Course designer John Williams and the Roebke’s Run crew have been busy upgrading the cross-country course for the FEI One Star rating. Pat Schmidt kindly sent us a story on the event’s planned improvements and what to expect next year. Go Roebke’s Run!
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This 100 ft. x 170 ft. pond at the north end of Roebke’s Run, complete with pirate ship jumps, will be added to the new Intermediate course and will be ready for the July horse trials. A new coffin ditch will be one of 32 efforts on the new Intermediate course.
Roebke’s Run gearing up for FEI One Star rating, approved for ‘Intermediate’ summer horse trials
By Pat Schmidt
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John Williams is a guy who knows his horses and who knows his courses.
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He competed as a team rider at the 2004 U.S. Olympics in Athens, the 2002 World Championships
as lead rider in their gold medal effort and was also a member of the 1991 PanAm team. He’s been
around, to say the least.
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For the past 30 years he has put all that “horse sense” and experience together to pursue what is
now his primary vocation of course design and evaluation. His work takes him to over 20 venues annually and he estimates he has designed over 2,000 courses at all levels. Most of these courses are
in the United States, but he has also worked in Columbia, Venezuela, Guatemala and five sites in
Mexico — the most notable being the 2011 PanAm Games Course in Guadalajara.
John Williams oversaw bulldozers hard at work digging a new water jump at Roebke’s Run inHector, MN. An improved Roebke’s Run under Williams direction, will be ready for Intermediate and FEI One Star riders next summer and fall. Williams is a nationally known designer ofequestrian and cross country courses.
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His reputation as a nationally recognized designer of cross-country courses across America, brought
him more recently to Roebke’s Run cross-country course in Hector, Minnesota Oct. 16. He was there
to design the course for a FEI One Star Event rating, which will be the final decision of a USEF committee. On October 17, Roebke’s Run was given approval to run Intermediate in July/Oct. 2013.
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The FEI One Star rating promotes young riders to compete on the course and ultimately compete in
the FEI North America Junior and Young Rider Championships. The Intermediate ranking will bring in
the more advanced riders.
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“Putting together a course is actually like putting together a puzzle,” said Williams. I have to come up
with a track that feels the way the riders want — forward, open and galloping, not tight and twisty.”
He explained that an event can include as many as five other courses being run on the same day
that intermingle with each other. At the most, maybe two jumps out of up to 32 would be shared per
level.
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“Bumping up to Intermediate and One Star level is a big deal, but relatively easy to accomplish here
with the team that Roebke’s Run has put together.”
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The Intermediate level accreditation was awarded to Roebke’s Run, but due to construction that
doesn’t mean it exists yet. A bulldozer was hard at work today digging a large new 100’ x 170’ water
jump. There will be a total of three water complexes, a Weldon’s Wall, two coffin ditches and pirate
ship jumps at the new water complex, along with 32 treasured jumps to be added to the course as
well.
Six or seven preliminary fences will be added to Roebke’s Run, including this Weldon’s Wall, now under construction.
A new coffin ditch will be one of 32 efforts on the new Intermediate course.
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“The Schweiss’s have hit the ground running, making fast and good progress in order to run a popular and top-notch competition. In the short two years since I’ve been here, they’ve made many wonderful improvements to their overall facility and have purchased additional land for it to be all that it
can be. The entire atmosphere of Roebke’s Run is very appealing,” noted Williams. “As a team effort,
we have managed to make the most out of it in a relatively short period of time.”
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Cleon J. Wingard, a FEI/USEF licensed official concurs. “The entire course has made very good use
of terrain. This course is one of the best courses I have seen. In my opinion, the event would be an
excellent choice for a FEI One Star event. I do not think USEA/Area IV could have a better event to
host an FEI One Star.”
At this point in time, Roebke’s Run coordinators, Julie Schweiss and Brook Mead are planning to
conduct the Intermediate trials during the Roebke’s Run events in July and October and to push back
the FEI One Star event to the October Roebke’s Run trials.
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Next Summer, Roebke’s Run Horse Trials are slated for July 12-13, 2013.
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For more information on Magister Equitum Stables or Roebke’s Run Horse Trials, visit their website
at: www.magisterequitum.com or visit them on Facebook or on the web at: www.SchweissStables.com.
A new clocktower stall building will be built to stable a total of 228 horses. There are 76 stalls
on the left side and 152 on the right side of the 348 ft. long structure.
(Photos by David Eckman, Schweiss Doors)
