Judging the best at Rebecca Farm
Roger Haller has judged eventing competitions all across the world, but this week there isn't anywhere he'd rather be than Kalispell.
"You've got some of the cream of the crop here," Haller said Wednesday afternoon as he sat inside a tent at Rebecca Farm, surrounded by a city of horse trailers, elaborately designed courses and some of the biggest names in the equine world all involved in The Event, which kicks off today.
"This is a good, high-level competition ... For competitors from North America, we've got a lot of the best ones here."
President of the three-person national ground jury at The Event at Rebecca Farm this year, Haller will watch every aspect of this week's eventing competition starting with the dressage today and Friday.
In dressage, Haller and Co. will judge the obedience and harmony between horse and rider. Often called "horse ballet," dressage is the least action-packed of the three events and certainly the most meticulous. But Haller won't be needing a magnifying glass. The longtime judge has been involved with the sport since the 1970s and has since worked in 46 states and almost 20 countries.
Haller, who was the cross country course designer of the 1996 Atlanta Games, has seen the sport grow out of its niche status.
"I'll tell you what, the sports completely different," he said. "Back then (in the 1950s and 60s) you were talking about a handful of riders at the top level, not 400 and whatever we have here. The events that were going on were really selection trials, just a handful of riders that were competing together. This is a big deal now."
Haller also points to the symbolic plane ride of horses and riders from Baltimore to Kalispell this week.
"The riders on the West Coast finally have the riders from the east coming to them," he said. "It really adds something to this event for finally getting the recognition. There's a lot of big events back in the east and finally the recognition that this is so important and it's such a high quality event that it's worth them to make the trip and charter a plane and come out here."
Regular Rebecca Farm riders like Kelly Prather, Jil Walton and Jennifer Wooten DaFoe will get a chance to show if homefield advantage can help. At the same time, younger riders will get the chance of a lifetime, a chance few other sports can offer.
"For all the novice and training riders that are trotting around here tomorrow with their eyes bugging out, the really neat part of that is they're warming up in the same arena with the same kinds of problems that the big guys that they've read about in the magazines and stuff are doing," Haller said. "And if they see Phillip Dutton or Karen O'Connor have a problem and they solve the problem, they can say I can do that, I can solve that problem. If they can do it I can do it. That's the thing that really is important, having the sport moving back and forth. It's a terrific opportunity."
Competition begins today at 8 a.m. at Rebecca Farm on Springcreek Road, west of U.S. 93. The Event is free for spectators all four days. A trade fair with arts and crafts surrounds the adjacent arenas and courses as well.
TODAY: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.: Dressage, all levels. Dressage, National Horse Trial Levels.
FRIDAY: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.: Dressage, all levels. National Horse Trial Levels Dressage continues. Cross-country phase begins at 8 am. National Horse Trials Novice and Training Levels.
SATURDAY: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.: Cross-country phase all day. All FEI Levels. National Horse Trial Levels continue.
SUNDAY: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.: Show jumping phase, all levels. Awards ceremony at end of each division.