Troy Heikes riding Lil Gun Dunit (Andrea Bonaga Photo)

Caen, France – Adequan U.S. Reining Squad member Troy Heikes (Scottsdale, Ariz.) and Lil Gun Dunit, owned by Denise Bixler and Steve Tarani, competed in today’s Second Individual Qualifier and secured a spot in Saturday evening’s Individual Reining Final at the 2014 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games.

Earning a score of 220, the pair improved on its performance in Monday’s first round. Pleased with his ride, Heikes said, “It was much better than the other day. I kept showing him and he kept getting better and better. I’ve shown for 30 years and have never been nervous; this is a whole new experience representing your country, but it’s so exciting.”

Saturday’s Individual Reining Final will be held at the Caen Exhibition Center starting at 2p.m. ET. All six members of the Adequan U.S. Reining Squad have qualified to compete, and the following combinations will ride to defend the U.S. Individual Gold and Silver medals from the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games:

Andrea Fappani (Scottsdale, Ariz.) and Silver Spurs Equine’s Custom Cash Advance
Shawn Flarida (Springfield, Ohio) and Michell Kimball’s Spooks Gotta Whiz
Troy Heikes (Scottsdale, Ariz.) and Denise Bixler and Steve Tarani’s Lil Gun Dunit
Jordan Larson (Whitesboro, Texas) and Heritage Farm’s HF Mobster
Mandy McCutcheon (Aubrey, Texas) and Tim and Colleen McQuay’s Yellow Jersey
Tom McCutcheon (Aubrey, Texas) and Jennifer Marley’s Dun Git A Nicadual

By Mark Coley

For more information on the 2014 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, visit: www.normandy2014.com.

Follow the 2014 Adequan U.S. Reining Squad here.