Quite The Event: Rebecca Farm hosts only World Cup qualifier in U.S.
The horse trailers cometh.
One by one, kicking up dust as they rumble over the gravel of West Springcreek Road on the outskirts of Kalispell, some of the greatest horse riders in the world are converging for The Event.
Starting its eighth year on Thursday, the "equestrian triathlon" known simply as The Event at Rebecca Farm has established itself as a world-class competition of horsemanship. An estimated field of nearly 500 men and women, from teenagers on up, is slated to compete in the three-part sport of dressage, cross-country and show jumping. The list of former and current competitors includes Olympic medalists, World Cup qualifiers and up-and-comers who view the Eventing at Rebecca Farm as important as the Olympics.
Roughly $60,000 will be awarded in prize money and nearly $35,000 will be given out in trophies in each division.
"We're still going on the whole concept that it's the triathlon of horse and rider," said Sarah Kelly, the daughter of Rebecca and Jerome Broussard, who manages the 640-acre farm year-round.
"To watch those ladies run around and come off the steeplechase with these grins like this big. There's a reason we do this," she added.
The Event is even more intriguing this year after the international body governing the sport of equestrian, the France-based Federacion Equestre Internationale, made it the only World Cup qualifier in the United States in 2009. There are only nine such events in the world.
This distinction raises the stakes for a field of riders that are already considered among the world's best. The list includes Amy Tryon, a member on the United States 2008 Olympic equestrian team, and fellow Olympic team member Gina Miles, who earned silver as an individual in Beijing and won at Rebecca Farm in 2006.
But besides the list of men and women who will vie for the top honor, there is a whole group of others who are viewing Rebecca Farm's annual gathering as the be-all, end-all.
"You do have a large group of people - a bulk of Eventing - who are real people," Kelly said. "They have real jobs, they ride on the weekends, they ride at night after they get home after work. They have families, they have children and horses are not their job."
Kelly said unlike almost every other sport, the amateurs and professionals compete right next to one another, and for a young rider it doesn't get any better than that.
"We cater to those people who just want to do it," she said. "They don't care about the qualifications, they're not trying to get to the Olympics, they're not trying to go to the World Cup."
Kelly and the group of roughly 350 volunteers treat The Event with the same attention to detail that other premiere affairs garner with the hopes that the experience will be as important to the amateurs as it is for the pros.
That meticulous attention is evident in every aspect of the courses.
Once again, the nine cross country sections have been designed by Captain Mark Phillips, who is regarded as one of the top designers in the world. Phillips' background includes 16 years as the coach for the United States Equestrian Team.
"This course is equal to any you will find in the world," Phillips said in a press release. "You don't get 450 horses turning up at a venue if something special isn't going on. Competitors vote with their feet."
The courses certainly have a world class feel to them, but most apparent is the hometown feel of it happening right here in Montana.
From a giant wooden fish flapping through the air to a robust log whittled down into a lying moose, the jumps and stands creatively fill the farm.
In fact, the creativity is something the course builders and volunteers pride themselves on, Cathy Rasch said.
Rasch, of Whitefish, and Sheli Thomas, of Kalispell, return as the stadium stewards, and take on the daunting task of painting and preparing the jumps that scatter the three arenas at Rebecca Farm. The decorations, along with truckloads of flowers, have been an ingredient from the event in 2004 when Rasch and Thomas joined.
"We've got some pretty unique jumps," Rasch said. "We pride ourselves on our stadium. We like to be a little bit better and a little bit fancier than everybody else."
As a result, The Event has grown from 158 competitors in that inaugural year to nearly 500 in less than a decade.
Rasch has ridden horses for many years and in her mind, experiencing and even watching the connection between horse and rider is what makes the sport such an enjoyment.
"They both have to advance together through all the levels," she said of the horse and rider. "It's a good partnership. The ones that do the very best often times have a really good partnership together."
A crowd of around 15,000 spectators is expected this week. Rasch, who will take the reins in the intermediate division of competiton, expects everyone to come away pleased for a number of reasons.
"I think it's in a great location, there's lots of things for people to do when they come here … we spoil the competitors," she said. "The jumps are built well, the cross country course is fabulous and the footing is good. It's just a top notch event."
Such an event draws competitors from all over, many driving long hours to attend.
Lexy Funk and six of her friends from Yelm, Wash., trailered 12 horses and hit the road at midnight last week, eager to arrive at Rebecca Farm.
After 10 hours on the road, they arrived on a Friday morning and let the horses out for a much-deserved stretch.
"The caliber of the event here is just so much different," said Funk, 18, who works at the Aspen Farms in Wash., and will compete this week. "It's an absolutely gorgeous facility and everyone is in their best competition attire for the show."
Funk started her season of competing at Eventing in March with one big finale in mind.
"Definitely all of the events are a big build up for this one," she said. "This is our favorite by far."
The Event
at Rebecca Farm
Thursday - Sunday
Free admission, blankets or chairs recommended, leashed dogs are allowed
Today
2 p.m. - Olympic training classes led by Capt. Mark Philips, the Rebecca Farm Cross Country Course Designer and the U.S. Olympic Eventing coach
Thursday
8 a.m. - Dressage; National Horse Trial Levels (continue all four days)
Friday
8 - 5 p.m. - Dressage; all FEI levels
Saturday
8 - 5 p.m. - Cross country; all FEI levels
Sunday
8 - 5 p.m. - Show jumping; all levels; Awards ceremony