Olympians Phillip Dutton, of West Grove, Pa., and Jil Walton of Kalispell along with the top three finishers in the highly competitive CIC*** division from last year — Kristi Nunnink and her Holsteiner “R-Star,” Katherine Groesbeck and “Oz the Tin Man” and Jolie Wentworth and “GoodKnight” — are scheduled to compete this week at The Event at Rebecca Farm.

It all starts Wednesday with USEA Young and Future Event Horse Series at 9 a.m. on the 640-acre West Valley farm.

The Event concludes Sunday with show jumping and an awards ceremony.

In between, equestrian fans will be treated to world-class competition in dressage and cross county.

This will be the biggest field ever for The Event, now in its 12th year at Rebecca Farm.

“I am quite surprised, pleasantly surprised,” said Sarah Broussard, The Event organizer.

“I think we all kind of thought we were there ... it had gotten as big as it would be ... and low and behold we were wrong. But that’s OK.”

The previous high number for competitors was 480. This year the number is 560 for the horse trials plus 45 for the young and future events.

“I think we are big enough,” Broussard said.

“You know, I thought we were big enough last year.

“The reason we run The Event is for the competitors,” she stressed.

“We’ll continue to do our best to meet their needs. If people are willing to drive 48 hours to be here, I’ll put up an extra barn.”

Broussard said this year’s competition is “really important for some. It’s a notch for many of them in their qualification schedule.”

She said The Event dates back to the early 1980s when it was held at Herron Park. It was officially recognized in 1989.

After 25 years at Herron Park, it was moved to its present location.

Dutton was a member of Australia’s gold-medal eventing team at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. He competed in three Olympics and four World Championships with Australia.

After becoming a U.S. citizen in 2006, he rode with the U.S. Olympic equestrian team at the Beijing (2008) and London (2012) Games.

Dutton, 49, has won two gold medals.

Walton and her husband Rick Patterson own an eventing facility — JARBA Farms — on Farm To Mark Road. She gives clinics in dressage, stadium jumping and cross country.

Walton competed with the U.S. equestrian team in the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain.

For more information, visit www.RebeccaFarm.org. Media photography can be accessed at www.flickr.com/photos/rebeccafarm.

Admission for spectators is free and Rebecca Farm also features an ever-growing trade fair tent and a variety of concessions that will be open all four days.

A $5 parking donation is requested to support “Halt Cancer at X”— an initiative to raise money for breast cancer research in memory of The Event’s founder, Rebecca Broussard.

Last year’s inaugural campaign raised $65,000 for both local and national organizations. 

To access Rebecca Farm, from the junction of U.S. 93 and 2, travel two-miles north on U.S. 93 to West Reserve Drive and go west 2 miles to Springcreek Road, then south on Springcreek. The entrance is 3/4 of a mile on the right.

Schedule of Events

Wednesday

9 a.m.-5 p.m.

USEA Young and Future Event Horse Series.

Thursday,

8 a.m.-5 p.m.

Dressage, all FEI levels. Dressage, National Horse Trial levels. Novice cross-country.

Friday

8 a.m.-5 p.m.

Dressage, all FEI Levels. National Horse Trial levels dressage continues. Cross-country phase for Training, Training 3-Day, Novice 3-Day.

Saturday

8 a.m.-5 p.m.

Cross-Country phase all day. All FEI levels. National Horse Trial Levels continue. Show jumping for Training 3-Day, Novice, Novice 3-Day.

Sunday

8 a.m.-5 p.m.

Show Jumping phase, all remaining levels. Awards ceremony at end of each division.