Shawna Sepergia
Ottawa, Ontario —The Canadian Reining Team, comprised of Duane Latimer, Shawna Sapergia and Vernon Sapergia, finished in fifth place today at the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games (WEG), which are being held in Lexington, KY September 25—October 10, 2010.
Latimer of Bienfait, SK, rode Dun Playin Tag, Lance Griffin’s Canadian-bred six-year-old Quarter Horse gelding, to a sixth place score of 223.00.
“We had a little tough luck when we lost one of our riders right off the bat in the jog, and that is hard to recover from,” said Latimer. “My horse went really well today. There are a few little improvements we can make, but I achieved my main goal, which was to make it to the individual final.”
Shawna Sapergia of Cochrane, AB, and This Chics On Top, a seven-year-old bay Quarter Horse mare owned by Outrider Ranch Ltd, received a score of 218.00 to finish in 14th.
“My warm-up was excellent, and I was really happy with how my run went in the ring,” Sapergia. “I was hoping for a little higher score, but I guess that is how it goes.”
Yesterday, Vernon Sapergia of Cochrane, AB, and Its Wimpys Turn, a six-year-old palomino Quarter Horse mare also owned by Outrider Ranch Ltd, scored 211.50 for their run.
With no drop score, Canada had a team total of 652.50. Team gold went to the United States with 674.50. Belgium won silver with 659.00, and Italy was bronze with 655.50.
“The team worked really hard and Duane put everything into his round today. Unfortunately, it was not to be today,” said chef d’équipe Wendy Dyer. “Now we are working toward the Individual Final. Duane and Shawna will be focusing on their best in order to make the podium. As a chef d’équipe, I could not have asked for a better team captain than Duane.”
Reining at WEG continues with the Qualifying competition on September 28, for riders who placed in 16th to 35th individually in the Team competition. The top 15 individuals from the Team competition and the top five from the Qualifying competition will move on to the last day, September 30th, will have the much anticipated Individual Final and a Freestyle exhibition. All the Reining events will be held in the Indoor Arena at the Kentucky Horse Park.
For more information on the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, including live results, please visit www.alltechfeigames.com.
For additional information on the CRC and its programs, including selection criteria, please visit the Equine Canada website at www.equinecanada.ca or e-mail reining@equinecanada.ca.
