With the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games less than six months away, reiners from around the world competed Sunday, April 18, in the 2010 National Reining Breeders Classic CRI-1* to qualify for the trip to Lexington, Kentucky, to represent their country.

Winning the gold and silver was Austrian Martin Muehlstaetter, who currently trains in Scottsdale, Arizona. He marked a 221.5 on Marilyn Fleek’s Whiz N Lena Jac for a first place finish and a 221 on Jenny Loveland’s Spin Me A Deal for second. He earned $723 on the first place horse and $592 on the other.

Martin is hoping to qualify for Team Austria, which requires its riders to show at two CRI events and mark at least a 72.

“Both horses were pretty good,” Martin said. “They were a little worn out as it was a long week. But both tried to be as good as they could.”

Martin had also showed the horses in the CRI-2* event at the NRBC on Friday, April 16. He marked a 220 to place fifth on Spin Me A Deal, who is a 7-year-old gelding by Dealin Dirty and out of Peponita Cal Girl. On Whiz N Lena Jac, an 8-year-old gelding by Topsail Whiz and out of Lena Lady Jac, he placed 11th with a 218.

It was the perfect end to a great week as Martin also won first and second in National Reining Horse Association Open Reining Ancillary on the two horses and collected two checks for $778 and $535. On Friday, Martin’s wife, Kim Dooley, won more than $40,000 on Country Custom and the championship title in the NRBC Non Pro Finals.

“It all just worked out great!” he said.

Winning the Gist Silversmiths high-point trophy buckle for the Open Reining Ancillary was Matt Palmer and Whale Of A Whiz. They won the CRI-2* and USEF on Friday with a 224 but were third in the Open Reining $25,000. Their score of 213.5 on Sunday in the Open Reining Ancillary put them in ninth place. Martin’s horses did not compete in the $25,000 Open.

Along with the Austrian, Spaniard, Frenchman, Canadian, and Brazilian, 13 Americans also competed in the CRI to qualify for the U.S. Equestrian Federation Reining Championships, which is the Selection Trial for the World Equestrian Games.

The American reiners will compete in two reining go’s at the event, which is July 5-10 in Oklahoma City. The four highest combined scores will then determine who represents the United States at the World Equestrian Games. American riders must have averaged at least 68.5 in two CRI reining classes to be able to compete in the World Equestrian Games Selection Trial.

Receiving the bronze in the CRI-1* and winning the USEF portion of the class on April 18 was Scottsdale, Arizona, trainer Matt Mills, who was a member of Team USA at the 2006 FEI World Equestrian Games in Aachen, Germany. He marked a 218 on Melonie Montgomery- Ahlgren’s Big League Yankee, a 10-year-old gelding by Rowdy Yankee and out of Cody Cee Cutter. On Friday, April 16, Matt and the gelding marked a 219 to tie for seventh in the CRI-2*/USEF Reining.

“He’s really good and performed really well for me this week,” Matt said.

However, he’s not the horse Matt hopes to take to Lexington. Instead, that would be his 2006 World Equestrian Games mount: the 11-year-old stallion Easy Otie Whiz.

“He’s still such an athletic horse with so much talent,” Matt said of the Topsail Whiz son who has won almost $250,000 in the NRHA. “It would be a dream come true to take him to Kentucky this fall.”

Reserve in the USEF reining was Jared Leclair, who marked a 217.5 on Pam Kaiser’s Stoned Chick, a 10-year-old stallion by Smart Chic Olena and out of Docs San Stone.

The National Reining Breeders Classic, celebrating its tenth anniversary at the Great Southwest Equestrian Center in Katy, Texas, is the most successful stallion incentive program in reining history. In just thirteen years, the NRBC has grown to include upwards of 230 subscribed stallions and in 2009, there were over 2,800 enrolled foals. Annually, the payout at the National Reining Breeders Classic exceeds $1.3 million. For information on the NRBC, visit the web site at www.nrbc.com or call 580-759-3939.