Brandon laying groundwork for Arabian championship

BRANDON — It’s time to dish the dirt on what’s about to happen at Brandon’s Keystone Centre.

Hundreds of horses and hundreds more spectators are about to descend on the site for Canada’s National Arabian Championship Aug. 6 to 15, and before that happens, the staging surface has to be perfect.

“We have been working on this day in and day out,” said Devin Epp, sales manager in the Ag Centre at the Keystone Centre.

Since July 24, staff have been working on a 24-hour schedule to build the competition floor. Dirt was hauled into the arena and has since been worked into place with tractors and hand-pushed equipment.

The goal is to ensure the floor is as firm and evenly laid as possible, Epp said, since Arabian horses have evolved to prefer firm terrain.

Staff are now raking 80 cubic yards of sand on top of the hard dirt base to form a layer of about two inches. The arena is worked for 10 to 15 hours per day.

The preparations are painstaking — and the staff have found their stride this year compared to the first year the championship came back to Brandon, Epp said.

“Last year, when we brought it back, it was a learning process,” he said. “But this year it has been smooth. It looks amazing.”

Events will include horses of different ages and riding demonstrations in various categories, including ladies side saddle, dressage and country English pleasure driving.

To ensure that the arena is in tip-top shape, a footing expert has been sent in to oversee the work.

Allan Quast of Lacombe, Alta., came to the Keystone Centre last week on behalf of the Arabian championship to ensure that the base is perfect. Quast has been a “dirt guy” for 30 years and is lending his expertise to ensure the floor is of the exacting standards necessary to showcase Arabian horses.

Quast has logged 12-hour days leading to the event.

“It takes that much prep work to get it done,” he said. “You gotta get it right the first time around.”

Quast measures and reviews the ground and getting his hands dirty is all in a day’s work.

“I drive the tractor too, because I’m fussy,” he said.

The Keystone Centre is preparing up to 450 indoor stables and 140 outdoor stables to accommodate competitors next week. The centre stockpiled hay and shavings ahead of the event and Epp will work with children from a local 4-H chapter to bed the stables in the coming days.

The facility needs to be ready by Tuesday, as riders can arrive in Brandon in advance of the Thursday kickoff, to warm up and get settled in.

Connie Lawrence, CEO and general manager of the Keystone Centre, said the goal is to make the experience enjoyable for competitors and guests.

“We try to make it as easy as possible for everyone who’s coming here,” she said. “The biggest thing they like about Brandon is our facility. It is a world-class facility.”

The centre’s 44 fully serviced campsites are filled up and overflow campsites are now being snapped up, she said.

Preparations also include setting up a lounge area, booking musical performances and arranging catered meals and coffee deliveries for competitors.

In all, 30 maintenance staff and 11 managers are involved in the prep work.

— Brandon Sun