Equestrian event generates $5.5M in economic impact

The Event at Rebecca Farm continued its reign in 2016 as the most impactful of Flathead events for the local economy.

A study completed by the University of Montana Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research estimates the event injected $5.5 million into the local economy during the four-day showcase in July, the highest of any event in 2016. The event garnered 600 competitors last year and nearly 10,000 spectators. The economic impact jumped 25 percent up from 2015, which generated $4.4 million, along with 10,000 spectators and 590 competitors.

“Every year the event continues to grow with the support of the community,” said Sarah Broussard, who organizes the Event at Rebecca Farm, which is named after Sarah’s mother, the late Rebecca Broussard.

The number of community members volunteering at the event actually makes it a community event, she noted. More than 400 people volunteer each year to help with parking, judge cross-country jumping, setting up the arena or running scores between individual events, among other things.

“They run the gamut,” she said. “They really do dedicate themselves and help us create the best event possible. I hope they realize how important this is to the community and it’s almost a way to give back to the community; that’s shown in the economic impact.”

The Event is one of the largest equestrian triathlons in the U.S., bringing everyone between amateurs and Olympians to the Flathead. The triathlon includes three disciplines — dressage, cross-country and show-jumping — each demonstrating the horse’s and rider’s physical ability, while exhibiting masterful and silent communication between the two.

Rebecca Farm is located on Farm to Market Road and hosts other events, such as the high school cross-country state championship held there last year. Broussard said Rebecca Farm continues to grow as a nationally known destination.

“There are so many activities here that we as community members get to enjoy year-round,” Broussard said. “Bringing more people in shows off the valley, while we also get that profit return back to the valley.”

The number of visitors to The Event at Rebecca Farm from out of state also outpaced last year, accounting for 46 percent of all visitors, up from 40 percent in 2015, according to the study by the Institute of Tourism and Recreation Research. Attendees, including competitors and spectators, traveled from 25 states and Canada.

Fifteen years ago, when the event was first getting its legs, it brought about 200 competitors, a third of the numbers marked in recent years. That was back when the event was held at Herron Park near Foy’s Lake.

The Event added the CCI Three-Star division in 2016, bringing a more advanced tier of competitors to the farm. Broussard said this boosted the number of East Coast competitors in the event, most of whom were competing in the Flathead for the first time. Bringing new competitors to the valley is part of what continually pushes the event’s growth, she said, because riders will often promote Rebecca Farm through word of mouth.

“It’s turned into what we call a ‘destination event,’” Broussard said. “People plan a year in advance to come with their family and spend a week.”

Like The Event at Rebecca Farm, some Flathead events last year thrived, while others slid below economic expectations. Spartan Race’s economic impact reached $4.399 million in 2016 with 7,418 racers. That event increased from 2015, which had an economic impact of $4.141 million, according to the institute’s survey.

But the fifth annual Dragon Boat Festival last year drew $480,971 into the local economy, with attendance reaching 1,750. The 2016 festival tumbled from its 2015 economic impact, when the boat races produced $955,431 for the local economy. The event suffered through poor weather conditions, as well as scheduling conflicts with other dragon boat racing events around North America.

The Pond Hockey Classic, which in 2015 brought $632,613 into the local economy, was canceled in the final week before the event due to warm weather. Still, 60 of the 70 teams chose to defer their registration to this year’s event, while 73 teams total have registered for the event, which is scheduled to begin Jan. 20.

The Event at Rebecca Farm is expected to grow even further in the coming year. The United States Eventing Association announced in December Rebecca Farm would host the North American Junior and Young Rider Championships, which will coincide with the 2017 Event at Rebecca Farm this July.

Broussard, who competed in the North American Junior and Young Rider Championships during her own youth, said bringing the new division adds another dimension to the competition. For young riders it is an educational program as much as it is a competitive one, which helped launch Broussard into a lifelong career in the equestrian arena.

“It’s always been a secret little dream of mine to host the young riders,” she said. “The experience I had was amazing.”

Broussard said the additional 60 to 80 individual competitors will extend the show to five days rather than the regular four. Youth riders, she said, tend to bring more people along, including family, a band of coaches and additional personnel. Each of these pieces that come with adding the youth riders means a bigger potential economic impact.

“It’s all about the community as far as economic impact,” she said. “We definitely feel honored to be able to give money back to the community. It is a win-win for everyone: to support us is supporting the community.”

Reporter Seaborn Larson may be reached at 758-4441 or by email at slarson@dailyinterlake.com.