Oklahoma City, OK - September 10, 2008 - International Reining fans are only a few hours away from the start of the historic 2008 Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI) World Reining Championship. The championship runs September 11-14, 2008 at the Palasturla facility in Manerbio, Italy. Reining enthusiasts from across the globe can keep up with the action via an NRHA blog of the event and a LIVE web cast.NRHA is hosting a Blog from www.NRHA.com giving Reining enthusiasts a behind-the-scenes perspective on the historic event. NRHyA member Lakshami Mahajan will share her experiences while attending the championship with the United States team. Mahajan and three other youth members will attend the event to learn more about the FEI and International Reining expansion while getting to watch the some of world’s best reiners prepare for tough competition. The four youth members were part of the first reining team in history to be crowned with Gold Medals at the 2008 FEI North American Junior and Young Rider Championships (NAYRC) in July.  The four member team consisted of Mahajan, Jason Kvols, Lacey Vernon and Carlie Thompson.

Reining fans that can’t make their way to Italy also have the opportunity to watch the competition from their own computer via the Italian Reining Horse Association’s (IRHA) LIVE web cast. Information on the web cast can be found on the FEI World Reining Championships web site.

Reiners from 17 countries and 5 Continents will compete in the prestigious event which will be held concurrently with the Italian Reining Horse Association Maturity & Championship Show. The countries represented include: Austria, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Dominican Republic, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Poland, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, Russia, The Netherlands and U.S.A. The $70,000 team competition will be held on Friday, September 12 starting at 2 p.m. On September 14, the top 20 riders will go head-to-head in a clean-slate $30,000 individual final. For the first time in the history of the sport, FEI medals will be awarded outside the World Equestrian Games (WEG).

For further information, visit:

FEI World Reining Championship  

Italian Reining Horse Association