Event founder Broussard inducted into hall of fame

The late Rebecca “Becky” Broussard, founder of The Event at Rebecca Farm, a world-renowned equestrian triathlon held every July in the Flathead Valley, has been inducted into the U.S. Eventing Association Hall of Fame.

Broussard started The Event in 2001. Since then it has grown into a major economic catalyst for the Flathead, attracting more than 10,000 spectators and bringing millions of dollars to the region each year. It has also given Kalispell global recognition in the equestrian sporting scene.

The Event is the largest equestrian triathlon in the United States and one of the biggest in the world.

Former eventing association president Kevin Baumgardner called Broussard “hands down, the most important person in eventing in the Western United States and arguably the most important person in eventing in the entire nation.”

 Broussard died Christmas Eve in 2010 after a battle with cancer. She was born in Jeanerette, Louisiana, on Feb. 17, 1942. After earning a nursing degree from the University of Evansville in Indiana, she worked as a nurse in places as varied as Kentucky and Jamaica before arriving in the Flathead.

 In Broussard’s honor, Flathead Valley Community College built the 32,000-square-foot Rebecca Chaney Broussard Center for Nursing and Health Science, which opened in 2013. The Broussard family gave $4 million to the college for construction.

 During a recent induction ceremony, the U.S. Eventing Association remembered Broussard as a generous and gracious friend, as well as a tireless advocate for eventing. She served on the association’s Board of Governors and Executive Committee and also chaired the nonprofit organization’s endowment trust.