Ringgold Youngster Wins Equestrian Championship

Local equestrian Asa Peeples was named champion in the 13 & Under division of the United States Equestrian Federation National Reining Championship held June 23-28 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. For his win, Asa received a gold medal, a new saddle, and a USEF belt buckle.

Competing in reining events since age 9, this is Asa's first national championship. For his performance, Asa rode his 5-year old gray quarter horse, Reeboks Diablo.

"I couldn't have done it without him - he's the best horse I've ever ridden," Asa said.

In reining events, riders must guide their horses through a precise pattern of circles, spins, and stops, often at high speed. Horses must be responsive, and horse and rider must be closely in tune with each other, as the rider's directions to the horse should not be easily seen from the audience.

Reining is currently slated to be included as the fourth equestrian discipline for the 2012 Summer Olympics. The USEF championship classes are where future Olympic riders get their start in national and international competition.

A rising eighth grader at McCallie School, Asa lives in Ringgold, Georgia, where he rides and trains at his family's Creekside Stables. He is the son of Amy and Bryan Peeples and the grandson of Shelby and Willena Peeples and Wallace and Mary Edgeman, all of Dalton. He has two brothers: Rhett, 14, and Gage, 12, and a sister, Lilly, 11.