Gladstone, New Jersey—April 25, 2002—Tim McQuay and Ben Gerst won USET Reining classes at the National Reining Breeders Classic, held April 17-21, in Katy, TX.

Tim McQuay, of Tioga, TX, won the Intervet/USET Reining Championship Qualifier aboard Smart Shiner, owned by Carol Rose, with a score of 223. McQuay bested Dell Hendricks, on James Waldron’s Twice As Shiny, who scored 219.5 for second place.

Riders in the Intervet/USET Reining Championship Qualifiers are competing for a spot in the Intervet/USET Reining Championship Semi-Finals, which will be held May 17 at the National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) Derby in Oklahoma City, OK. The top twenty riders in the Semi-Finals will advance to the USET Reining Championship, Presented by Bayer at the 2002 Bayer/USET Festival of Champions, presented by State Line Tack, to be held June 20-23, in Gladstone, NJ.

The Intervet/USET Reining Championship Qualifiers, Semi-Finals, and the Championship are all steps in the selection process to determine the United States reining team for the World Equestrian Games in Jerez de la Frontera, Spain this September.

In the USET Futures Reining Championship Qualifier, held April 19 at the National Reining Breeders Classic, Ben Gerst, Yuma, AZ, took the top two prizes riding Nick Chavez’s horses. Gerst scored 219 points on Travalena King, and followed up with 214 points on Smart Flo Lena. Sally Broten took third place on her Rio Dun Good with 212 points, while David Silva and his Been There Dunit That scored 208 points for fourth place. The top four riders in the USET Futures Reining Championship Qualifier earn an invitation to compete in the USET Futures Reining Championship Final at the Bayer/USET Festival of Champions.

The USET Young Rider Reining Medal Qualifier was not held due to lack of entries. Competitors in this event earn points towards the USET Young Rider Reining Medal Championship at the Bayer/USET Festival of Champions.

The United States Equestrian Team is a non-profit organization that selects, trains, equips and finances equestrians of the highest possible standard to represent our country in major international competition, including the Olympic Games and the World Championships. To accomplish this the USET seeks out and nurtures the development of talented athletes - riders, drivers and horses - and provides the support and guidance they need to help them attain their fullest potential. For more information on the USET, please call (908) 234-1251, or visit USET ONLINE at www.uset.org.