2024 Event at Rebecca Farm
Annual equestrian event draws riders from around the country
The Event at Rebecca Farm gets underway July 17 with horses and riders coming from around the United States.
The Event is an equestrian competition with crosscountry, dressage and show jumping. The competition runs July 17-21 at Rebecca Farm in Kalispell. Spectators are welcome at no charge, and a vendor area provides shopping and dining opportunities.
James Alliston said The Event at Rebecca Farm is "one of the best around. He recently helped Team USA win silver at the Aachen SAP-Cup with Karma, his horse.
Rebecca Farm is set on the green grass of Flathead Valley, the peaks of Glacier National Park and Whitefish and Blacktail ski areas standing in the distance.
On course, however, the obstacles demand horse and rider’s attention. “It’s a great class to see if you have a 4* horse capable of going onto the 5* level,” James notes. “The course is challenging, yet fair, as you would expect from designer Ian Stark. The jumps are big, with a lot of big jumps going into the water.” Each obstacle is a work of art, he adds. “They are incredibly constructed, painted and decorated at all levels.”
There’s no let-up in the atmosphere for the stadium jumping finalé. The Event regularly draws 5,000 fans, many of them filling the grassy banks surrounding the show jumping stage. “It’s a big, impressive atmosphere," Alliston said. "It’s nice to ride in front of a lot of people, and you need a horse that show jumps well.”
The Event at Rebecca Farm started in 2002 and quickly became a fixture for North American riders and fans. Along with elite level eventing action, the spectacular settting, buzzy vendor area and the weekend Kid Zone make The Event a popular attraction for horse sport fans.
“We are really excited to have everybody back,” event organizer Sarah Broussard said. “We’ve made a few changes to give some of our riders a new experience – new paths for the roads and tracks and using some parts of the Farm that haven’t been used before. The flags are up, the canola flowers are in bloom and the countdown has begun."
The Event’s impact helps raise money for cancer research through Halt Cancer at X. The charitable initiative was launched in 2012 by the Event’s organizer Sarah Broussard in honor of her late mother, Rebecca Broussard, who founded the competition.
The Event also makes a year-round impact on equestrian sport with generous grant programs.
The Rebecca Broussard Developing Rider Grants began in 2011. They are administered by the US Eventing Association in honor of Rebecca “Becky” Broussard’s legacy of commitment to assisting and encouraging riders pursuing the sport’s highest levels.
The Rebecca Broussard International Developing Rider Grant, aka the “Big Becky,” awards $50,000 to an international quality rider and the “Little Becky” National Developing Rider Grant awards $10,000 to riders on a similar path. The Rebecca Farm Travel Grant provides funds to defray the costs of traveling to The Event.
Texas-based Rebecca Brown is a past Little Becky Grant recipient and one of this year’s several Travel Grant recipients.
“I am so grateful to the Broussard family and so happy to be going to an event supported by a family that gives so much back to the sport and in the unique way of targeting developing riders,” she Brown said. That ranks high on the Texas professional’s long list of reasons for hauling horses 1,800 miles to Montana.
“It’s definitely one of the top five competitions in the United States,” Brown said. She rides Fernhill Quite Frankly in the CCI3*-S. “Every level is a good challenge. If you are hoping to go on in the sport, and to produce horses, like I am, it’s a great atmosphere to compete in.
"It’s definitively worth the drive.”
The Event relies on a large number of volunteers to ensure a safe and pleasant experience. There is a perfect post for most ages and abilities and roles range from assisting in the arenas or on the cross-country course, to spectator parking, hospitality, food services and pedestrian crossings. Volunteering at The Event is famously fun and no experience is required for most positions. Volunteering info and sign-ups can be found here.
For information about Halt Cancer at X, go here.
Competitor Information
Live Scoring Start Box
Live Stream – RideOn Video
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