(Last year’s OHDC poster tells a story of connection. Over the years, Kimry has reflected on the poster of Marta Batha’s that inspired her, about how it set her on a path to support J Bar J and the OHDC for so many years. It felt right to make last year’s poster a tribute to Marta. Kimry set out to paint it using similar colors and horse position to the poster she saw shortly after her arrival in Bend in 2007. Kimry also wanted to celebrate one of the horses from the Oregon High Desert Classics, and along with the OHDC team, chose Capilano, Lindsey Garner’s four-year winner of the OHDC Grand Prix. ‘Cappy’ seemed like a beautiful fit, as his history with the Oregon High Desert Classics runs deep. It wasn’t until the painting was underway that Kimry learned that the combination tribute to Marta and Cappy shows another connection. Lindsey had helped train Cappy as a foal, who was later sold. He returned to Bend when Lindsey’s friend and student Marta Batha, artist of the 2007 poster, purchased him and brought him back in 2016, ultimately completing his circle when she sold him to Lindsey. Photos courtesy of J Bar J)
Life with horses builds bonds: The connection between human and horse grows through groundwork and time in the saddle. Lessons build more than skills, they nurture trust between a rider and their trainer. Events create spaces for equestrians to gather and meet, where exhibitors exchange stories during breaks and shared meals, growing friendships.
Central Oregon’s largest horse show, the Oregon High Desert Classics, not only brings a highly ranked USHJA show to Bend, it has become entwined in the culture of the community. It expands the circle of bonds beyond those who are immersed in the world of horses, connecting horses with those who are not. Showing hundreds of spectators a glimpse into equestrian life, and the beauty of the bond between horse and human.
Today, the Oregon High Desert Classics draws hundreds of competitors from all over the West. World-class hunters and jumpers square off in each week’s Grand Prix and the International Hunter Derby. The event has become a tradition, and was even awarded the USEF Heritage Competition designation for its ‘substantial contribution toward the development and promotion of the sport by achieving, maintaining and promoting the equestrian ideals of the sportsmanship and competition.’
This premier event began small, on the polo field at the Stevenson Ranch. Called the High Desert Horse Fair, it was the vision of Diana Davis to raise money for a project her life-long friend Don Kerr was building: The High Desert Museum. Diana and Don drove to Bend together in his old VW van from Portland, along with his two owls as passengers, to walk the property where he envisioned a place fashioned after the Living Desert Museum in Tucson. Sparked by his excitement about this project, Diana planned his initial big fundraiser: a horse show.
The High Desert Horse Fair drew competitors from around the Northwest. Bend was a small town, but the desire for a hunter jumper event was clear. They even managed to attract a few professionals, including Gary Henley, a renowned trainer who lived in Washington at the time. The weather didn’t cooperate that first year, and Diana recalls the judges sitting on the back of a flatbed in the downpour, huddled in horse blankets while watching competitors. It was so wet, she considered canceling the final events until Gary told her, “Stop fussing about and let’s run the grand prix!” The show ran in that location for several years during the 80s and became the Michelob Classics.
In 1989, youth from the J Bar J Boys Ranch began providing much-needed labor, and the event became a fundraiser for its parent company. The J Bar J Youth Services board agreed to provide a permanent home and became responsible for the show. The organization worked to laser level the fields on the Boys Ranch, build up the substrate, and plant the lovely grass arenas used to this day. Each July, on that open field, a showground arises. Rings are defined with fencing and jumps brought in to build courses in them. Tents, judging booths, and stables for 600 horses are raised. Flowers, tables, a service kitchen all appear where there was only grass the week before.
A big piece of OHDC’s history is the artwork of Kimry Jelen. Not long after moving to Bend, a poster caught Kimry attention. Something about it touched her and she knew in that moment she wanted to create posters like that one by Marta Batha. Over the years, Kimry has come to trust the belief that if you set your intentions, opportunities come. Things fell into place, and since that time Kimry has created 14 posters for the Oregon High Desert Classics.
J Bar J Youth Services has helped thousands of kids over the years move toward self-sufficiency and wellness. J Bar J programs include J Bar J Boys Ranch and J5, The Academy at Sisters, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Oregon, Cascade Youth & Family Center, at: project, Grandma’s House, and Kindred Connections. The Learning Center offers a high school diploma track as well as GED training and testing. And, of course, many people know them for their largest fundraiser of the year, the Oregon High Desert Classics: a fundraiser where the love of horses empowers youth.