The United States dominated reining four years ago at the FEI World Equestrian Games in Jerez, Spain, and the cowboys in Aachen, Germany, continued that streak with team gold and individual silver and bronze in the second WEG to include reining.

Led by Tim McQuay, who has earned more than $2 million in his career, the U.S. reiners proved that no other nation can spin, run or slide as well. McQuay rode Mister Nicadual and was joined by Dell Hendricks on Starbucks Sidekick, Aaron Ralston on Smart Paul Olena and Matt Mills on Easy Otie Whiz.

“We have four strong competitors,” said Mills of Scottsdale, Ariz. “If one stumbled, there were three others to pick it up as far as consistency.”

And the U.S. team definitely performed with dependability on Sept. 1-3. In the team round, all four members laid down solid runs to beat Canada by just 1 point. Ralston, Silt, Colo., earned the highest score for the United States (223.5) in the team competition.

“This is a great team situation for us,” said Ralston. “Tim [McQuay] coached me on my run-downs and my stops. Dell [Hendricks] worked with me on my turnarounds. It helped my confidence to have someone like Tim or Dell–when they said it looked good, it was.”

Canada’s Duane Latimer helped lead the Canadian team to the silver medal. He won the team and individual competitions with Hang Ten Surprize, a 6-year-old, Quarter Horse stallion (by Hangten Peppy).

“I knew I had to mark a 227, and I walked in hoping I could,” said Latimer about his team experience. “If I could’ve had my first stop back, I might have. In everything else he gave me as much as he could. I’m happy to be second, but I don’t like losing.”

Latimer fell just short, thus giving Canada the same finish as the 2002 WEG.

There were 74 reiners competing from 22 countries, an increase from four years ago.

“Our inclusion in the Games plays a huge role in the expansion of reining,” said Frank Costantini, chairman of the FEI Reining Committee. “The results are skewed toward North America, but it’s because we’ve been doing it so long. The Germans, Italians, Brazilians and Swiss are very close. There’s unlimited meteoric rise in the sport of reining for years to come. The closing of the gap has shocked us all.”

And Italy is one European country that’s working hard on closing that gap. They finished with the team bronze medal, just edging Germany.

“For us, reining is a passion,” said Antonio Mastrangelo, chef d’equipe for Italy. “We had a very hard program to prepare for this event. We had four very good riders and four very good horses.”

Several of the Italians spent time training with McQuay at his ranch in Tioga, Texas, in preparation for the WEG. “They’ve been good students and very competitive,” said McQuay.

A Tight Finish
The scores were even closer in the individual competition. McQuay and Latimer actually tied for first place (230.0) after excellent runs. They then performed a run-off to determine who would take home the gold medal.

McQuay went first and had a mistake when Mister Nicadual changed leads on his fast circle. While Latimer’s second run wasn’t as precise as his first, it was mistake free and earned him the individual gold.

“My horse was so good in the first go,” said McQuay. “I was ecstatic. He was there every step of the way. In the second run he had just one little thing. It wasn’t his fault.”

McQuay explained how reining horses come to learn their patterns and anticipate the lead changes, which always happen in the middle of the ring. “It’s a great honor to be here and win silver, but you always come to win,” he said.

Latimer, who has career earnings of more than $1 million, modestly credited his horse and good luck for the win. “I’ve ridden [Hang Ten Surprize] since he was 2,” said Latimer. “He’s been a finalist everywhere he’s gone in the States. He’s really consistent. I got lucky enough to tie [McQuay] in the first run, and I got a little luckier the second time.”

The atmosphere in the Deutsch Bank Stadium had a lot to do with the results as more than 8,000 spectators crowded in and nearly deafened the riders with their screams, whistles and applause.

“He’s golden-minded,” said Latimer of Hang Ten Surprize. “He doesn’t even act like he knows the crowd is there.”

While McQuay was pleased to have such audience support, he said that it affected Mister Nicadual, a 6-year-old, Quarter Horse stallion (by Mister Dual Pep).

“We teach our horses to listen to us,” explained McQuay. “When the crowd is that loud, it’s hard to get the horse to listen to our cues. But when the highest scores have been marked, it’s usually like this. Your adrenalin gets up, and you just hope you’ve got a good enough horse.”

The crowd also played a role in Ralston’s bronze-medal victory. “It’s hard for the horses to hear, so we have to make some minor adjustments,” he said. “But it helps me when the crowd gets going. I know that I’m doing it right.”

Ralston’s Quarter Horse stallion, Smart Paul Olena, had one of the most interesting stories of the competition. “He was trained as a 2-, 3-, and 4-year-old by Doug Milholland, and then he was turned out for a few years,” said Ralston. “We found Paul in a backyard, and we took a chance. It’s a fairytale.”

At 12 years old, “Paul” was one of the oldest horses in the competition. He’s actually owned by Ralston’s wife, Meg Griffith-Ralston, and she won the American Quarter Horse Association Amateur Reining World Championship with him in 2005.

Ralston, 30, earned his second-highest score ever with Paul in the individual class (227.5).

“He’s been a good old man that keeps coming back for more,” said Ralston. “To climax here is unbelievable. That’s a great score. I can’t complain about not winning gold or silver.”

No Slouches Here
While neither Mills nor Hendricks made it into the individual medals, they did take fourth and fifth places, respectively, proving that the United States is indeed a powerhouse in reining.

Mills, 27, was the youngest team member. Mills actually apprenticed under Hendricks before going out on his own. He didn’t have the best run in the team competition with Easy Otie Whiz, but he came back much stronger in the individual competition.

“The first day wasn’t as good as I would’ve liked, but it really got me fired up,” said Mills. “Then we really got our act together. It was a much more difficult
pattern [for the individual competition], and the harder the pattern the easier it is to show how good my horse is.”

Easy Otie Whiz, owned by Bobbie Cook and Out West Stallion Station, is a 7-year-old, Quarter Horse stallion (by Topsail Whiz).

“I’ve had Easy Otie Whiz for two years,” said Mills. “He’s jump-started my career. I’ve been able to count on him every time I go out. He’s always very solid in the circles. You pick your spots in the pattern where you can excel. It looks effortless on him, and sometimes I think that hurts him as far as the score.”

Hendricks also improved his score in the individual competition with Starbucks Sidekick, a 7-year-old, Quarter Horse stallion (by Smart Starbuck). “I had him a little more prepared [for the individual competition],” he said. “Showing in the team competition is a different mentality.”

Hendricks was pleased with his first three maneuvers but was a bit disappointed with one of his stops. “I wish I had it back,” he admitted.

Hendricks, Tioga, Texas, also a career money-earner of more than $1 million, won his first reining competition on Starbucks Sidekick’s grandmother, Silver N Blue Chex.