Reining Begins Today

September 18, 2002 — As of this day, the sport
of reining has reached a new level of worldwide prominence. The stage is
set and the players are all in place for the first-ever reining
competition at The World Equestrian Games in Jerez de la Frontera.

Riders from eleven countries and four continents will compete and The
World Equestrian Games, for the first time in the history of equestrian
sports, will award a world championship title in reining, the newest
discipline approved by the Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI).

When the competition begins at 4 pm today, reiners will vie
for a purse of 75,000 Euros ? approximately $73,000.

American Quarter Horse Association Past President Don Burt of
Rancho Palos Verde, California, will serve as Chief of the Appeals
Committee. Judges for the reining competition and their positions
include: Past National Reining Horse Association President Greg Darnall
(USA), Judge and President of Ground Jury; Joe Carter (Canada), Judge;
Jan Boogaerts (Belgium), Judge; Filippo Masi (Italy), Judge; Ralf
Hesselschwerdt (Germany), Judge; Pierre Ouellet (Canada), Equipment Judge.

Eric Strauss (USA) will serve as Chief Reining Steward,
overseeing all steward duties for the reining competition.

Teams and individuals began qualifying for the WEG this summer
in Gladstone, New Jersey, and Reggio Emilio, Italy. The 10 teams that
qualified include Austria, Brazil, Canada, Germany, Great Britain,
Italy, Japan, Switzerland, Sweden, and United States. The individual
qualifying spaces went to riders each from France and the
Netherlands.

The National Reining Horse Association is the worldwide
governing body of reining, responsible for promoting the sport, working
to insure the highest standards of competition. With corporate support
from Cinch, Sundowner Trailers, Saddlesmith, Profile Nutrition, Horse &
Rider magazine, Markel Insurance, Pfizer Animal Health, Quarter Horse
News, Kiser Arena Specialists, State Line Tack, nrha.reiningnet.com and
Classic Equine the NRHA continues to educate its members and the public
about reining.

For information on the NRHA visit the web site at
www.nrha.com or call 405-946-7400.

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