Reining Slides Into Blainville Equestrian Park for Fourth Year

Blainville, Quebec - July 10, 2003 --- Cowboy hats and boots will be the dress code as a western spirit overtakes Blainville Equestrian Park for the Blainville Reining International taking place July 11-13. Held just north of Montreal in Blainville QC, the Blainville Reining International will offer $25,000 in prize money to North America’s top reining competitors.

For the second year in a row, the Blainville Reining International will be part of the prestigious Saddlesmith Series. Each year, seven major reining events are selected to participate and must offer a minimum purse of $3,000 in the Open and the Non-Pro divisions. The Blainville Reining International, the only Canadian event in the Series, joins with the Scottsdale Reining Horse Classic in Scottsdale, AZ, the Carolina Classic in Raleigh, NC, the NRHA Derby in Oklahoma City, OK, the RMRHA Summer Slide in Denver, CO, The Tradition in Lexington, VA, and the NRHA Futurity in Oklahoma City, OK, to comprise the 2003 Saddlesmith Series.

The 2002 winner of the Saddlesmith Series Non-Pro division was Bonnie Hippensteel riding The Wiz Master. Hippensteel was also the winner at the 2002 Blainville Reining International and will be back to defend her title. Giving her a run for the money will be Jessicah Keller, who currently tops the 2003 NRHA Non-Pro Top Ten leader board.

Quebec reining fans will delight in the return of Francois Gauthier to Blainville. A member of the Canadian Team that brought home the team silver medal from the 2002 World Equestrian Games in Jerez, Spain, Gauthier, originally from St-Hyacinthe, QC, is truly one of reining’s best. The winner of the Open division at the Blainville Reining International last year with Don Quintana, Gauthier will be looking to add that title to his ever-growing list of accomplishments for the second year in a row.

Recently accepted as the first western discipline by the International Equestrian Federation (FEI), reining is quickly gaining popularity throughout the world. A judged event designed to showcase the athletic ability of a ranch type horse in the confines of the competition arena, competitors are required to run one of ten approved patterns. Each pattern includes small, slow circles, large fast circles, flying lead changes, roll backs, 360 degree spins on the spot, and exciting sliding stops that are the hallmark of the reining horse.

The Blainville Reining International is just one of four international equestrian competitions to be showcased at Blainville Equestrian Park under the ‘Classique Internationale de Blainville’ banner. In addition to reining, the ‘Classique Internationale Blainville’ will feature an international combined driving event as well as World Cup Qualifying events in show jumping and the classical art of dressage. No other facility in Canada offers such a diverse array of horse sport competition.

“Reining is certainly one of the most enjoyable and crowd-friendly horse sports,” notes Jean-Pierre Arvisais, President of the Blainville International. “The spectators really gets into the excitement of the performance and are not afraid to cheer on the competitors and let them know when they have done something well. It seems the louder the crowd is, the more the horses and riders try to please them.”