Eileen Cravens of Richmond, Indiana, and her sorrel gelding Lopin Leaguer came in first in the go in the western horsemanship finals August 29. They rode a tough pattern of large, fast circles and flying lead changes with few markers over the freshly drug arena dirt. But when the dust settled on the rail work – the Select championship was theirs. The win puts the pair high in the running for this year’s Sooner Trailer All-Around Amateur Award; so far they’ve placed in the top 10 in the western pleasure and performance halter gelding finals, and were finalists in showmanship. They won the all-around title at the 2007 Bayer Select World Championship Show.
Q. Tell us about this pattern.
Eileen: Oh, this pattern, I was so excited when I saw this pattern drawn out because it had speed changes and large, fast circles, and he is so good at the speed changes. I knew that we had two speed changes at the lope and a couple of pivots; I thought, if I do my job, he’ll do his job. It was exciting; there must be a little reiner in him or something. It was fun.
Q. Was there anything you were worried about coming into the class?
Eileen: He sometimes doesn’t want to go forward. We had an extended jog out to the center, and he doesn’t always want to go forward real well, without me tapping him, and I don’t want to move my leg too much since they’re looking at it. But he did that pretty well today. I had to go first and there were no markers out there, so you had to find your centers. He went everywhere I told him to go. And did what I asked him to do. It just turned out good.
Q. Did you watch the other goes?
Eileen: No, because I was first, so I went over and worked on my rail work and tried to stay focused on what I still needed to do, since we weren’t done.
Q. Who was the first person you called to tell about your win?
Eileen: (She smiled.) My middle daughter (Annie) is at Northwestern (University) in Chicago, and she’s shown horses with me for years. And she called my husband, and he handed me the phone and she was just sobbing. She just had her last (Ford AQHYA World Championship Show) a few weeks ago and so she’s not going to be able to show probably for a while with college. She was very excited. (Eileen’s oldest daughter, Katie, is a computer animator in Los Angeles; her youngest daughter, Stephanie, just began school at the University of Findlay in Ohio.)
Q. What are your plans now?
Eileen: Well, we have the trail finals tomorrow, and then get ready for the (All American) Quarter Horse Congress, will be the next show we’ll do. We’ll give him a little bit of time off; he’s been on the road for a while.
Q. What do you do for fun when you’re not showing?
Eileen: My husband is a very big tri-athlete, so I try to do some of the running and biking that he does, mostly running, not too much swimming. I try to keep in shape so I don’t huff and puff in the showmanship patterns too much. I work full time, so that keeps me pretty busy, too. I am a physician.
Q. Is there anyone you want to thank?
Eileen: I want to thank my trainer, Brent Tincher, who does just a wonderful job with me. He never, ever gets down; he’s always positive. I get down on myself too easy sometimes. He’s always positive. I came out of the pattern thinking I had done a little bobble here and there and he just was positive, (said) it’s great; you’re going to go back in there on the rail. It was fantastic.
Fun Fact: Eileen’s husband, Dana Reihman, is also an accomplished du-athlete (running-biking-running). He’s on the United States world championship team and is headed to Italy soon to compete. “It will be his turn to be on the stage,” Eileen said.
