Check out the photos below from Day 11 of the 2009 AQHA World Championship Show (click on the photo to see the captions). For more coverage of the World Show, go to www.aqha.com.

AQHA played host to the world at the World.

Von Reminic, the 2000 NRHA Futurity champion, came out of retirement to compete in the FEI CRI2* at the World Show. (Journal photo)

For the first time in its history, the AQHA World Championship Show played host to a Federation Equestre Internationale CRI2* (Concours de Reining Internationale) event at Oklahoma State Fair Park in Oklahoma City. The FEI competition took place in conjunction with the senior reining preliminaries during FedEx Open Week.

“We had a great event here during the World Show, which can be told by the number of entries we had – 15 – and especially the five international entries that we had,” said AQHA Professional Horseman Pete Kyle, who won the November 16 event aboard Gimme Major Bucks, scoring a 217.5. The Whitesboro, Texas, horseman is also the chairman of the United States Equestrian Federation Reining High Performance Committee.

“It was one of our qualifiers to qualify for the U.S. Team Selection Trial to be held at the Battle in the Saddle in July 2010 in Oklahoma City,” Kyle added.

Members must mark a 68 or higher in three CRI qualifiers in order to qualify for the U.S. Team Selection Trial, which will chose four U.S. riders and one alternate to go to the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games next fall in Lexington, Kentucky.

It’s not a coincidence that a qualifier and the USEF Reining Championships are at AQHA-sponsored events.

“AQHA has a huge involvement with the USEF and helping the sport of reining continue on into the World Equestrian Games,” Kyle said.

Another highlight of the November 16 event was the return of reining superstars Smart Spook, Snow Gun and Von Reminic.

Smart Spook, who has more than $325,000 in National Reining Horse Association earnings, is by Smart Chic Olena and is out of a Grays Starlight mare. Finishing third with a 216 in the November 16 event, Smart Spook was shown by $3 million NRHA rider Shawn Flarida, who rode Smart Spook to the 2004 NRHA Futurity championship.

Shown by French-Canadian Luc Gagnon, Snow Gun is a 10-year-old daughter by Colonel Smoking Gun, aka “Gunner,” and out of a Trashadeous daughter. In Monday’s event, Gagnon and Snow Gun scored a 213 to finish fourth. Snow Gun appeared on the cover of National Geographic when she performed at the 2006 World Equestrian Games in Germany.

Twelve-year-old Von Reminic, who is by Reminic and out of a Colonel Freckles daughter, was the 2000 NRHA Futurity champion and has NRHA earnings of more than $180,000. The 1997 bay stallion was shown by Josh Armstrong of La Mesa, New Mexico. The pair finished 12th, with a score of 205.5.

Related Posts:

• World Show: November 7
• World Show: November 8
• World Show: November 12
• World Show: November 14
• World Show: November 11