June 10, 2010 — The sport of reining will be the only Western discipline featured at the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in Lexington, Ky., September 25-30. The National Reining Horse Association (NRHA), proud sponsor of the Games, will give equestrians the opportunity of a lifetime with the first-ever “Ride a Reiner.”
“Ride a Reiner” will be held throughout the duration of the Games September 25-October 10 in the John Deere Reining Arena. In an area just inside the main entry, NRHA will offer these test rides to WEG spectators in the John Deere Reining Arena. For those who have some riding experience, “Ride a Reiner” will give them the opportunity to enjoy a dizzying spin or even a sliding stop on a well-trained reining horse. NRHA alliance partner and WEG reining breed sponsor, the American Quarter Horse Association, will offer breed test rides, as well.
Thanks to NRHA Corporate Partners MD Barns, Kiser Arena Specialists and John Deere, the rides will be conducted inside an MD Barns open-sided arena. The arena will be constructed on what is now a parking lot at the Kentucky Horse Park. The arena base and special reining surface will be brought in by Kiser Arena Specialists and maintained by John Deere.
The arena will also play host to demonstrations from NRHA and AQHA professionals on world-caliber reining horses–as well as American Quarter Horse riders from other disciplines.
In addition, the reining freestyle exhibition will take place on September 30, 2010, after the final round of the Games’ world championship reining competition is complete. This freestyle competition will not be part of the world championship competition, but will be a separate ticketed event. With its sponsorship, NRHA makes possible, for the first time in Games history, the addition of an exhibition reining freestyle event to the overall event schedule.
