TEAM TRYON REBECCA FARM REPORT
By Jemi Cain (Amy's mom)

What an incredible show the west put on for the east at the Rebecca Farm Horse Trials.  We’ve always known the Rebecca Farm competition to be famous for the site, the organization, the courses, the amenities, the friendliness, and the spirit of good competition.  And this year was no exception.  But this year, for the first time, top riders and their horses came from the east to find out what all the fuss was about and went home raving about everything they experienced. (Panoramic photo at left by Eliana Lima-Campos, Sam's mom)

You can read about all the results elsewhere, but not reported anywhere else was the significant role various Team Tryon members played.  Nearly 500 competitors came to play and ride, among them 17 riders who board and/or train at Amy’s beautiful barn, Upson Downs in Duvall, WA, owned by Dee Strand.  New definition of “busy”:  Amy rushing from arena to arena to warm up students, walking nearly all the cross country courses with different students, and keeping track of everyone (two and four-footed) back at the barn.  We shudder to think of getting it all done in the days before mini-motorcycles and golf carts.

Several Team Tryon riders and their moms rolled up their sleeves and helped the organizers put the polish on last minute tasks--in the secretary’s office and out on courses and for the competitors’ briefing.  They didn’t have to; they just did.  Bravo!

The overachievers on Team Tryon also organized incredibly yummy dinners for about 35 hungry TT members…pot luck supreme every one of them.  Who else gets to eat gourmet fare featuring panini's and sliders in the middle of the stabling area?  Mom Eileen Hammel and rider Ashley Colonel were top dog gourmands; their menu planning and organizational expertise will long be remembered.  Ashley also put on a birthday bash for herself (dare we mention that it was the BIG  4-0 for her?)  It was a Mexican buffet as yet unparalleled in stabling history.  Ashley and Colby’s adorable young son was checking everyone’s ID before he’d serve them a margarita.  What a charmer he’s growing up to be! 

Skipping to the subject of the competitors’ briefing:  Amy and Sarah Kelley, daughter of Becky and Jerome Broussard, our hosts, cooked up a special surprise.  At the conclusion of the briefing, Amy introduced a parade of horses owned wholly or in part by the Broussards: Fernhill Eagle , Tru Luck, and Quintus 54, who flew from the east coast along with Carl and Cassandra Segal’s My Boy Bobby and Titanium, and Joan Goswell’s Mandiba (who performed brilliantly in the CIC*** W).  Also paraded was Nicodemus, owned by Becky Broussard, but he had to ride from Duvall (WA) in the trailer—no plane ride for him! 

Amy’s narrative about each of the horses paraded (and their riders) left few dry eyes. Those fabulous horses have already made their marks for the US team, or hopefully, are about to do just that.  It was a lovely way to acknowledge the Broussard’s generosity to the sport of Eventing—they don’t just provide a superlative event site, they support a wide variety of USEA and USEF activities, and their presence is felt throughout our sport. 

Two-legged “ celebrities” were also at RFarm for the event.  Making the trip from east to west were long time USEA/USEF supporters Richard Thompson and Jacqueline Mars as well as the Segals.  And then there was the list of blue-ribbon officials and the judging panel--names well respected internationally, including our own beloved Joanna Herrigstad, who’s done so much to promote and shape Eventing in Area VII. 

Madly racing about on “the hill” in his golf cart watching short-listed riders for the WEG on their cross country courses; or dashing from arena to arena on dressage and show jumping days was Captain Mark Phillips, chef d’equippe and coach of our national teams.  If everyone rode like Mark drives, no one could beat them (unless, of course, they fell off!)  Amy long ago remarked that riding in a car with Mark at the wheel is markedly more dangerous than riding a difficult horse on cross-country! 

Some of the selectors for the WEG team were also taking notes.  With so many eyes on them, WEG team candidates mostly had big smiles as they exited the show jumping rings.  Glitches here and there, of course, as is always the case, but on the whole our US team candidates for the WEG demonstrated that they deserved to be on the short list.

Team Tryon’s most appreciated gesture was the fresh fruit and veggie buffet provided at the end of the competitors’ briefing.  We think it was appreciated—a half gallon of homemade dill dip accompanied the veggies, and there wasn’t a scrap of anything left over.  (Of course, timing is everything…they probably hadn’t eaten much all day and the goodies appeared at about 7 pm.)  Team Tryon mom, Ping Gonzales, was responsible for the artistic arrangement of all the food and spent hours shopping and arranging and cleaning up.  Thanks, Ping! 

Team Tryon was proud of all its riders.  In particular, Maris Burns delighted her mom (and the agents who found  Young Gun in Ireland) with her first place showing in the CCI 1*.  Lauren Ferguson, Amy’s assistant, rode Nico to a third place in the same division and was enthusiastically cheered by her parents, who drove from Louisville, KY, to watch.  Amy’s newest working student, Shelby Hoag, in her first preliminary competition on her brand new ride, Mainway’s Dry Ice, also thrilled her parents with her fourth place ribbon.  Good goin’ gals!  Fortunately Team Tryon support members were able to keep up with our riders by piling on bicycles, golf carts and mini-motorcycles and dashing to the next ride. (We think some of the drivers had taken driving lessons from you-know-who!) 

So, hats off to all the competitors at Rebecca Farm and a great big thank you to all who contributed their time and energy to make the competition such a marvelous destination.  And if you didn’t get to help this year, next year just ask someone if you can pitch in.  You can even do it at all the other competitions you attend.  It’ll be appreciated.  GO EVENTING!