Gladstone, NJ-March 19, 1998

The United States Equestrian Team (USET) has announced the horsemen and horsewomen who will serve on the Team's first Reining Committee and Reining Active Competitors Committee. In January, the USET Board of Trustees voted to adopt Reining as the Team's sixth discipline, joining the Olympic disciplines of dressage, eventing and show jumping and the World Championship disciplines of combined driving and endurance riding. As one of the most popular of the western riding disciplines, and one in which the U.S. achieves outstanding success in international competition, Reining is seen as a logical step for the USET to expand into this significant segment of U.S. horse sports.

Named as chairman of the Reining Committee, which will advise and make recommendations to the USET Executive Committee and Board of Trustees on all matters pertaining to Reining, is Don Burt of Portugese Bend, CA. Burt is past president of the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) and former assistant vice president for Western States for the American Horse Shows Association (AHSA).

Joining Burt on the Reining Committee are Frank Costantini, president of the National Reining Horse Association (NRHA), and Mike Perkins, President of the AQHA. They are also joined by Greg Darnall, Al Dunning, Brian Dygert, Allen Mitchels and Ginger Hyland.

As with the Active Competitors Committees in the other USET disciplines, the Reining Active Competitors Committee will have direct input to the Reining Committee on matters of concern to them, and the Active Competitors Committee Chairman will serve on the Reining Committee. Named to the Active Competitors Committee, which will elect its chairman at its first meeting, are Mario Boisjoli, Ken Eppers, Mike Flarida, Clint Haverty, Jackie Krshka, Pete Kyle, Roberta McCarty, John Slack and Rick Weaver.

For further information on the USET Reining Committees, contact the USET at (908) 234-1251.