Sally Spickard is 27 years old from St. Louis, Mo. She currently spends her free time stalking Eventing Nation for the latest Cooley Cross Border news (have you SEEN that horse yet?) and writing for We Are Cardinal Nation, a St. Louis Cardinals sports blog. Sally was one of four finalists in this year’s EN Blogger Contest, and we are excited for her continued contributions!
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Sharon White and Rafferty's Rules at Rebecca Farm 2011. Photo courtesy of Kerrits.
Happy Rebecca Farm week, Eventing Nation! I don’t know about you but I look forward to this event almost as much as I do the big 4* events each year. There is just something about Rebecca Farm that feels special to me, and each year I peruse the internet for plane ticket deals to Kalispell, only to despair at the prospect of shelling out $600 for a ticket. I then pull out my old trusty Rand McNally Google Map and find out if I can justify the road trip, then quickly dismiss that idea at the thought of driving over 3000 miles round trip. So, alas, I have not yet made it out to this fabled event, but I do have some excellent reasons why we should all put this event at the top of our lists to see. If anyone decides to go, pick me up in St. Louis, will you?
1. Everyone loves a road trip.
Please disregard what I said earlier about not wanting to go on a 3000 mile road trip. I will agree to ride along with you if you don’t mind that I like to play obnoxious games like the license plate game or P’Diddle the whole way there. No, really though, I do love road trips. I would even road trip all the way to Montana if I could take enough time to get there and back; I’m sure there’s some pretty fantastic shopping landmarks to hit along the way.
2. Rebecca Farm is on a cozy 640 acre property, framed by mountains and lush green grass as far as the eye can see.
From what I have seen, the farm is absolutely gorgeous. I also read rider tweets and Facebook updates as they arrive at the farm, and they never fail to comment on the absolutely breathtaking grounds. Plus, if I ever make it there to compete, I will point to the mountains in the distance and tell my horse “I could have made you an endurance horse, and we could be running up and down those, but instead I simply ask you to jump over a few logs so please oblige me.”
3. Rubbing elbows with the who’s who of eventing is my kind of thing.
Rebecca Farm is a perfect blend of West and East coast eventers, plus everyone else in between. I bet the competitor’s parties are the place to be!
4. The water in the water complexes is BLUE!
When I think of blue water, I think of The Fork, Rebecca Farm, and AECs at Chattahoochee Hills. It might look a bit artificial, but I think it adds a certain artistic element to the photos when you see the bright blue splash as you tumble into the water. If I compete at one of these events, I might take a RF and make sure to point my toes and do a neat little arabesque into the water if I can think that fast. The photo ops are endless!
5. The cross country jumps are fun and creative.
Jumping through the swinging doors of a saloon or a friendly looking crocodile? Sign me up! Course designer Ian Stark has done a fantastic job creating a course that looks inviting as well as technical and challenging – all in all, what cross country should be! Plus, if all else fails, I think it could be converted into an extreme putt putt course in a pinch.
6. Rebecca Farm offers a Novice and Training Three Day.
As a current lower level rider, the opportunity to compete in a Three Day is fantastic. More and more events are offering lower level three day events now, and I applaud these events. Now, give me a Cross Rail Three Day (C3D) and I will dominate!
7. There are fun things to see in Kalispell, such as the Wild Horse Island State Park.
This island is only accessible by boat and is home to many wild animals, including wild horses. Definitely not something you see every day! If I attempt to recreate a Misty of Chincoteague style pony swim, please don’t judge me.
8. Speaking of movie recreations, how about The Horse Whisperer?
Good old Tom Booker lived in Montana, so add that to the list of reasons to visit. I remember seeing that movie when I was younger and wanting to go and gallop my horse across the seemingly unpopulated state as soon as Annie and Tom did on screen. Maybe I will move to Kalispell and become their resident horse whisperer.
9. Someone at Rebecca Farm owns a REALLY cool remote controlled helicopter that they use to do course flyovers.
I really want to get my hands on that helicopter. I mean, there are so many more ways to use it! You could use it as an extra motivator to make time on cross country – you’d better believe your horse will focus on completing as soon as possible if he had a helicopter chasing him! Or better yet, you can earn extra recognition for your dressage test if you complete with no aerial maneuvers caused by the hovering device of terror that sits right above A during your test.
10. And finally, I must pay a respectful and thankful homage to the late Rebecca Broussard and her surviving family, who have done unspeakable amounts of good for our sport.
Just to name a few, the fantastic event that is put on each year, the Halt Cancer at X initiative, and the Rebecca Broussard Travel Grant are all examples of the wonderful things this family has done for eventing. We are all indebted to them for being such loyal supporters and I can only hope that we continue to be supported by such generous and sincere people.
A big thank you goes out to the organizers, stewards, judges, designers, volunteers, and sponsors of the Event at Rebecca Farm. Good luck to all of you competing this weekend. Go Rebecca Farm and Go Eventing!
