The Summer Fort Classic is underway at Thunderbird Show Park in 91原创, bringing riders from all over North America and beyond to compete in one of the bigger events on the tbird annual calendar.

The Classic runs from Wednesday, Aug. 16 to Sunday, Aug. 20 for CSI3* riders, and follows the Summer Fort Welcome event that ran from Aug. 9 to 13. Many riders have come for a full two or three weeks to take part in competitions over the whole span of the events, including Sunday, Aug. 20鈥檚 ATCO Cup Grand Prix.

Part of a multi-week span of events, the show grounds are busy, with riders, horses, grooms, trainers, family, and fans, either competing or practising going on throughout the day.

鈥淲e鈥檙e not missing Thunderbird,鈥� said Karrie Rufer, of Morning Star Sporthorses. 鈥淚t鈥檚 my favourite horse show.鈥�

Rufer鈥檚 stable is in California, and she brought seven horses this year to test in various jumping events, a mixture of veterans and new horses, between the ages of six and 14.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a great show for that,鈥� she said, with lots of variety to challenge the horses and riders.

Rufer competes in the FEI three-star division. Divisions in show jumping range up to five-star, which is where athletes and horses at the Olympic and world championship level compete.

鈥淎s each star gets higher, the jumps get bigger,鈥� she said.

READ ALSO: VIDEO: 91原创鈥檚 Foster wins two a tbird

One of the draws for Rufer and other riders is the quality of courses at tbird, she said.

Between the sand-covered rings and the show park鈥檚 signature grass field, Rufer said that they鈥檙e interesting, and the horses have a lot to look at.

She noted the facilities get upgraded regularly.

鈥淓very year we come back here, they鈥檝e made some kind of marked improvement in something,鈥� she said. Stalls, barns, even washrooms, there are always improvements.

Also competing in FEI three-star division is Eric Krawitt of Calgary.

Krawitt, still a teenager, is an independent rider, with his two horses Cactus and Chicago, and help from his mother and a groom.

But he鈥檚 trained with some of the best, including Norman Dellojoio and 91原创鈥檚 own champion Tiffany Foster.

This is his first time coming for the big August events, although he鈥檚 ridden before in spring competitions in May several times.

鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of prize money, and a lot of good classes for the upper level,鈥� he said.

Krawitt has been getting ready for the events for weeks, working on his horses鈥� fitness and training.

Moving horses long distance, and then giving them a day to 鈥渃hill鈥� before they compete is part of that. On a long trip, you have to watch carefully to make sure the horses are eating, drinking, and in good health, he explained.

One thing Krawitt believes is that you can鈥檛 just keep heading from event to event.

鈥淭he real work is done at home, and the show is the fun part,鈥� he said.

That means a lot of work with the horses in between the competitions.

鈥淚f you鈥檙e jumping the bigger classes, you want to have a really good relationship with your horses,鈥� he said.

The two weeks of events lead up to the ATCO Cup this Sunday.

鈥淓verything they are doing is gearing up for that,鈥� tbird president Chris Pack said.

The prize money in the ATCO is $100,000, and the event also gives points in FEI standings for riders.

It鈥檚 the big finish after what has been a weeks-long event for many riders involving travel, training, and competition itself.

The ATCO Cup comes as tbird鈥檚 50th anniversary continues. The show park has been giving away free entry fees to five exhibitors at each of the 10 major shows that dot their seasonal calendar, amounting to thousands of dollars in savings for riders.