Sneak Peek of Rebecca Farm CIC3* Cross-Country Course

Sunny and I at the top of Notch Trail, overlooking Foy's Lake. Sunny and I at the top of Notch Trail, overlooking Foy's Lake.

Sunny and I arrived in Montana on Saturday and spent an amazing few days at Herron Park near Kalispell. What a beautiful facility, and Sunny and I couldn’t get enough of the trail system there. We pulled into Rebecca Farm yesterday afternoon, and I cannot get over how gorgeous this facility is. I have waited a long time to come here, and it is definitely everything I thought it would be — and more!

What an amazing place!

Big sky country! Photo by Jessica Kerschbaumer.

Yesterday afternoon, I got the chance to tag along with Ian Stark on a course walk of the Rebecca Farms CIC3* cross-country course. It was very cool and incredibly educational to hear things from the course designer’s point of view. Ian Stark says this year’s course is definitely a notch above from the previous years’ courses.

Ian Stark explains the first combination on the CIC*** cross country course.

Ian Stark explains the first combination on the CIC3* cross country course. Photo by Jessica Kerschbaumer.

Ian introduced some exciting new changes to the track. Some of the crops that have been present in the previous years have been removed, allowing more bend and flow to the course instead of lines cut straight through. According to Ian, this will make the course more rideable, especially for the lower levels, allowing horse and rider to balance better on the approach and find a better distance through the turns versus a straight approach to the fences.

New feature fence early on course, the keyholes.

New feature fence early on course, the keyholes. Photo by Jessica Kerschbaumer.

More terrain is featured on the course this year. Ian has used every hill and dip he could to make the course more demanding. He says this use of terrain will test the riders as they progress through the course; the riders will have to make sure they save some horse for the end of the course.

The hanging brushes have been slightly modified from last year.

The hanging brushes have been slightly modified from last year. Photo by Jessica Kerschbaumer.

Some of the cross country takes on a new theme this year. Named after Bayou Teche, where organizer Sarah Broussard’s parents grew up in Louisiana, this large water complex was revamped and features new questions for the levels. Also new are more amazing carvings by Bert Wood.

New Alligator fence featuring intricate carvings at the Bayou Treche water complex.

New Alligator fence featuring intricate carvings by Bert Wood at the Bayou Teche water complex. Photo by Jessica Kerschbaumer.

The Young Event Horse competitions got underway yesterday, and I am very excited for everything else to get going today.  My dressage isn’t until Friday, so Sunny and I get one more day of hacking and schooling before getting to work.

The horses pulling this wagon in the Western town are also new this year.

The horses pulling this wagon in the Western Town are also new this year. Photo by Jessica Kerschbaumer.

I also took some video of the course walk; I apologize for the sound quality and shakiness.

Go Rebecca Farm. Go Eventing.

0 0 votes
Article Rating
Subscribe
Notify of
0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments