Tamra Smith kindly sent us this event report from Caber Farm in Onalaska, WA. It sounds like a fantastic event! Thanks to Tamra for writing, and thank you for reading. If you have an event write-up to share, send it to [email protected]. Each month, one reader submission will be selected for an Omega Alpha prize package. Go Eventing!
From Tamra:
The Northwest has to be my favorite place to event in the country now. I admittedly have always wondered what attracted people to the “dreary northwest” and now I can see the attraction. You get the feel of Europe without the cold. The people are friendly, and the cross country is the way it truly was meant to be……with terrain, several natural hazards and did I say terrain?
NLE made a decision this spring that competing in the Northwest would be scheduled into this summers season. We have several up and coming youngsters as well as needing to get qualified for the Gold Cup at the American Eventing Championships.
So off we went to what everyone in the country knows is an amazing event: Rebecca Farm. Just like every year they did not disappoint…in fact they had more entries than I have ever seen at an event and its a testament to the entire team that they not only allowed all of us to come and compete, but that they were able to run so smoothly. After a very successful run at Rebecca Farm we went home for a month and back up to the Northwest to Caber Farm this past weekend.
Most of you know John Camlin. That is if you’ve evented on the team back when they had black and whites for photos and natural ditches without groundlines. John owns and operates Caber Farm along with his wonderful wife Cindy, and right hand man Marc Grandia.
John made nearly 20 advanced horses in his day and was short listed for the team a few times. He helped prepare riders for their first 1*, 2*, 3* and 4*. He competed at Rolex several times as well as Europe and now gives back to the sport of eventing by keeping the theories of James Wofford and Jack LeGoff alive.
John has been a staple in the sport of eventing on the west coast and the one thing you can count on is that he will always provide a helping hand whenever you;re feeling a little in need in the warm up….his intimidating demeanor is truly a facade and not far behind that serious look on his fiercely competitive face is a kind and caring man…who probably loves eventing more than anyone I know.
Caber Farm gave you a feel of being a bit on the east coast…..like Richland Park with a European feel. It reminded me so much of Boekelo with a family run atmosphere. They had so many volunteers that they didn’t need everyone’s help. Since when do you see that at an event these days?
I was so happy we made the drive to this event–not only to support a friend, but to see how the Northwest does it. What a treat it was! It’s such a great feeling to see that the west coasters have everything it takes to prepare for the big time as well. From the kid who was clearly competing in their first event, the adult amateur who was out for the weekend to have a good time, to several Northwest professionals competing, it was a very intertwined mix of competitors that made it what eventing was for me as a kid. The old school way of eventing. Lots of OTTB’s, some draft crosses as well as warmbloods were all around.
The show photographer was exceptional as well…I had many photos to choose from on all of my horses and surprisingly enough not one of them was bad. The overall vibe was refreshing and fun and so nice to have that feel at an event.
Every morning the fog would rise right above the cross country jumps and give a feel of tranquility.
Caber Farm was extremely well ran, with a friendly atmosphere. Challenging, but rewarding cross country courses and the show jumping was very successful if you rode your lines correctly. All of my horses finished the weekend feeling like they gained months of training and I can’t tell you how pleased I am with all of their progress.
It’s an event that everyone should come and see. I’m really looking forward to attending Aspen Farms owned by John and Susie Elliott in two weeks!
GO EVENTING!
