The most important clients at tbird will never say a word about what they like or don鈥檛 like about the equestrian park.
But the owners and management still put the needs of the horses front and centre.
A decade ago, a rider sat down and laid out some harsh truths about the need to upgrade. The folks at tbird listened.
That鈥檚 why the park undertakes infrastructure improvements each year to make it safer and more comfortable for the horses.
The horses used in competition have increased exponentially in value in recent years.
鈥淧eople won鈥檛 risk their horse going onto those [old-style surfaces] and jumping,鈥� noted Chris Pack, tbird鈥檚 chief operating officer and tournament manager.
The competition ring was already international quality, but horses spend far less time there than other parts of an equestrian park, so each year tbird has worked to raise its practice rings and barns up to FEI standards. Just to improve a practice ring comes in at $400,000 to $500,000, and tbird had to research how to create high-quality footings in a wet West Coast climate.
tbird now has two barns and more than 1,200 stalls at international standard. The stalls are larger and more comfortable for the horses.
鈥淚t鈥檚 just another reason why they want to come back,鈥� Pack said of the riders.
tbird has even brought in a smart-phone video monitoring system that learns a horse鈥檚 habits and sends alerts if there appears to be issues or problems.
The show park hasn鈥檛 ignored the human side of the equation. In addition to amenities for riders, there鈥檚 upgrades and beautification to make all visitors to the park enjoy their experience more.
There鈥檚 a new patio area, restaurants, a vendors鈥� row with not only the expected and necessary horse tack and supplies, but also unexpected amenities such as a nail salon, acupuncture, tbird swag, and coffee and tea houses.
鈥淲e really try and cater to the public who are coming and see the sport at its finest,鈥� said tbird president Jane Tidball.
To help facilitate that, tbird has also gone hi-tech. The park has what amounts to its own TV studio.
鈥淲e started with our first score-board, which was an old black and white scoreboard,鈥� Pack explained.
Now there鈥檚 video screens, colour scoreboards, and digital video and sound connected to a climate-controlled booth overlooking the ring.
The people who run tbird haven鈥檛 left behind their roots.
tbird offers scholarships and support to riders. And any rider at tbird benefits from being able to use the amenities, no matter how long they鈥檝e been in the saddle.
鈥淥ne of the unique things we do is run everything from short stirrups, which are ponies, right up to our last show was a five-star show 鈥� which is the highest level you can get before Olympics,鈥� Tidball added.
tbird also partners with community groups to allow them to host fundraisers and charity events 鈥� which gives many people an opportunity to see elite-level show jumping and equestrian events, and hopefully builds a bigger fan base.
That connection to community is a longstanding philosophy. Tidball鈥檚 mother, Dianne, ran tbird on the belief that each time people walked through the gates, they should be curious about what鈥檚 new and improved.
鈥淲e were brought up in a restaurant/service industry so we treat customers like guests in our own home,鈥� Tidball said.
It must work. tbird is marking its 45th anniversary in 2018 with an eye to the future.
鈥淲e鈥檙e having our 45th anniversary this year, so we鈥檝e really grown from being a little local 70 person horse show to now we鈥檝e got 1,250 stalls that are completely sold out,鈥� she concluded.
