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Reining
Reigns at the 2001 USET Festival of Champions
 Reining
reigned under torrential rain at Gladstone, NJ on Saturday, June 23
at the Festival of Champions. The raindrops began in the wee hours and
increased as each hour passed with light rainfall part of the time and
horrendous downpours at other times, flooding the grounds. But in the
riding world the show does go on. And so it did - eventually that is.
When the
$10,000 USET Invitational Freestyle took place it was almost free of
raindrops until the last rider Drake Johnson came in on Genuine Cowboy
Jac. You would have sworn the gods were angry by the amount of rain
they threw at Drake and Jac. Unfortunately, their chance at victory
slipped away, literally. As they went galloping into a turn, Jac lost
his footing and in no time the pair melted into the mud barely visible
when they emerged all covered with the mucky stuff. But in true cowboy
spirit they continued the ride and displayed some of the nicest spins
of the day.
But, by
then it was clear that the first competitor, Pete Kyle aboard Bear Cat
O'Reilly had won the class, an honor Kyle had accomplished two years
earlier on Dun It The Hard Way.
Freestyle
reining is similar to freestyle dressage and freestyle skating in that
riders perform a choreographed routine of movements to music. And in
this class, the reiners came dressed for the occasion. Mickey Mouse
was there, and so was the military. The winner Peter Kyle, rode to the
beat of "Mambo Number Five," and was dressed in true Vegas
style, while dancing girls added to the aura of his performance.
Kyle, who
has earned a number of honors during his riding career, including being
named AQHA Professional Horseman of the Year, is also the Chairman of
the USET's Reining Riders Committee.
While everyone
was anxious to hear Kyle's view on his victory ride, they were even
more interested in the footing that had eliminated Johnson.
"The
ground was really stable for all of us but Blake," explained Kyle,
who along with his wife Tamra runs a full training and breeding business
in Texas. "He watched us and felt secure but for his ride the water
started running off and it got slippery."
Fortunately,
when Kyle, who was first to go, competed, everything went beautifully
and despite the rain a decent size crowd clapped, cheered and did a
little mamboing on the sidelines.
It was
obvious by the reaction of the crowd to all of the rides, that the Freestyle
has become a welcome addition to reining. "The freestyle is fun
because the crowd can be involved. In some of the other classes (dressage
for example), you have to be quiet, but not with reining. It's very
important because it is so entertaining," commented Kyle. "Yet,
we still have to be precise with our reining movements. It's a good
way to break people into the sport and it's brought in a lot of people.
This brings us all together. Reining is now worldwide. And the more
exposure the better it will be for reining."
Thinking
back to his ride and the welcome reception of the crowd Kyle's face
showed how pleased he was with his victory. "I'm fortunate to have
that horse," commented Kyle about the six-year-old registered Quarter
Horse. "I think the best thing was my horse's stops. He is a dynamic
stopper and he turned around really good."
While it's
true his stops were superb, it was the whole routine, from the movements,
to the music, to the attire that earned him his win.
Diana
DeRosa for horsesdaily®
HorsesDaily®
"On The Scene" coverage of the 2001
USET Festival of Champions
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