SENIOR REINING

IT’S A BRITISH INVASION AS TINSEL NIC WINS A SECOND WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP FOR ROSANNE STERNBERG.

BY TONYA RATLIFF-GARRISON, INTERNET MANAGER

In 1987, Rosanne Sternberg came over from England to Oklahoma City to see her first AQHA World Championship Show. It impressed her so much, she decided to buy some Quarter Horses and try her hand at it the next year.

Then, in 1989, the British citizen had her first world wins, both coming in the junior and senior working cow horse finals. This year, she hoped history would repeat itself, but this time in the open reining events.

On November 17, her homegrown stallion, Smart Spook, took home the junior reining world title with Shawn Flarida onboard. One down, one more to go.

On November 19, she had three horses qualify for the senior reining finals. Things were looking good for that second trophy.

Quanahs Col Remedy and rider Jason Grimshaw were the first to enter the Gateway of Champions. They put in a spectacular run and marked a 219, making them the early leaders.

Shawn Flarida and Tinsel Nic took the senior reining world title with a score of 225.

However, fifth in the draw, came veteran reiner Commandalena with AQHA Professional Horseman Todd Crawford aboard. They marked a 222, taking the lead.

But sixth in the draw was crowd favorite Flarida aboard Sternberg’s Tinsel Nic, a 6-year-old brown stallion by Bueno Chexinic and out of Holly Tinseltown by Primary Pine. Flarida and “Tinsel” had done well earlier in August at the U.S. Equestrian Federation Championship Finals, where they won the bronze, just behind silver winner Commandalena and Crawford. It was now Flarida’s and Tinsel’s turn to see if they could best the two veterans.

Flarida knew Tinsel’s weak point was his right turn. But tonight it was reining pattern no. 6, which starts with spins both ways. Tinsel nailed the spins.

With a big sigh of relief, Flarida moved into the left-lead circles. They were fast and consistent and the slow circle transition was smooth. The right-lead circles were identical. Now came the stops, Tinsel’s piece de resistance. The sliding stops were so hard and so fast, Tinsel pushed his right skid boot almost up to his hock.

With the crowd cheering, Flarida lifted his hat in salute. The score came in. A 225. Flarida and Tinsel were in the lead. Things were looking up for Sternberg, but there were still nine more horses.

No horse came close until the final draw entered the arena. Matt Mills on Outwest Stallion Station’s Easy Otie Whiz came in. With lightning fast spins, the crowd began to react. As the hoots and hollers escalated, Mills got low against the bay stallion’s neck and laid into the circles. When his stops came at the end, the crowd exploded in applause. This young trainer out of Arizona just might take away Sternberg’s second win.

As the score of 221 was announced, the crowd let it be known they weren’t happy. But their discontent was soon over when Flarida and Tinsel entered the arena for the awards and they realized their favorite had won.

Sternberg finally had her wish: wins in both junior and senior reining. But what’s left?

“Hmmm … I guess come back here and do it again,” she said with a laugh.