BEND – The High Desert Classics start today at J Bar J Boys Ranch. However, there was action aplenty Tuesday at the 37-acre ranch, as horses and and their riders took advantage of ”schooling day.”

Approximately 400 horses are expected to compete in the two weeks of shows, today through July 25 and July 28 through Aug. 1. The highlight of each week’s show is a Saturday night Grand Prix. In past years the grand prix events were held on Sunday afternoons, but this year they are slated for 6:30 p.m. each Saturday. The $15,000 Eagle Crest Resort Grand Prix is on July 24, while the $25,000 High Desert Classic is on July 31.

On Tuesday, High Desert Classic competitors participated in schooling rounds. Courses were set in some show rings, as well as in warm-up areas, so riders could familiarize themselves and their horses with the fences they’ll see during their classes.

Two of three hunter rings and one jumper ring were open for school on Tuesday. During the two-week competition, there’ll be more classes going simultaneoulsy in three hunter rings and two jumper rings.

”Schooling day is where you get rid of jitters,” said Marta Batha, who navigated Diego, her 13-year-old Thoroughbred gelding, around a jumper course under the watchful eyes of trainer Nicole Cobb.

Batha said schooling day is where riders polish their craft, while exposing themselves and their horses to new, sometimes spooky fences in an unfamiliar show ring.

”You should already pretty much know what you’re doing, but this is a chance to get rid of jitters,” Batha said, adding that while riders might have a touch of nerves to work through, not much fazes an experienced jumper horse. ”It’s the nature of the beast. There should be nothing that scares them.”

Travis Root and his girlfriend, Lindsey Paton, train horses and riders for Pacific Country Stables in Vancouver, British Columbia. Root stood at the edge of Jumper Ring 2, watching as one of his riders, Ashley Jones, took some fences aboard Capture the Flag.

”For the kids and the riders who have the willies, this is a chance to get out, test the new grounds and the footing, look at the new fences, and get the nervousness out of their stomach, ” Root said. ”Sometimes, if you’ve got a spooky horse, this gets them back on the job.”

Dianne Johnson, show manager for the High Desert Classics, said she expects approximately 400 horses from around the Northwest and Canada to compete in the show, which is a benefit for the J Bar J Ranch residential facility for young male offenders.

Johnson manages several Northwest horse shows annually. She said that she, and many of the competitors she talks to, especially like coming to the Bend show because it is a benefit for a worthwhile cause.

”Bend is my favorite. The exhibitors like to see where their money’s going,” Johnson said. ”(at ) Most horse shows, it’s going into someone’s pocket. At this one, it goes into the ranch, which is wonderful. Plus, people really like Bend because it’s fun.”

Fun is why Lindsay Kavanagh, 16, traveled from Sun Valley, Idaho to compete here. She had heard other riders talk about how much they like the Bend shows, so she and her mom, Sheree, made long journey and brought two horses.

Kavanagh and her 10-year-old Oldenburg gelding, Dutch Chocolate, will complete in the Modified Children/Adult Amateur Hunter division, which is a step up from their normal competition level, she said. However, neither she nor Coco, as she calls her horse around the barn, are nervous.

”He feels really good,” Kavanagh said after schooling in the hunter ring. She, too, is a student of Cobb’s. ”He’s been very relaxed. Normally, he’s rather neurotic the first day but I think he likes it here.”

Kavanagh will also compete Optimistic, her Thoroughbred, in jumpers.

”I’m really excited,” said the high-school junior. ”It’s going to be a lot different from hunters. There are more difficult courses. Plus, I’ve only had him two weeks … but he’s been pretty easy to get the hang of.”

Getting the hang of competing over horse-size courses on Tuesday was Morgan Gutzman, 12, from Santa Rosa, Calif. Gutzman and Chili Pepper, her 12-year-old chestnut Quarter Horse pony, were practicing dealing with the difference in strides on courses that are set for horses as opposed to ponies. Gutzman had planned to compete in the show’s pony jumper division, but it was cancelled because there were not enough ponies entered. Now, the duo will ride in the low jumper and schooling jumper divisions.

”We were hoping there’d be pony jumpers because no one beats Chili Pepper in pony jumpers,” said Kim Gutzman, Morgan’s mom, as she watched her daughter work with trainer Mattais Ekeroth. Kim Gutzman said the duo have won every pony jumper class they’ve entered this season and were looking to continue the streak over the next two weeks in Bend.

Morgan Gutzman isn’t worried about having to compete against horses, though. Shortly after finishing her schooling round, she said it’s just a matter of getting used to a new competitive situation quickly. She said having to ride a pony around a course where the distances between jumps are set for horses – obviously long for a pony – means she’ll have to adjust her approach.

”We just have a shorter stride, so I have to go a little bit slower,” she said. ”I just go in and ride the best I can.”

J Bar J Ranch is located at 62895 Hamby Road. For more information, contact 389-1409 or see www.jbarj.org/horseshow.htm.