Horse Heaven

They are riders, teachers, students, teammates and opponents.

Competitors, friends, organizers and parents.

Disciplinarians, psychologists, and beauticians.

They are all these things. Not all at once, but not one at a time, either.

Cindy Marvin, Dawn Bunge, Cathy Rasch and their horses, along with a cast of several, competed in, helped organize and watched last weekend's The Event at Rebecca Farm.

Together they form the nucleus of Team Rebecca, a group of close friends united through their passion for horses and love for the sport of eventing - the three-day horse trials of dressage, cross country and show jumping.

Over four days of competition (Thursday was a special exhibition for young horses, 4 and 5 years old; Friday was the start of the full event), these women displayed every characteristic consistent with athletes of any sport - anxiety before an important moment, obsession over details, joy at a job well done, disappointment at failure and a camaraderie with teammates that supersedes it all.

Cindy, the oldest of the group at 44, has the deepest roots to The Event at Rebecca Farm. Her family owned and farmed the land that was eventually sold to Jerome and Rebecca Broussard, who then built the world-class eventing facility that is now under consideration to host the 2007 FEI World Cup.

She and her sister still own property in the Valley and operate a company that leases out the land. Cindy brought two horses to Rebecca Farm - 7-year-old My Sedona, a chestnut-colored thoroughbred mare and 5-year-old Tyra's Secret, another thoroughbred mare who competed in the young horse program.

"I've ridden my whole life, like ponies and stuff when I was a kid, and taken formal lessons around 10," she said.

Dawn is from Stevensville, but lived for a time in Whitefish in the 1980s, which is when she met Cindy through eventing. A travel agent in Missoula when she's not competing, Dawn still lives on the family farm where she learned to ride solo at age 3.

"I was riding before that, but I was a pain to share a horse with," the 40-year-old said.

"I first met her (Cindy) when I lived up in Whitefish. We car pooled, horse pooled, to Spokane for an event together, and that's when I first got to know her, and we've been friends ever since then.

Dawn's horse is O'Reilly II, a 7-year-old chestnut thoroughbred gelding.

Cathy, 43, brought Huson to The Event, a 9-year-old bay thoroughbred gelding, owned by Becky Broussard. Cathy became friends with Dawn and Cindy 10 or 12 years ago (no one is really sure of an exact timeline) through eventing and the Flathead Combined Training Association, which rides out at Herron Park, after becoming a serious rider in high school.

"Dawn and Cindy have been friends the longest, and I don't even know how many years that's been," Cathy said. "Every year we get a little bit closer. A few new people come in, but not too much. It's the same major core."

That trio - plus the so-called "spring chicken" of the group, Christa Draggie from Spokane and her horse Paddy - set up headquarters in a small paddock and stable in the southwest corner of the farm, adjacent to the office building.

It is there that most of the time is spent. Cleaning stalls, braiding manes, socializing, feeding and washing horses, cleaning tack (which includes the bridle and saddle), discussing strategy, socializing, assembling dressage outfits (including a stubborn new belt of Cindy's that was just a skosh too large for the belt loops on her riding breeches, requiring the strained efforts of two people to get it through) and socializing.

From the first day, Thursday, it becomes evident that "The Event" is a double entendre. Yes, there is the competition, but the reunions of old friends and kibitzing with new ones make it a social event as well.

"It's a very small event world," Cindy said. "You see the same people every event you go to, that same group. It's not just this area, it's Spokane and Seattle people, and you see them five or six times a year."

The collection of friends that assembled Thursday afternoon in the paddock to renew their acquaintances revealed several of the self-appointed, self-deprecating nicknames for their group, some of which can even be reprinted here. "The Witching Circle" offers the chance for gossip, funny stories and perhaps the odd malted adult beverage.

"Probably the best thing about this sport is just the camaraderie and having your friends around," Cathy said. "We ride together all week, and we travel together and support each other. I don't know how much of this I would do if I didn't have this group of friends to do it with."

And there is the first glimmer into what drives eventers. The friendships are strong and an important part, but why else would they devote the enormous amounts of time and even greater amounts of money to this sport, elevating it several notches above a mere hobby?

"The cross country," Cindy said. "It's fun, it's just everything you ever wanted to do as a kid - run and jump things in the woods. It's just a blast."

Said Dawn: "I like the horsemanship that's required. Most of the people that are involved in this sport are really keen about preserving the horse's soundness, training the horse so that the horse can be as educated as it possibly can, or make sure that everything that happened is a learning experience.

"The majority of the people are like that," she continued. "They are interested in their own progress and then want everyone to have a successful weekend. Nobody is looking for someone to have a failure.

"If you do well then it's really very nice, but it's never at the sacrifice of someone else. It's not a put down or catty type atmosphere."

And here we are again, back to the people. People that will work long hours for no pay over the next four days, all for the love of their sport.

Thursday

The day begins, as it does all weekend, in the early morning hours, before 8 a.m., usually. Stalls have to be cleaned and horses fed. On this day, Cindy has to prepare Tyra's Secret for the young horse exhibition, which consists of a short dressage test, a few show jumps and a trot out.

Before that, though, Tyra gets her whiskers clipped and a quick bath. The noise and the vibration of the clippers are a tad unsettling to the horse, and she doesn't seem all that thrilled with the wash, either.

Everybody gets through without too much drama, and Cindy repairs to the trailers to clean her tack, a happening her friends quickly point out is all too rare a site.

"Most people clean their tack at least a little bit every time they get off the horse. I try to do it three or four times a year for show," Cindy admits.

Then comes the belt. This is a new belt purchased at the trade fair on site for an undisclosed amount (OK, the amount was disclosed, but all who heard it were sworn to secrecy for the sake of marital peace). Cathy and Dawn purchased (or at least ordered) one too, part of the outfit coordination of Team Rebecca.

At this moment, though, Cindy's is the showcase. It is a gaudy creation, bedazzled and bejeweled to such an extent as to make Liberace blanche. After Christa and Cindy struggle for what seems like an awfully long time to get the belt on, it's off to the exhibition.

Dressage is where the rider puts the horse through a series of walks, trots and cantors, all the while being judged for accuracy and style. In the trot out, the rider doesn't actually ride, but rather leads the horse on a trot over a set distance for evaluation.

Cindy and Tyra struggle in the dressage but excel in the jumping, a theme that will be repeated throughout the weekend.

After the young horse trials are finished, Cathy, Dawn and Cindy take their horses out for a mid-afternoon ride, part practice and part exercise.

Later, the three of them, plus Christa, walk the cross country course. Cindy and Christa will run the novice course Friday; Dawn, Cathy and Cindy will be on the preliminary course Saturday. There are five different levels, based mostly on the experience of the horse, starting with novice, then training, preliminary, intermediate and advanced. In addition, there are four CIC levels, one star through four, under international rules.

The four of them walk the track briskly, pausing at the jumps, or fences, to examine the best angle of attack. It takes over an hour to complete the walk. The horses will finish it in about five minutes.

Friday

The important task to be completed this morning is the braiding of the horse's manes for dressage. Appearance isn't officially part of the test, but it remains a key part of the tradition. The effort to groom a horse for competition shows respect for the sport and for the judges, Dawn says.

This is also when the nerves start to kick in. Dawn, Cathy and Cindy set a goal for themselves this year since they all have horses in the same division: Qualify for the Galway Downs National Championship, held outside of Temecula, Calif., in November. Dawn went so far as to make hotel reservations last fall, to ensure motivation throughout the eventing season.

To get there, each rider needs four qualifying rides. Cindy has already accomplished it, Dawn has three and Cathy has none - a broken bone in her right foot has kept her out of action most of the season.

The three of them won't ride until late in the afternoon, but Cindy and Christa have novice dressage tests in the morning and cross country in the early afternoon.

As they did yesterday, Cindy and Tyra are "green" in dressage but motor around cross country without penalty. They won't compete again until Sunday's show jumping.

Cathy, Dawn and Cindy are three of the last seven to perform their dressage tests in the late afternoon. My Sedona acts up during her ride, but Dawn and Cathy have solid efforts, keeping them on track for qualifying runs.

After the horses are retired to their stalls, the dressage arenas have to be dismantled so the show jumping courses can be built tomorrow morning.

Saturday will be a long day.

Saturday

Work begins in the arenas shortly after 8 a.m. Richard Jeffery, a six-time designer of the year winner, has been brought in this year to build the show jumping arenas.

As he roughs out the pattern by walking around the arena, hired hands and volunteers truck over the fences and rails from storage.

Cindy, Cathy and Dawn won't ride their preliminary cross country course until late in the afternoon. The morning work distracts them somewhat from thinking about what awaits them, but only a little.

Eventually, they wander over near the starting gate for cross country and watch some of the training and intermediate level riders on course. Still, there is an awful lot of nervous energy about. Cross country is the most dangerous of the three disciplines in eventing. Horses are moving upwards of 30 mph, and if they decide not to make a jump, bad things can happen for both human and equine.

It's a painfully tragic lesson the members of Team Rebecca know all too well. It was on the Saturday of last year's The Event at Rebecca farm that close friend, coach and teammate Cindy Burge was critically injured on a cross country run. She later died.

"The past year, a lot of it was just very sentimental for a lot of things, because we have one very important member who's not with us anymore," Dawn said. "We're all a bit tighter.

"She would have been much more professional, she wouldn't have been socializing so much, she would have been out walking courses. She enjoyed it and we had fun.

"Everyone got closer. It's not just a sport, everything together … it's important."

With all the tension over their upcoming rides, plus the resurfacing sorrow of a lost friend, the early afternoon is a simmering cauldron of tension. The one escape is when the CIC three-star riders - those trying to qualify for the FEI World Cup - take flight. It is the first time the new additions to the course - giant wooden ducks in one of the water hazards and two large mounds of earth riders have to go up and over with a jump at the top of the second mound - will be tested.

The 14 horse-rider combinations make it through both of those new obstacles with spectacular ease, awing Team Rebecca.

"I got goose bumps when they came down off the mounds," Cindy Marvin said, watching from Mount Olympus.

"I got goose bumps and then I cried," Becky Broussard said.

After that, it is time to ready the horses. Once tacked up, they go to the warmup area with team coach John Camlin, who offers last-minute instructions. By this time, the three of them have all walked the course at least twice.

Cindy is the first to go, and she and My Sedona look like they're on rocket fuel, burning up the course. They pull off a double-clean ride - no jump or time penalties.

"Usually she makes better decisions than me," Cindy said. "I just need to be smart enough to let her go."

Cathy is next out of the gate on Huson, and while not as fast as Cindy, they finish with only a small amount of time penalties. Same goes for Dawn and O'Reilly II. Cathy and Dawn are still in line for qualifying scores for the season-ending event at Galway.

Back at the paddock, their thoughts don't stray far from their missing friend, even though there is a lot to be excited about with those cross country rides.

"I said 'Hi' to Cindy as I went by," said Cindy Marvin of the area where Cindy Burge was injured.

Saturday Night

"The hard part is done, it's time to party!" - Anonymous eventer.

At the conclusion of the cross country, Rebecca Farm geared up for the Saturday night party. Rob Quist and Great Northern perform while eventers and their friends and family dine on a wide array of food and enjoy copious amounts of beer and wine.

During the party, they announce the finalists for the contest to name the mounds on the cross country course. "The Booby Trap" gets near unanimous approval.

Well before the sun had set and for some time after, people of all ages dance the evening away. Sunday morning will come awfully early, but right now, no one seems to care.

Sunday

Everyone is back at it so early, it's hard to believe anyone actually left. But there they are, grooming their horses one more time for the show jumping.

This part of The Event goes much quicker. Cindy, Dawn and Cathy have their rides fairly early in day, and Dawn and Cathy can afford a couple of penalties and still get in a qualifying score for Galway.

They run the show jumping in reverse order of standing after the first two rounds, and Cindy goes first. She and My Sedona are quick and clean.

Cathy is next with Huson, and they get through in time with only one rail knocked down. It is Cathy's first qualifier.

Dawn starts the day in third place, with four rails in hand for her final qualifying score. O'Reilly II never looks quite right and five rails go down. No ribbon, no qualifier.

"One rail too many today," she said. "It's still early in the year and I'll have other opportunities. I just need one more."

Cindy takes a seventh place ribbon and Cathy gets eighth. But Cindy still has to jump with Tyra over in the novice arena.

Tyra's Secret and Cindy complete another double-clean ride, meaning that all five of the jumping phases Cindy rode in this weekend - two cross country, two show jumping and the mini jump test on Thursday - were done without error.

"The one you have is the best horse in the world," she said. "If you don't have that feeling, you shouldn't be on it, and I've actually had one or two that I didn't feel that way.

"The majority of the time you feel like you have the best horse, and you feel sorry for everybody else.

"Sometimes you hit a wall, and that's the end of what you can do with them so you either sell them or try to fix the problem, which I've learned not to hit my head against the wall anymore. You've just got to go on. It's hard to find a horse that has the whole package.

"My favorite word is potential, and until you know what they can do, they've got endless potential. I love bringing the horses along."

Epilogue

The competition is over, but there's still work to be done for Team Rebecca. This is their home event, so it's not a case of pack it up and move it out quite yet. The show jumping arenas need to be taken down and stored, the trade fair broken down and stables cleaned out.

But it has been fun. At no time over the four days could any reasonable observer come to the conclusion that these women weren't having the time of their lives, even with the ever-present "Paparazzi Chris" and "Paparazzi Andrew" hanging around.

Throughout the weekend we have seen all the best elements of team and individual competition combined with most of the best traits of humanity. We have seen the special relationships between people developed through the special relationships people have with their horses and the sport of eventing.

And we have seen these people do what they love, for the love of doing it, with the friends they love to do it with.

Editor's note: Reporter Andrew Hinkelman and photographer Chris Jordan spent four days following Cindy Marvin, Dawn Bunge and Cathy Rasch at The Event at Rebecca Farm.