The Event at Rebecca Farm Cross-country course grows more ornate

What began as a way to test the physical prowess and mental stamina of military horses has morphed into a recreational equestrian event known as eventing.

Eventing features a trifecta of challenges that are meant to separate the best horse from the rest of the stampede, and determine which horse and rider share the best working bond.

The most dangerous of the three tasks is the cross-country event, which requires horse and rider to make their way over jumps, ditches and pools of water — sometimes all at once.

The cross-country course featured in this week’s The Event at Rebecca Farm was designed again by Ian Stark, a retired Scottish equestrian who competed his way into the Scottish Sports Hall of Fame before returning to the sport to design courses. He’s also worked on courses in Michigan, California and the United Kingdom.

During a course tour at Rebecca Farm in Kalispell on Wednesday, Stark said he likes to add more detail as he designs courses each year, saying that it helps horses and riders focus and gives spectators something to admire.

“The horses pay more attention and respect if there’s a little more to look at,” Stark said. “If they’re bright and kind of spooky to look at, then I think it makes for better jumping.”

This year, Stark noted that what used to be rustic boxes that the horses would jump over have been replaced with ornate boxes that feature flowers and other carved wooden decorations. The jumps, marked by flags, appear in clusters throughout the course. Each cluster has been given a different theme — one is a farmyard, another a Jurassic Park and a third has all the makings of a picnic.

“It puts a smile on people’s faces,” Stark said.

Designing the course is a yearlong process. Stark said he will begin making tweaks for next year’s course as he watches this weekend.

Construction has been ongoing for the last two months, first with the main fences that don’t change much from year to year. In the last four weeks, as Stark arrived on site, his designs were finalized and decoration themes were decided on. Stark deals with the spacing and height of jumps and other obstacles, while the decorative bits are left to organizers.

The property has 225 total jumps, with some nearly 4 feet high. Some have branches attached to make them a little higher and also appear more natural.

For a twist, the riders can walk the course as much as they like before they race, but the horses aren’t allowed on the course until the competition. Stark said riders usually walk it a minimum of three times beforehand, but there are still surprises when they mount up.

In some areas, two jumps look close together from foot, but when on a horse they can feel farther apart. An average speed of about 22 miles per hour is required for a competitive time, Stark said. On some flat stretches, riders can urge their steed on to speeds of around 33.5 miles per hour.

One of the other challenges is keeping up a good time without tiring the horse, Stark said. If a rider falls behind early, they need to make the time up slowly throughout the course rather than trying to make it up in one short burst that can expend too much energy.

“There are some busy minutes and some friendly minutes,” Stark said.

One of the least friendly minutes comes about two-thirds of the way through the Rebecca Farm course. Two jumps sit on either side of a deep ditch, and at the bottom is another narrow trench to be avoided before the horse and rider scramble up the other side to make the second jump.

Stark said the key to success is to forge ahead and trust the steed.

Stark has specially designed the end of the course to push the horse’s stamina and punish the riders who unwisely pushed their horse too hard, too early. A series of five jumps, one final pond and a hill confront riders just shy of the finish line.

The optimum course time is 10 minutes and 27 seconds. Stark expects only a couple riders will hit that mark all weekend. He said the number of horse-rider teams that finish that quickly is a barometer of how successful he was in his designs.

“As a designer, I kind of hope I get at least one inside the time, and maybe up to six,” Stark said. “If you get more than that ,you haven’t really done your job. It’s got to be just achievable under perfect conditions.”

The Event at Rebecca Farm takes place July 18-22 and will showcase dressage July 18-20, cross-country July 19-21, and show jumping July 20-22. For more information visit online at www.rebeccafarm.org.

Reporter Peregrine Frissell can be reached at (406) 758-4438 or pfrissell@dailyinterlake.com.