April 26 and 27 brings back the exciting Kentucky Reining Cup competition held during the Rolex Kentucky 3-Day Event at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky. It is two days of elite reining competition with the CRI3 held on Friday night and the World Championship Freestyle held on Saturday night in the Alltech Arena.
Here are some of the well known top riders competing in Friday evening‘s CRI3 reining competition which riders and horses execute a prescribed reining pattern.
Lyle Lovett of the United States, four-time Grammy Award winner, country music legend, renown Reining horse breeder, owner of the famed stallion Smart N Shiney and veteran of the 2011 and 2012 Kentucky Reining Cup CRI competitions
· Tom McCutcheon of the United States, a two-time World Equestrian Games team Gold medalist (2002 & 2010), with World Equestrian Games (2010) and FEI World Reining Final individual Gold medals (2010) and an individual Silver (2002)
· Shawn Flarida of the United States, a two-time World Equestrian Games team Gold medalist (2002 & 2010) with an individual Gold (2002), and FEI World Reining Masters Gold medalist (2006)
· Tim McQuay of the United States, a two-time World Equestrian Games team Gold medalist (2006 & 2010) with an individual Silver (2006), and two-time FEI Masters Finalist
· Pete Kyle of the United States, five-time USEF Freestyle Gold Medal winner and the 2012 World Freestyle Champion, two-time USEF Don Burt award winner, Silver medalist, USEF National Championship (2012)
· Lisa Coulter of Canada, a veteran of the 2010 FEI World Equestrian Games, two-time FEI Top Ranking Rider (2006 & 2011), Individual & Team Silver medalist at the Lexington CRIO5* (2009), three-time FEI Masters Finalist.
2012 Individual and team winners of Friday night"s CRI3 competition at last year's press conference held after the competition.
The fun and excitement doesn’t stop on Friday as Saturday evening, April 27, brings the always exciting World Freestyle Championship where riders and horses execute individual reining style slides, spins, lead changes, and backs choreographed to music. This is always a crowd pleaser and this year brings back more celebrity guest riders. This year top event riders will be trading in their English saddles for western saddles when they try their hand at riding reining horses instead of eventing horses in the World Freestyle Championship. Special guests scheduled to compete include David O’Connor, individual Gold Medalist at the 2000 Olympic Games; Bobby Costello, a member of the United States’ gold medal team at the 2003 Pan American Games; Allison Springer, Reserve Champion at the 2012 Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event, and Sinead Halpin, winner of the prestigious Radnor Hunt National Two Star Championships.
“I’m very excited to have these stars participating in the Kentucky Reining Cup this year,” said Darren Ripley, President of Equestrian Events, Inc. (EEI), producer of the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event and Kentucky Reining Cup. “It is exciting to see these competitors doing something a little different and I have no doubt that the crowds will love it.”
For more information or to purchase tickets go to the Kentucky Reining Cup site here.
The Kentucky Horse Park is located at 4089 Iron Works Parkway, Lexington, Kentucky 40511.
Photos: Courtesy of Carly Dolan
