The Event at Rebecca Farm Gallops into its 25th Year
The popular equestrian sporting event, which draws thousands to the Kalispell-area farm's 640 acres each year, is free to the public and will run from July 15 through July 19
By Lauren Frick
The largest equestrian triathlon in the West will mark its 25th year of attracting Olympic level equestrians from across the country to the Flathead Valley when competition at Rebecca Farm commences on Wednesday.
The Event at Rebecca Farm, which will run from July 15 through July 19 in Kalispell, stages competition in the equestrian sport of Three-Day Eventing, which combines dressage, cross-country and show jumping phases.
Dressage tests athletic ability, flexibility and obedience as the rider and horse perform precise, memorized routines of predetermined movements in a rectangular arena. Next comes cross-country, a gallop across 640 acres featuring mountain views, with fences to clear and water to splash through. Finally, show jumping challenges competitors to navigate a tight course of high obstacles, racing the clock to finish clean.
The competition’s 14 different levels range from Olympic level, CCI4*-L, to Beginner Novice divisions suitable for amateur and junior equestrians and horses of all ages and breeds. The Event also includes Training and Novice Classic Three-Day divisions that promote the sport’s training foundation with additional phases and related education opportunities.
“The Event is spoken of as amongst the greatest competitions in the world for the Olympic sport of eventing,” US Eventing Association CEO Rob Burk said in a press release. “Its unique reputation is the result of its spectacular venue, and highest-level competition coupled with highest-level hospitality.”
The wide range of divisions reflects late founder Rebecca “Becky” Broussard’s vision to gather all levels of competitors together on one beautiful and expertly prepared stage.
“We love and support the sport of Three-Day Eventing and the competitors really drive what we do,” said Sarah Broussard, the Event’s organizer and daughter of its founder, Becky Broussard. “Knowing how excited the riders are to be here is what keeps us going.”
The Event’s impact extends far beyond the equestrian world with Halt Cancer at X — the charitable initiative launched in 2012 by Sarah Broussard in honor of her late mother, who died of breast cancer in 2010.
Through Halt Cancer at X, more than $1.1 million in grant funds so far have been awarded to innovative breast cancer research projects and to local nonprofits that offer financial and wellness services to breast cancer patients.
Funds are raised by year-round donations and an auction during The Event. This year’s auction items include premiere stabling and RV camp sites for The Event in 2027, a Whitefish Mountain Resort winter vacation and a six-day beach stay in Capitola, California. Donations and bids on these items can be made here. Auction bidding closes at 8:30 p.m. on July 17 during the Competitors Party, but donations are welcome all year.
Competition will kick off at 8 a.m. on Wednesday and continue with a jam-packed schedule through Sunday afternoon. Spectators are welcome at no charge, with event organizers encouraging those unfamiliar with equestrian sport to check out the competition. Spectator information, including a map of the facility, can be found here.
“People are wowed and awed at the magnitude of The Event, of the Trade Fair, of the stabling … all of it,” Broussard said in a press release. “People don’t really understand the whole ‘shebang’ of The Event until they get here. It becomes our own little city.”
Competition will also be available for viewing through live streaming by RNS Video Media on The Event’s YouTube channel, starting with the first dressage events on July 15.
The Event’s Shopping Fair and Festival will be open Thursday through Sunday, with the free Kids Zone open Friday through Sunday and food vendors available all four days.
The Event at Rebecca Farm runs from July 15 to July 19. To learn more, visit www.rebeccafarm.org.