Lyon, November 2 — A thrilling NRHA European Derby Open qualifier filled the day in Equita Lyon where the 13th edition of the prestigious NRHA-owned event is being held. The fight was on as 104 horse-rider combinations gave it their all vying for a spot in the Finals which will be held on Saturday, November 4.
One of Europe’s largest equestrian trade and horse shows, Equita Lyon in Lyon, France, is host to the National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) European Derby. Today, reining competition kicked-off hit the ‘Oklahoma Arena’ with the ELEMENTA Non Pro European go round counting 98 combinations vying for a ticket to the Finals which will be held on Friday, November 3.
Equita Lyon Western Horse Show, proud host of the NRHA European Derby since 2017, will also host a qualifier this year for The Run For A Million - Million Dollar Championship, the reining event with the highest prize purse in the world. An historic event, as Lyon will be the first and only qualifier held outside the USA making this a tremendous opportunity for European reining too. Already well-represented in the NRHA European Derby, Lyon will now give the discipline's elite a chance to rank among the world's best in August 2024, in Las Vegas, for The Run For A Million. Tickets for the NRHA Open European Derby and The Run For A Million qualifier are on sale now.
The Run For A Million (TRFAM), reining’s hottest and richest event, is expanding overseas with the addition of a third qualifier for its Million Dollar Competition.
Traditionally, in order to gain entry to TRFAM’s Million Dollar Competition (MDC), riders had to qualify at one of two events: the Cactus Reining Classic, during which the top 10 riders were invited to the MDC; or TRFAM’s $100,000 Open Shootout, which called back the top six.Now, thanks to an agreement with Equita Lyon, the host of the National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) European Derby, European riders will get a shot at qualifying for the prestigious competition on their home turf. The qualifier, which will be the only one held outside the United States, will take place Nov. 4 during this year’s NRHA European Derby in Lyon, France.
The highly successful 2022 edition of the National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) European Derby held during the renowned European horse fair Equita Lyon in Lyon, France, closed on Sunday with the $11,369-Added ELEMENTA Open Grand Prix.
He has long had a reputation as a super-fast rider, and today Julien Epaillard set the home crowd alight when scorching to victory with the great mare Caracole de la Roque at the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ 2022/2023 Western European League qualifier on home ground in Lyon (FRA).
The 45-year-old Frenchman was in flying form all week, with three big wins already under his belt including Friday night’s Longines Grand Prix in which he steered Caracole to pip Germany’s Jana Wargers and Limbridge. Today it was Brazil’s Marlon Zanotelli and VDL Edgar M who had to settle for runner-up spot while The Netherlands’ Jur Vrieling and Long John Silver finished third.
On Saturday, Equita Lyon hosted the $153,234-Added National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) European Derby Open Finals in Lyon, France. In the evening, 64 Open Finalists met to compete for the Championship titles, 19 of which competed for the most prestigious division: The $61,294-Added Level (L)4 in front of a packed audience. The high level of competition in all the divisions kept the public glued to their seats until the last set of horses where most Champions were determined.
In front of a full house, 47 horse-and-rider combinations made their way to the $84,187-Added 2022 National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) European Derby Non Pro Finals on Friday at Equita Lyon in Lyon, France. No stranger to the Equita Lyon arena, Sára Karasová of the Czech Republic returned this year to hold on to her last year’s title and added on the Level (L)4 Championship.
The 2022 NRHA (National Reining Horse Association) European Derby Open qualifier took place at Equita Lyon today with 117 horse-and-rider combinations vying for a spot in the Finals which will be held on Saturday, October 29.
The 2022 NRHA (National Reining Horse Association) European Derby Non Pro qualifier filled the day at Equita Lyon today with 93 horse-rider combinations (49 entries in Level L(1); 75 in L2; 60 in L3; 50 in L4) riding for a spot in the Finals which will be held on Friday, October 28.
As horses and riders prepare for the 2021 edition of the European Derby,
APHA’s Chrome Cash Incentive Program makes its European debut in Lyon
This year the National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) European Derby returns to one of Europe’s biggest international horse trade fairs: Equita Lyon.
The renowned horse exhibition held in Lyon, France—which generally brings together over 170,000 visitors over the four days—was cancelled due to COVID in 2019. This year, the motto is “bringing people together again,” and reiners are joining in!
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