Some people might think of skiing or cowboys when you mention Jackson Hole, but refer to the small ranch town at the foot of the Teton Mountain Range to any eventer and they will assure you that Jackson Hole is the only place to be the last weekend in August.

That is when Bill and Robin Weiss host the prestigious Jackson Hole Horse Trials, a USCTA and USET recognized event, at Spring Creek Equestrian Center, a 500-acre facility that boasts top-of-the-line dressage arenas, cross country courses and stadium arenas. It was 10 years ago that the horse trials moved from nearby Wilson, Wyoming, to Spring Creek, and in that time the Weiss’s have spared no effort in creating one of the most organized, successful events in the country.

They have help, of course. Olympian Capt. Mark Phillips designs the cross-country courses, and Rolex Kentucky Three-Day-Event course builder Mick Costello constructs the jumps. Countless volunteers devote their time and labor to ensure that every last detail of the event is planned. And eventers throughout the west and Canada eagerly arrive, some days before the event, to compete in paradise.

With the jagged peaks of the Tetons looming in the distance, nearby pastures filled with cattle, the occasional cowboy on his horse, clear, crisp air and cool nights, being in Jackson is truly immersing yourself in the best of the west.

This year’s Jackson Hole Horse Trials featured an expanded trade show and a fundraising dinner and silent auction to benefit the local Jackson Hole Land Trust, an organization that strives to conserve open space in and around Jackson. That event raised about $50,000, and Bill Weiss said he was pleased with the results.

“Our goal this year was to increase the public participation,” he said. “We wanted to draw more spectators, and we got about 2,500 people on cross country day. It was quite successful.”

Featuring a CIC** and a CIC*, along with open advanced through open novice and the Western DeBroke championship, this year’s horse trials rose above its usual standard of excellence and broke new ground.