The standings shifted radically beneath Karen O'Connor's feet Sunday afternoon during the show jumping phase of the Adequan United States Eventing Association (USEA) Gold Cup CIC***W division at The Event at Rebecca Farm in Kalispell, MT. Aboard Joan Goswell's Mandiba, the pair stood strong and posted a double-clear round in the stadium to decisively retain victory.

"For me, today was great," O'Connor said. "I rode him early this morning, and that's the first time I've done that—ride him right after the trot up—but I know Phillip [Dutton] does that a lot and it seems like giving [Mandiba] a little jump this morning made him good to go this afternoon."

While Mandiba, a 10-year-old Irish Thoroughbred, left all the rails that mattered in their cups, he threw a shoe on his way over fence seven, which knocked one of the lower rails down. But because the height of the fence was not lowered, no faults were added to their score.

"I've never had that happen before," she said, "and I didn't even notice until afterward when he stepped on the scale to weigh his boots."

Richard Jeffery's show jumping course presented a true international test for the remaining 19 riders in the headlining division. Four pairs managed to jump without fault, including Buck Davidson riding Carl and Cassandra Segal's My Boy Bobby, who settled in second place after all was said and done.

"I'm happy for Karen that she won," Davidson said, "not really happy to be second," he heckled. "But my horse was great. He got a little nervous on Friday, and he hasn't done that in the past. But he rode very well yesterday and is a fantastic show jumper."

While Phillip Dutton and Ann Jones' Truluck managed to stay ranked within the top three, their journey around the stadium wasn't exactly ideal. Catching four rails, the pair finished their weekend on a score of 61.8.

"To be quite frank I'm kind of disappointed," Dutton admitted. "But on the flip side, it shows me what I need to work on. I've put a lot of effort into Truluck's dressage lately but not as much into his show jumping. I think that might have been a fault."

Eighteen riders hailing from East of the Mississippi River made their way west to the glorious Rebecca Farm, many through the kindness and generosity of the Broussard family. "This sport wouldn't be what it is without the Broussards," Dutton said.

"It's always been my mom's dream to see the east come out here," said Sarah Kelly, Rebecca Broussard's daughter and the event's co-organizer. "It's been amazing to see her dream come true."

Whether arriving in Kalispell from the north, south, east, or west, most every rider to set foot on the perfectly kept grounds at Rebecca Farm expressed nothing but praise for the event, which riders like O'Connor, Davidson, and Dutton believe is on par with any of the most prestigious venues in the world.

"I don't think this event can be compared to any other event," Davidson said. "There's nothing like it. The ground is second to none and everything is first class. I'm glad I came and I'm hoping to come back.

"Something that might be great to do is, instead of sending our developing riders to Europe, is to bring them to places like this and support our own events," he went on. "And even the senior riders. Just to get the horses to travel and get in a new environment. It's like being on a team trip."

Both Dutton and O'Connor agreed wholeheartedly. "I can foresee Europeans coming over here," Dutton said. "They could run a four-star here tomorrow if they wanted to," O'Connor added.

Outside of the event, O'Connor, Dutton, and Davidson enjoyed surrounding attractions like golf, white water rafting, and the million acres of mountainous beauty known as Glacier National Park.

Likewise, Hannah Sue Burnett said of her first trip to Rebecca Farm, "I am in awe. This is just amazing." She not only finished in 11th place in the CIC***W aboard Richard Thompson's St. Barths after catching only one rail, she also earned the Best Conditioned Horse Award for St. Barths, and won the Preliminary Three-Day division with a double-clear show jumping round riding Jaqueline Mars' Harbour Pilot.

The Adequan USEA Gold Cup Series is made possible through the support of its many sponsors: Title: Adequan; Legacy: Nunn Finer and Nutrena, and Patron: Broadstone Equine Insurance Agency, Mountain Horse, and Succeed.

The Preliminary Three-Day event is part of the SmartPak Equine USEA Class Series events, which offers the traditional long-format competition for training and preliminary levels. The SmartPak Equine/USEA Classic Series is made possible through the support of its many sponsors: Title Sponsor: SmartPak Equine; Presenting Sponsor: Stackhouse Saddles; Silver Level Sponsor: Fleeceworks; Legacy Sponsors: Five Star Tack and VitalWear; Elite Sponsors: FITS and Nunn Finer.