Andrea Fappani and Custom Spook (Waltenberry)

Las Vegas, Nev. – Andrea Fappani came out the gate strong Thursday night to earn the 2015 $25,000 Adequan/USEF Open Reining National Championship during the High Roller Reining Classic. Fappani scored a 229 to edge out Reserve Champion Matt Mills who scored a 226.

The 2015 $25,000 Adequan/USEF Open Reining National Championship was comprised of elite reining talent including four members who competed in the 2014 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games. Casey Hinton (Whitesboro, Texas) and Tracey Tuttle-Bryce and Roberta Faga’s Top Gun Tonite led the competition with a score of 222 before Fappani (Scottsdale, Ariz.) entered the arena as fourth to go. The 2014 WEG Individual Silver medalist Fappani and Rancho Oso Rio, LLC’s Custom Spook electrified the arena upon entering with their first sliding stop. This set the tone for an exceptional performance and helped them earn a great score.

Fappani had a commanding lead going into the final four performances. Mills (Cave Creek, Ariz.) and Dealer Auctions, LLC and Vincent and Lynn Maffucci’s Freckles Got AShiner took to the arena first. They also gave an exciting performance. However, Fappani and Custom Spook were more on point with their stops and spins, which allowed them to keep their lead.

Hinton as well as Troy Heikes (Purcell, Okla.) and Denise Bixler’s RSD One Hot Deal were tied for third place with a score of 222 until Tom McCutcheon (Aubrey, Texas) and Jennifer Greenleaf’s Dun Git A Nicadual entered the arena. They put on a good show to take third place with a score of 223.

From the USEF Communications Department