Source:  News Release/Christina Brezack

Hometown Heroes Compete on Reining Horses with
Celebrity Team Captains: Lovett and Schumacher
4R Performance Horses Hometown Heroes Slide & Freestyle Reining at NRHA Futurity
November 30 – 6 p.m. – Oklahoma State Fair Park

Oklahoma City, Okla. – Since 2007, the Reining Horse Sports Foundation (RHSF) has produced a unique, entertaining event sponsored by 4R Performance Horses to benefit a local charity. Since last year’s event, the 4R Performance Horses Hometown Heroes Slide & Freestyle Reining was so successful, RHSF decided to bring it back this year with celebrity team captains Grammy Award winning Lyle Lovett and Formula One™’s Michael Schumacher. The event benefits the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum and will be held in Oklahoma City during the National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) Futurity & Adequan^® North American Affiliate Championship Show on Friday, November 30 at 6 p.m.

WHAT IS THE HOMETOWN HEROES SLIDE & FREESTYLE REINING?
Hometown heroes from local police and fire stations will hop on top of NRHA’s fast-spinning and smooth-sliding reining horses to benefit the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum. Spectators are encouraged to come and cheer on their favorite team in a friendly “firefighters vs. police officers” competition. The hometown hero riders have been paired with some of NRHA’s Professionals and trainers as they combine efforts to master a reining pattern. The riders are awarded points on their performance that are combined later with their celebrity captain’s score and freestyle rider’s score to see if Team Fire or Team Police come out on top. Last year, Team Fire blazed to victory and took home the bragging rights.

CELEBRITY CAPTAINS
Lyle Lovett – Team Fire Captain – Lovett has earned four Grammy Awards including Best Country Album and Best Male Country Vocal Performance. He recorded his own brand of music, a unique mix of blues, R&B, jazz, gospel and country, since 1980 with more than a dozen albums to date. His highest entry, the number 10 chart hit on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country song chart, “Cowboy Man.” But Lovett’s talents don’t end there. This accomplished entertainer is also a well-respected songwriter and has a lengthy list of acting credits.

Michael Schumacher – Team Police Captain – Schumacher, a seven-time Formula One Racing World Champion, is joining us from Switzerland. He tops many of Formula One’s driver records: most championships, race victories, fastest laps, pole positions, points scored, most races won in a single season, earliest world champion, podium places and leading laps. According to the official Formula One website he is “statistically the greatest driver the sport has ever seen.”

TEAM POLICE 
Local police heroes will be represented by:

• Oklahoma City Police Major Bill Weaver
• Oklahoma City Police Sergeant Katie Lawson
• Oklahoma City Police Captain Kim Flowers

TEAM FIRE
The following firemen will proudly compete on behalf of their colleagues:

• Oklahoma City Fire Chief Keith Bryant
• Oklahoma City Fire Lieutenant Johnathan Akright
• Oklahoma City Fire Corporal Bret Barber

FREESTYLE REINERS
Each team in the competition will include a freestyle reiner whose score will be added to each team’s points.

• Melanie Wilhelm – Team Police Freestyle Rider – NRHA Professional from Nazareth, Tex. Wilhelm competed at the 2012 NRHA Cowtown Classic Invitational Freestyle where she took third place.
• Shane Brown – Team Fire Freestyle Rider – NRHA Professional from Elbert, Colo. Brown’s routines are recognized for being timeless and moving. He took home the Champion title during the 2012 NRHA Cowtown Classic Invitational Freestyle.

Making an encore presentation for the crowd’s entertainment will be NRHA Professional Pete Kyle from Whitesboro, Tex. He is known for showing off his great sense of humor in his routines. Last year, his performance for Team Fire ride was a major hit with the crowd.

REINING COACHES
The guest competitors will get a crash course in the sport from some of the best reining trainers and competitors in the world. This year’s coaches include: Jarvis Anderson (NRHA Professional and NRHA Judge with NRHA LTE of $314,000), Todd Arvidson (NRHA Judge with NRHA LTE of $130,000), Todd Crawford (NRHA Professional with NRHA LTE of $872,000), Mike Jeffcoat (NRHA LTE of $76,000), Josh Visser (NRHA Professional and NRHA LTE of $175,000), Mack Weaver (NRHA Professional and NRHA Judge with LTE of $71,000).

TICKETS
The 4R Performance Horses Hometown Heroes Slide is Friday, November 30 at 6 p.m. at the Oklahoma State Fair Park's Jim Norick Arena (Coliseum). General admission is $11 and box seats are $21. Members of the military receive buy-one, get-one-free admission with valid Military ID, and children age 10 and under get in free. Get tickets online at www.okstatefair.com.

CHILI COOK-OFF
To raise additional funds, a Chili Cook-Off will take place at 4 p.m. as firemen and police officers battle it out to see who has the most scrumptious dish. The winner will be announced during the 4R Performance Horses Hometown Heroes Slide & Freestyle Reining.

REINING HORSE SPORTS FOUNDATION
The Reining Horse Sports Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to developing and enhancing the sport of Reining worldwide. The RHSF accomplishes this through their five core programs: NRHA Hall of Fame, Crisis Fund, Research, Development & Education, Youth Programs and International Development. For further information about the Foundation, contact rhsf@nrha.com or 405-946-7400, ext. 122, or visit the RHSF website at rhsf.com.

OKLAHOMA CITY NATIONAL MEMORIAL & MUSEUM
The Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum is a state-of-the-art interactive learning museum that tells the story of those who were killed, those who survived and those changed forever. By the use of more than a dozen computers and two hours of video, and more than 300 artifacts the Memorial Museum tells the story of one of the largest terrorist attacks on American soil. Since opening, the Outdoor Symbolic Memorial has hosted more than 4.4 million visitors and the Memorial Museum has had more than 1.6 million visitors.

The Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum does not receive annual operating funds from the federal, state or local government. Museum admissions, store sales, the OKC Memorial Marathon, earnings from an endowment and private fundraising allow the Memorial and Museum to be self-sustaining.

The Memorial staff is headquartered in Oklahoma City, Okla., housed in offices in the Memorial Museum Building, a restored historic building on the National Register of Historic Places. The building, which is adjacent to the Alfred P. Murrah site, also received severe bomb damage on April 19, 1995. Visit the museum online at oklahomacitynationalmemorial.org.

4R PERFORMANCE HORSES
The RHSF is grateful to event sponsor 4R Performance Horses and the many volunteers who’ve given their time and resources so generously to make this fundraiser come true. 4R Performance Horses is owned and operated by Dwaine and Judith Rivers, together with their two daughters. They are located just minutes north of San Antonio in Boerne, Texas and specialize in raising, showing and selling reining horses. They have paid special attention to selecting top-quality broodmares with NRHA show records and earnings and stallions that are proven performers with some of the best bloodlines the industry has to offer. 4R Performance Horses can be found on the web at 4rperformancehorses.com.

More About the NRHA Futurity & Adequan^® North American Affiliate Championship Show 
It’s the most elite reining event in the world with more than 3,000 entries competing for nearly $2 million in cash and prizes. More than 1,300 horses and 127,000 visitors come from nearly 20 countries to compete and watch the excitement unfold. During its 10-day run, the show contributes more than $67 million to the overall Oklahoma City economy.

The show features the $540,000-added NRHA Open Futurity Finals on Saturday, December 1 when the winning entry is guaranteed a check for $150,000, as well as incredible prizes from NRHA Corporate Partners and award sponsors. The NRHA / Cinch Non Pro Futurity offers an additional $260,000 in added money for non pro reiners, which will be awarded on Friday, November 30. Nearly $100,000 in nominator incentive money also will be distributed to those individuals who originally nominated horses to the NRHA Nomination Program, despite whether or not they still own the horse.

The NRHA Futurity & Adequan North American Affiliate Championship Show offers a variety of spectator events and activities including a western gift market, NRHA / Markel Insurance Horse sales, NRHA Open World Championship Shootout presented by Equine Sports Medicine, Silver Spurs Equine Rookie of the Year and 4R Performance Horses Hometown Heroes Slide & Freestyle Reining benefitting the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum. Go to nrhafuturity.com for more information or to purchase tickets.

NRHA Futurity & Adequan® North American Affiliate Championship Show Supporters
The NRHA would like to thank the following corporate partners for their support of the NRHA Futurity & Adequan North American Affiliate Championship Show: Adequan, Arenus, Bob’s Custom Saddles, Cinder Lakes Ranch and Reproduction Center, Classic Equine, Darling 888 Ranch, Downunder Horsemanship, Horse&Rider, John Deere, Kiser Arena Specialists, Markel Insurance Company, Merial, Miller International – Cinch / Cruel Girl, Montana Silversmiths, Oklahoma City Convention & Visitors Bureau, Pard’s Western Shop, Platinum Performance, Purina, Quarter Horse News, Rios of Mercedes / Anderson Bean Boot Company, Silver Spurs Equine, SmartPak, Twister Trailer and World Development Group International.

In addition, NRHA thanks NRHA Futurity & Adequan North American Affiliate Championship Show Event Sponsors:

• Platinum Futurity Sponsors: 4R Performance Horses, Equine Sports Medicine, KO Trading, RAM, Roleski Ranch, Sandbur Productions LLC and Scott Cleaners
• Gold Futurity Sponsors: Cowdog Saddles, Equine Oasis, Kyle Tack, Shorty’s Caboy Hattery, Soft Ride and The New West
• Silver Futurity Sponsors: Avila’s Pro Shop, E-Z Go, Forewheeler Golf Cars, Heat-A-Zone and Millennium Luxury Coaches

Incorporated in 1966, the National Reining Horse Association is the standard-setting body for the sport of Reining. NRHA, with their International Headquarters in Oklahoma City, is responsible for promoting the sport of Reining and working to ensure the highest standards of competition. To learn more about the NRHA, its programs and family of corporate partners, visit nrha.com.

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