Hilary Burkemper and Pele II during the eventing demonstration.
The Tribal Cup, a charity equestrian event held last Saturday at the Modoc Arena in Santa Barbara, Calif., provided excellent exposure for eventing and hopefully converted many new enthusiasts for the sport. The event, which benefited the Tribal Trust Foundation, featured demonstrations on polo, natural horsemanship, eventing, cowboy dressage and foxhunting. Hilary Burkemper and her mare Pele II gave the eventing demonstration, which was reportedly very well received by spectators.
Upper-level eventer Wendy Wergeles, who helped coordinate the event, said “eventing received some very positive PR.” Announcer Kip Goldreyer, former senior editor of Practical Horseman, helped explain eventing to the spectators, many of whom learned about the sport for the first time. Roisin Ross, a dressage instructor, said she and her sister Fiona “spent the better part of the day trying to choose among polo, natural horsemanship or three-day eventing as our next equestrian endeavor.” We might be a bit biased, but we sincerely hope Roisin and Fiona choose eventing.
