If you’ve driven down the northeast section of Hamby Road in late July, you’ve probably noticed the colorful show rings and throngs of horses and riders at J Bar J Boys Ranch. This year, those grounds will be empty for only the second time in decades as the Oregon High Desert Classics horse show, slated for July 16-20 and July 23-27, has been canceled. The other cancellation in the show’s 36-year history was in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“I’m kind of disappointed about it because it’s one of the only close-to-home shows that’s A rated, and it’s really nice to be able to go home afterwards,” said Olivia Pulver, 15, a rising sophomore at Redmond Proficiency Academy who had planned to compete with Preacher, her 9-year-old Friesian-Arabian cross. She trains with Samantha von Marbod at JGW Ranch in Tumalo. “I competed there last year, and it was very fun.”
A longtime fixture on the West Coast horse show circuit, the Oregon High Desert Classics regularly attracts competitors from around the Northwest, California, and Western Canada. Citing low registration numbers with just over a month to go until the show’s first day of competitions, organizers and J Bar J officials issued a statement last week that indicated “It is with a heavy heart that we are taking a pause this year and thus cancelling both weeks of the OHDC.”
Stephanie Alvstad, CEO and president of J Bar J Youth Services, said she thinks that other shows in the Pacific Northwest drew competitors who might previously have come to Central Oregon.
“There just weren’t enough exhibitors who showed enough interest,” said Alvstad. “We decided to pause it this year, figure out what’s going on in the horse industry, and look at next year and focus on next year. It just wouldn’t have penciled out for us. We looked at a whole bundle of different options to try and reduce costs, but the exhibitor numbers just weren’t there this year.”
Local competitors and trainers say that in recent years, weather, environmental factors, and the high cost of Bend hotels and vacation rentals in July, a popular month for many events in Central Oregon, have impacted the show.
“In my opinion, one, it’s because it’s expensive, and two, it’s because week two is constantly filled with smoke. Those two weeks in July, we’ve just been hammered by smoke the last couple years,” said von Marbod, 24, who competes with her horses and trains riders. “It’s hot, we’re far away, and there are a lot more shows in California to go to.”
Tara Niculescu, 42, is the owner and operator of Sage Equestrian in Bend. She was born and raised in Central Oregon and remembers competing at the OHDC original show location, Stevenson Ranch in Southwest Bend, when she was only 8 years old.
“It’s really unfortunate. Oregon does not host very many national horse shows. There are only one or two venues that currently host them in Oregon, so it lowers your options” of where to compete, said Niculescu, who is a board member at large for the Oregon Hunter Jumper Association and was part of an advisory committee last year for the OHDC.
“There are so many horse shows now, all over the West Coast, so people pick and choose based on the venue and what they provide at the horse show. With this much competition, every horse show has to step up their game a bit,” she said. “As great as the High Desert (Classics) is, and always has been, it feels like a retro show. Some people don’t see the appeal of that. They want to go to a horse show with sand footing or the newer upgraded footing, and parties” and other amenities.
The OHDC typically has several competition rings going at once, all of which have grass footing.
“With the number of horse shows that people are doing these days, people don’t want to show on grass as much. These horses are doing 20, 25, 30 weeks a year, and grass is harder on their bodies,” said Niculescu, who said a primary recommendation of last year’s advisory committee was to replace the show-ring footing. However, she said show officials are “hesitant to change the footing, even though all of us professionals have been calling for it for years.”
“Changes and improvements” are slated, said Alesha Josue, community engagement coordinator for J Bar J. She said that the significant funds raised by the horse show will be missed this year and the organization is already discussing how to ensure next year’s show is held. “This year is just a pause. We’re looking forward to 2026 and making some changes and improvements.”
J Bar J provides services to Central Oregon youth, including a residential program for adjudicated boys; Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Oregon; the Cascade Youth & Family Center, which provides shelter and services for runaway and homeless teens; Grandma’s House, which provides emergency and transitional shelter services for young mothers; and the at: project (Anti-Trafficking Project).
Josue added that because the show’s cancellation is still so fresh, J Bar J officials aren’t quite sure what those enhancements might be or what might replace the OHDC with respect to a fundraiser this year.
“We’re in talks about what fundraising looks like going forward,” Josue said.
Meanwhile, local equestrians are scrambling to find a different show if they want to fill that two-week span on their competition calendars. For von Marbod’s group of riders who were planning to compete at the OHDC, they’re now pondering how to replace it, as many of the students and their families already had time off planned from work and other activities. She said that makes it tough to find another show on those dates without having to travel a fair distance.
“We’re trying to, but the worst thing is we can’t find any shows close to High Desert’s level. The closest thing is in Central California, which is an eight-hour drive. High Desert was perfect for kids to get started in showing, and it’s home for us, so a bit cheaper. We were lucky. Hopefully, this isn’t going to be a forever thing and maybe they’ll be back next year. It’s unfortunate. It was nice having a horse show in our backyard and a show the kids could go to where they felt comfortable.”
This article appears in Source Weekly June 26, 2025.
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