Shawn Flarida Rides His Way to Adequan/USEF National Reining Championship Title

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National Reining Champion Shawn Flarida and Shiners Chick (Waltenberry)

Tulsa, OK – The 2012 Adequan/USEF National Reining Championship lived up to its billing on August 31 as six of the top riders in the nation went head-to-head for the title of 2012 Reining National Champion.

The class, held at the Ariat Tulsa Reining Classic, had some of the top names in the sport with two of the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games Team Gold medalists competing. In the end, one of those riders would take home the National Championship title as Shawn Flarida (Springfield, Ohio) and Rosanne Sternberg’s Shiners Chic scored 223 for the victory.

“Shiners Chic is a full Brother to Shine Chic Shine,” Flarida said. “Roseanne Sternberg asked me to compete the horse, and I was honored.”

Pete Kyle (Whitesboro,Texas) and Tamra Kyle’s A Ruf Gal were only two points behind Flarida with a 221 to take the Reserve title. Kyle also won the Don Burt Award as the top finishing restricted rider. Their second place finish is even more impressive for A Ruf Gal as she won the Young Rider Individual Reining Gold Medal at last month’s North American Junior & Young Rider’s Championships with Kyle’s son Reed.

Showing just how close this class was, third place was a tie between two riders who scored only one point less than Kyle with a 220. Jarvis W. Anderson (Crossroads, Texas) was on the Other King Ranch-owned Pretty Peppy Check while Michael D. McEntire (Selma, North Carolina) rode Gun Smoke Dennis, owned by Julia Kraetschmar, to the tie.

Brad Ettleman, the organizer of the show, was thrilled with the turnout in the Championship class.

“On behalf of the entire organizing committee, we are thrilled with the high level of competition at the FEI Tulsa Reining Cup and the Adequan/USEF National Open Reining Championship.  We are proud of the competition and the high standard that each rider brought to the championships.”

Results and other information about the 2012 Adequan/USEF National Reining Championship and the Ariat Tulsa Reining Classic can be found at www.tulsareining.com.

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