Jerez de La Frontera, Spain – September 20, 2002 – Reining riders from eleven countries have gathered for the World Equestrian Games, in Jerez de La Frontera, Spain. There are four-member teams from Austria, Brazil, Canada, Italy, Germany, Great Britain, Japan, Switzerland, and USA as well as individual riders representing France and The Netherlands.

No matter where they come from, reiners heading to a major show share concerns. "Is my horse ready? Am I ready? How´s the footing?"

The first two are intangibles, but there was no need to worry about the ground in Jerez because Bob Kiser was in charge. Kiser, who has prepared the ground for every major reining event, is considered the "king of dirt" by reiners worldwide.

Planning an arena half way round the world was a challenge but Kiser is a perfectionist. (He had his own drag transported to Jerez by ship.) And he didn't have just one arena, but three: Chapin III (the actual show pen), Picadero Covered Arena (where riders prepare their horses), and the warmup arena (for riders getting ready to show). Kiser made no less than three trips to Spain. In July, he spent over a week “selecting materials and giving guidance to the engineers on the organizing committee responsible for ground installation."

There were interpreters to help with the language barrier, but Kiser admits, “You had to be very careful what you said and how you explained what you needed, but we had no trouble finding the right materials – Spain had everything we needed.”

A mock arena was built with progress pictures sent via e-mail to Kiser so corrections could be made. By August the work was going well but Kiser realized he needed to make another trip. Not a typical tourist, Kiser hit the sandpits! “We finally found the right stuff.” By September all was ready – despite unexpected flooding in the Chapin III two days prior to the competition!

Pleased with the end product, Kiser feels the ground “stops pretty easy and it is real safe – very similar to what we use in Oklahoma City (for the NRHA Futurity and Derby).” That fact is all the more amazing considering the logistical problems of building three arenas in Spain from a home base in Illinois.

“We are really happy with the ground. It´s as good as it is in Oklahoma City. This was a big concern for all of us coming here,” said Patrice St-Onge, of Team Canada.

Teammate “Shawna Sapergia agreed, “They have done a terrific job. It´s one less thing to worry about so your mind is at ease in that area.”

Nic Cordioli of Team Italy applauded the effort, “They worked really hard on the ground.” But you have to appreciate – it wasn´t easy.

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