimer. “My horse went really well today. There are a few little improvements we can make, but I achieved my main goal, which was to make it to the individual final.”

Shawna Sapergia of Cochrane, AB, and This Chics On Top, a seven-year-old bay Quarter Horse mare owned by Outrider Ranch Ltd, received a score of 218.00 to finish in 14th. “My warm-up was excellent, and I was really happy with how my run went in the ring,” Sapergia. “I was hoping for a little higher score, but I guess that is how it goes.”

Yesterday, Vernon Sapergia of Cochrane, AB, and Its Wimpys Turn, a six-year-old palomino Quarter Horse mare also owned by Outrider Ranch Ltd, scored 211.50 for their run.

With no drop score, Canada had a team total of 652.50. Team gold went to the United States with 674.50. Belgium won silver with 659.00, and Italy was bronze with 655.50.

“The team worked really hard and Duane put everything into his round today. Unfortunately, it was not to be today,” said chef d’équipe Wendy Dyer. “Now we are working toward the Individual Final. Duane and Shawna will be focusing on their best in order to make the podium. As a chef d’équipe, I could not have asked for a better team captain than Duane.”

Reining at WEG continues with the Qualifying competition on September 28, for riders who placed in 16th to 35th individually in the Team competition. The top 15 individuals from the Team competition and the top five from the Qualifying competition will move on to the last day, September 30th, will have the much anticipated Individual Final and a Freestyle exhibition. All the Reining events will be held in the Indoor Arena at the Kentucky Horse Park.