United States Eventing Association

Terry Hilst has loved horses since she was a little girl, but it wasn’t until 1996 when a move took her from Southern California to a town called Chico in the northern section of the state that she had the opportunity to explore the sport of eventing. She was quickly hooked, sending her on a journey that would take her through the Preliminary level competitively and ultimately culminate in the purchase of Ram Tap Horse Park in 2020.

After 40 years spent working in the paper packaging industry, Hilst decided to focus more of her daily life on her love for eventing when her and her husband, David Hilst, took on the event organizing role at Camelot Equestrian Park in Butte Valley, California, in the late 2000s. The couple spent a decade running events out of the property, and in 2016, they began hosting USEA recognized competitions. The event became a staple on the local calendar.

In 2019, several life changes would occur that changed the trajectory of Terri's future. After several years spent battling heart failure, David passed away peacefully in December, leaving Terry at a crossroads of how she would move forward. She explained that shortly after, she was working at Galway Downs in Temecula, California, with cross-country course designer Bert Wood when he received a call from former USEA Board of Governors Member and then owner of Fresno Country Horse Park, John Marshall.

“John called him and said, ‘I’m going to sell [Ram Tap].’ Because Bert knew I was recently widowed, he turned to me, and said, ‘You ought to buy it,’ and I said ‘OK!’ If my husband had been alive, trust me, we wouldn’t be talking about Ram Tap right now,” she exclaimed.

Terry purchased Fresno County Horse Park from Marshall in the fall of 2020, returning to the original name of Ram Tap Horse Park with Bill Burton’s permission. Burton held the position of "stable boy" for Pat and Marion Humphries when they founded Ram Tap in 1957, and then operated Ram Tap until he sold it to Marshall. Terry hosted her first combined trial at the venue in 2021. One aspect of the old events that she felt passionate about continuing was the USEA Classic Series.

“I love long format. I love the idea that you’re the only one that handles, that rides your horse,” she explained. “I love the idea that you clean their stall, you do their tack, and the conditioning aspect of the long format. It appeals to me so much. The idea is to keep the horse sound. That has drawn me to eventing my entire life. In the other sports, it’s more of a business, and eventing has certainly become more of a business over the years, I can’t deny that, but there is still some of that ideology that we are taking care of and conditioning our horses, and the long format promotes that.”

To keep the Classic Series top of mind at the new Ram Tap Horse Trials, Terry expanded their offerings to include Beginner Novice, Novice, and Training Three-Day divisions. Today, their Classic Series event is hosted each November, and Terry hosts several educational opportunities throughout the year at the venue to bolster entries for the recognized event in the fall. This includes Beginner Novice Three-Day divisions at three unrecognized, schooling events that are hosted throughout the year.

“That has actually given some people the chance to try it in a low-pressure, low-cost environment,” she noted. “We’ve also conducted training seminars with the help of Wendy Wergeles and Kim Goto Miner to further educate interested competitors.”

The educational opportunities don’t end there. Terry enthusiastically noted that “steeplechase training sessions are available to schedule with me. I am always willing to prepare the grounds. I’ll prepare the footing, I’ll brush the jumps, I’ll certainly offer that if anyone is interested!”

Education and experience have always been core values of the USEA Classic Series, and competitors at the Ram Tap are walking the walk when it comes to these goals. “I’ve seen people go, ‘I want to move up to Modified, so I think I need to do the Classic first to make sure they’re ready,’ ” Terry explained. By using the Classic Three-Day event as a steppingstone to a move up, competitors enter the next phase of their journey with valuable experience gained and a stronger partnership with their horse.

For Terry, the value of keeping the Classic Series alive at her events lies in her competitor’s smiles at the end of the weekend.

“It’s when you see people coming off of Phase D after they’ve finished A, B, and C, knowing that was the best cross-country ride they’ve ever had in their life. To teach these people that don’t come through Pony Club or a really concentrated program that focuses on the horse, and they learn how to do a P and R, or they’ve learned to time their horse’s gaits, their happiness at learning is the stuff that keeps me going.”

To learn more about Ram Tap Horse Park and their Classic Three-Day Event, visit Ram Tap Horse Park. Entries for the Ram Tap H.T. & Classic 3-Day are open through Oct. 28, and the omnibus listing for the event can be viewed here.

As a closing remark, Terry wished to thank all the supporters of Ram Tap Horse Park. “Last month, we let people know that our low entries for this October show were going to be enough of a financial hit that this may be the end,” she explained. “What happened in two weeks’ time [after that announcement], we went from 76 to 120 entries, which for us is huge. That will put me close to the breakeven point for this show.”

She continued, “In the last five days, I have received personal donations from the supporters of Ram Tap that just want me to keep going. I’m just so grateful to them. I’m beside myself. I appreciate it so much, and it’s all coming right back to them.”

If you are interested in making a donation to support Ram Tap Horse Park, visit click here. Through a partnership with Southern California Equestrian Sports, donors are able to provide make tax-deductible donations to the venue.

The USEA wishes all the competitors in Beginner Novice, Novice, and Training Three-Day divisions at Ram Tap the best of luck next month! To learn more about the USEA Classic Series and view the annual calendar of events, click here.

About the USEA Classic Series

The USEA Classic Series keeps the spirit of the classic long ­format three-day events alive for Beginner Novice through the Preliminary levels. Competitors can experience the rush of endurance day, including roads and tracks, steeplechase, the vet box, and cross-country, as well as participate in formal veterinary inspections and educational activities with experts on the ins and outs of competing in a long ­format three-­day event. Riders who compete in a USEA Classic Three-Day Event during the year will have the chance to win a variety of prizes at the events from USEA sponsors and earn leaderboard points. Click here to learn more about the USEA Classic Series.

The USEA would like to thank bronze sponsors D.G. Stackhouse & Ellis, PulseVet, and SmartEquine, as well as contributing sponsors Bates Saddles and Schneiders Saddlery, for supporting the USEA Classic Series.