PARA EQUESTRIAN | NEWS
Para Reining Heats Up at Florida Reining Classic
Tuesday, March 5, 2019
Posted by
WESTERN DAILY | PARA-EQUESTRIAN DAILY | PARA EQUESTRIAN
Flanagan Brings Home the Swag
Jennifer Flanagan, from TN, swept Grade 2 honors and earned the high point trophy piloting her mount, Chromed Out Swagwagon.
“I love starting off my show season here at the Florida Reining Classic. The organizers do such a great job of making para reining feel part of the schedule.”
She credited trainer Jesse Chase, of Chase Performance Horses, for his help getting them ready for their first outing. “Swag spent the winter getting tuned up by Jesse in NC, so it felt good to be back in the saddle. Between the fantastic weather, awesome competition, parties and awards, it will definitely be a show I will continue to love coming to.”
Flanagan was also energized by her competition, Paralympian Lauren Barwick, who enjoys crossing disciplines from para dressage to reining. Barwick, based in Ocala, always raises the bar on pattern accuracy and always impresses with her ability to figure out unique cues for different horses. She showed Dun It in a Blizzard owned by Julie McFarland.
Grade 3 Heats Up
Grade 3 was hotly contested between Cole Jacobs, from NY, riding his Pinstripe Benz and Melinda Davis, from AR, on Camiel Taylor’s mare Royal Chevy Lady over two days that ultimately ended in a tie.
“If was wasn’t for para reining, I think I would still be riding my recliner instead of my reiner,” Davis says only half joking.
Davis recently brought ‘Reba’ back to the show pen after a hiatus as a broodmare, while she brings her top horse, Outlaw Whiz, back into show shape. She had shown Reba years ago in able-bodied competition and challenged herself and the horse to adapt.
“I am thankful I have been given this opportunity. I am in awe of the talented athletes within Para reining and the obstacles that they face everyday to be able to ride a horse, much less show a reiner!”
Anne Dunham, of FL, was glad for the chance to get back in the arena with her horse Wizzen in Grade 5 and earn a qualifying score for the 2019 USEF/USA Reining Para Reining National Championships to be held at the AQHA Congress Horse Show in October.
Classification for riders interested in Para Reining will be available March 7-10 in Wellington, Florida, June 13-16 in Rancho Murieta, (Northern) California, and September 15-18 in Tyron, North Carolina.
These are dressage shows but para reining assessment has been established for Grades 1-5. Please contact Laureen Johnson for more information or to schedule another location/time at lkjohnson@usef.org
For more information on how to participate, find a trainer or get involved in para reining, please visit USAReining.us or contact Jennifer Hoyt: Hoyttrain1@gmail.com
