Twenty national federations, represented by their best athletes, will showcase this dynamic and thrilling discipline as athletes and horses head to North Carolina.
Of these, 12 nations will be represented with full teams and eight with individual riders.
Since the addition of Reining to the FEI World Equestrian Games™ in 2002, the United States has taken home team gold in every team edition, as well as three individual gold medals.
This year’s team USA is a mix of riders new to WEG, as well as veterans who have been part of Team USA since Reining was introduced as a non-Olympic FEI discipline.
Tom McCutcheon has earned a spot on the US Reining team four times and was a member of both the 2002 and 2010 gold-medal teams.
In individual competition, he won silver in 2002, and in 2010, was a gold medalist with famed Reining sire Gunners Special Nite.
His 18-year-old son, Cade McCutcheon, is already in the record books before he even sets foot into the arena at Tryon.
He is the youngest rider to compete for Team USA to date and is also a third-generation WEG rider as he follows the footsteps of his father, his mother, Mandy, and his grandfather Tim McQuay.
Jordan Larson is a returning team member after being part of the 2014 gold-medal winning team and Casey Deary will also be returning after serving as the team’s alternate rider in 2010. Joining the squad for the first time will be Dan Huss.
Vying for the gold, after sliding to the second step of the podium in 2010 and 2014, is team Belgium.
Coming back to represent their country are husband and wife team, Bernard and Ann Fonck, Cira Baeck and alternate Piet Mestdagh.
It will be a first for Dries Verschuren who will be riding Smart N Sparkin, an 11-year-old stallion, Bernard Fonck rode to the 2017 FEI World Reining Championship individual gold medal.
Bound to provide a tight battle to defend medals won in the past editions will be teams Austria, who took the team bronze in 2014; team Canada, who gained team silver, as well as individual bronze in 2002 and team silver, along with individual gold in 2006; and team Italy, who boasts three team bronze medals captured in 2002, 2006 and 2010.
New contenders representing nations from four continents are making their way to Tryon where excitement and high level competition will keep fans glued to their seats!
Excited to watch some Reining in Tryon? Don't miss a moment of the 2018 FEI World Equestrian Games™, which kicks off this month, on FEI TV
Text by Simona Diale
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