United States Eventing Association

Woodside's Tribute to Ride On Video

After nearly two decades of the Ravenscroft family and their team at Ride On Video focusing their cameras on horses and riders of all levels, the eventing community is putting the spotlight on all that Bob, Debi, and their daughter Tayler have meant to the sport as they close up shop.

The first recognized event where Ride On Video served as show videographer was at Ram Tap in Fresno, California, in 2008. It’s at the same venue in 2025 where the family operation that has captured thousands upon thousands upon thousands of dressage, cross-country, and show jumping rounds—their motto is “We Film Everyone!”—has decided to move on to their next chapter.

“Throughout my journey in the equestrian world, Bob and Debi have played pivotal roles in shaping my career,” five-star champion Tamie Smith said. “Their unwavering support and encouragement have been invaluable, especially during challenging times. Debi’s comforting hugs and kind words have lifted my spirits, reminding me that I am never alone in this pursuit. Whether it was a quick wave as I rode my ninth horse past her or a simple text during my travels, her presence has been a source of solace and strength.”

However, the Ravenscrofts are quick to point out that their dedication to eventing is as strong as ever. Although they’ve decided to bring the Ride On Video chapter of their lives to a close, they will continue to give back to the sport that has given so much to them.

The Horse Park at Woodside plans to recognize the Ravenscrofts and Ride On Video at the Woodside Spring Horse Trials which takes place May 23-25.

“Some kind of magic happened, and 20 years later, here we are,” Debi said. “The people of eventing and all equestrian sports really made it so that we were able to build a career of a lifetime and do something we love.”

It’s in that spirit that Ride On Video began, and as Debi and Tayler drove to the Ram Tap Horse Trials for the final event where Ride On Video would serve as show videographer over Valentine’s weekend, there was much love for the journey they’ve had because of the culture and community that epitomizes eventing in the United States.

“This horse world has given us a great life,” Debi said. “I have met some of my dearest and best friends because of this business that will be my lifelong close friends, not just the ‘I love you’ horse show friends. I’m talking real deep friendships.”

“Together, they have cultivated a community that feels like family and goes beyond competition," Smith shared.

Pippa Murray, an amateur rider that competes at both the lower- and upper-levels of the sport noted, “They’ve always been there. For me, Debi is the heart of my eventing community. It’s going to be an adjustment to have them in a different role. She’s just such a warm, generous, kind, empathetic person and so solid—always there.”

It all started for Bob and Debi because their daughter Tayler started riding at a young age.

“We started this business so we could afford for our daughter to show,” Debi said. “That was all we wanted.”

They first filmed for hunter/jumper, dressage, and breed shows. Their introduction to being show videographers at recognized events came when they reached out to Bill Burton, who ran horse trials at Ram Tap.

“As soon as we shot our first event, we knew we had found our home,” Debi said. “I just remember turning to my husband at the end of the show and saying, ‘I found my people.’ Eventers are just special. I just liked the vibe. I love how the people spend so much time with their own horses. Just everything about it and the pulse of the show. Every horse show has its own heartbeat.”

For those early events, they borrowed cameras or bought used ones from eBay. Debi described it as “this big monster of a camera” and added that “in retrospect, was kind of cool at the beginning because that camera got noticed and it was kind of advertising for us.”

“Bob has always been very creative to find ways to make things happen,” Debi said. “I always said we were just two fools with an idea.”

Where there’s a will there’s a way. They bought “this littly, janky, funky RV that we called ‘The Terrarium,’ ” Debi said, and they committed to their first year on the road to see if they could make Ride On Video work. Making things happen sometimes meant “my daughter’s horse trainer would shoot, and she would leave the camera to go warm our daughter up and then come back afterward and shoot again,” she said.

A combination of passion, expertise, and ingenuity became the ingredients for Ride On Video to grow. With a background in the music industry and experience having a recording studio, Bob developed a broadcasting system that made Ride On Video the first family operation to do wireless livestreaming with multiple cameras on cross-country. For example, they’ve used around 15 cameras at The Event at Rebecca Farm in Kalispell, Montana.

“That man is a genius,” Debi said. “A lot of people have followed in our footsteps since, but Bob came up with that way back when.”

Debi has ingratiated Ride On Video to the eventing community in many ways. She has emphasized the lower levels as much as the upper levels. She has offered gift certificates as prizes for every division at shows. She makes videos available to officials for review and to riders to learn from if they had issues during a particular round.

“Bottom line, if we want the sport to live, we have to nurture those low levels, and we have to treat them like they’re as important as those famous five-star riders on the ground that weekend,” she said.

Then, there’s the team of videographers, with Debi saying, “It’s our shooters that got us to where we are.”

Eventing Nation shared a “Humans of Eventing” post about Ruben Carrillo, who went from working at FedEx and at a carwash after high school to “capturing the heart-pounding action of West Coast eventing with Ride On Video,” the post said.

“This eventing world took me places where I never thought I could be,” Carrillo said in the post.

Plus, Ride On Video has supported officials at events to ensure the sport’s high level of integrity and safety.

“Ride On Video, Debi, Bob, Tayler, and the crew will be greatly missed by everyone as they have been part of the ‘team’ at almost every horse trials in the West that I have attended,” said Wendy Wergeles, who regularly serves as a technical delegate or member of the ground jury at Woodside and other venues in the West. “As an official, they always had my back. If I needed to review a video clip for an inquiry, Debi always made sure that I got it. If any of her crew mentioned a possible safety issue, she always notified me promptly. As a friend, there are none better.”

From their first shows in California, Ride On Video would expand into more states, such as Arizona, Colorado, Montana, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.

“We’ve been invited to pretty much every venue in the country, but we always kept it west of the Mississippi just because of travel and scheduling,” Debi said.

With her description of the West Coast eventing community as a “giant extended family to me and to my family,” seeing the Ride On Video tent at shows would become a welcome site.

“They have faithfully supported our shows and me personally this entire era,” said Andrea Baxter, a five-star rider and multiple USEA Young Event Horse West Coast champion. “It’s going to be a whole new chapter without them. I have lived for my video feedback. My favorite thing is to watch my ride and see what actually happened versus my memory of what I thought happened.”

“I’ve got videos from them going back probably a decade at this point," said Murray, "and I’ve definitely spent evenings in my trailer where I’m looking through these old videos going, ‘Look at how this has changed, or how I ride this differently, or how the horse has developed here, or how I could have done that better,’ and have that depth of documentation of my riding career. It’s a great resource.”

The Ravenscrofts are grateful for all the outpouring of love.

“I guess you just go out and do what you do because you love it, and you don’t realize how much you’re impacting people’s lives,” Debi said. “I’ve always said I’ve been super blessed because I’ve watched kids grow up and then go on and have their own children.”

What lies ahead for the Ravenscrofts are supporting Tayler’s riding career, as well as supporting the entire eventing community like they’ve done for many years—just in different ways.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve just been a horse show mom,” Debi said. “I’m going to go back and volunteer because I feel very, very, very strongly about giving back to the sport that has given so much to my family. It’s not like I’m saying goodbye forever. We’re just putting the cameras down. The book is far from over.”