The Event continues to get bigger, better

By GREG SCHINDLER

The Daily Inter Lake

The Event at Rebecca Farm, which begins today and continues through Sunday, has grown exponentially in terms of participants and spectators since its 2002 debut.

Eventing is the triathlon of equestrian sports - a combination of dressage, cross country and show jumping.

The Event is one of four International Equestrian Federation (FEI) World Cup qualifiers in North America and 365 riders competed last year while 7,000 fans watched.

The Event is booked beyond capacity this year, with 457 riders registered and many more on a waiting list. There will be six arenas with simultaneous competition, compared to five a year ago.

Rebecca Farm owner and Event organizer Rebecca Broussard isn't sure why the Event has blossomed so rapidly.

"It's been a great surprise, a pleasant surprise," Broussard said.

Broussard thinks it might be because Rebecca Farm offers competition levels that can't be found anywhere else in the Northwest.

Rebecca Farm is host to the United States Eventing Association's novice, training, preliminary, intermediate and advanced levels, but the Event is a CIC three-star qualifier.

There will be 18 three-star riders competing at a level that is slightly above the advanced level and only surpassed by four-star, Olympic competition.

Each horse and rider participates in all three disciplines, earning points toward qualifying for September's FEI World Cup finals in Malmo, Sweden, based on their scores.

The Event isn't just a weekend stop for equestrians. Riders and their horses began arriving in Kalispell several days ago.

"So many people drive two and even three days to get out here, so they want to make a vacation out of it," Broussard.

Most of the riders come from the West Coast and Canada, but Broussard said there are a few from as far away as Mexico and the East Coast.

Riders and horses will compete in dressage today - a discipline comparable to ballet or figure skating for horses where riders display their horse's obedience by guiding them through a routine of maneuvers using subtle commands.

Dressage's purpose is developing a horse's athletic ability and willingness to perform.

But Broussard expects Saturday's cross country competition to be the most heavily attended day of the event.

"Cross country really is the heart of the sport," Broussard said.

The large wooden ducks which highlighted the cross country course last year have been moved from the second water to the first water and replaced by giant wooden rainbow trout - Rebecca Farm's way of telling equestrians they are in Montana.

"Besides adding new jumps, we also can move old jumps around," Broussard said.

Rebecca Farm changed the cross country course's difficulty this year by simply altering the distance and angles between obstacles. Equestrians can walk the course before competing, but practice rides are not allowed.

Riders pay an entry fee ranging from $200 to $350 based on competition level, but the three-star winner takes home $10,000 from a total purse of $30,000. Riders can also win prizes, including horse blankets and ribbons.

Competition begins at 8 a.m. each day and admission is free.