Category Archives: Kentucky Three-Day

Championships, Competitions, Eventing/H.T., Kentucky Three-Day

Five Things to Know about the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event

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Phillip Dutton and Mr. Medicott were the 2017 USEF CCI4* Eventing National Champions. Shannon Brinkman Photo.

Get up to speed for the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event and the Land Rover/USEF CCI4* Eventing National Championship on April 26-29

The Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event (LRK3DE), which also hosts the Land Rover/USEF CCI4* Eventing National Championship, kicks off this week. This iconic American sporting event, which takes place April 26-29, annually draws top international horses and riders to the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Ky. for world-class eventing competition. We’ll be streaming all three phases — dressage, cross-country, and show jumping — live on USEF Network, so be sure to check out the broadcast schedule and tune in for all the action.

Here are five things to know about the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event as you head into the event.

  1. Land Rover is the new title sponsor.

Land Rover served as the Kentucky Three-Day Event’s longtime Official Vehicle and was Presenting Sponsor for five years before increasing its support by signing a four-year agreement last October to become Title Sponsor. Land Rover also continued its support of US Equestrian, extending its deal with the federation through 2020. Land Rover’s participation also includes the “Ultimate Stable experience,” including a range of top equestrian apparel and equipment, as well as live farrier displays, open in the sponsor village to all attendees. Land Rover also brings back its popular “Land Rover Tailgate Challenge,” in which Land Rover owners compete for an exclusive prize for the most creative and best-catered tailgate party. And ticket-holders can also test-drive the newest Land Rover models on a specially designed off-road demonstration course during LRK3DE.

  1. The event will also crown the 2018 Land Rover/USEF CCI4* Eventing National Champion.

The highest-placed U.S. rider will be named the year’s Land Rover/USEF CCI4* Eventing National Champion. US Equestrian President Murray Kessler will present the rider with the Roger Haller Trophy bronze for the first time this year. The trophy is given in memory of Haller, an internationally respected eventing official. Friends and family of Haller came together to commission the bronze trophy, which is designed by 1987 Kentucky Three-Day Event winner and 1996 Olympic individual bronze medalist Kerry Millikin. The national champion also receives a silver picture frame and a champion cooler.

  1. LRK3DE is one of only six CCI4* events in the world.

LRK3DE, which offers $400,000 in prize money, is also the only CCI4* event in the Western Hemisphere.

  1. Several past national champions are returning to the 2018 LRK3DE.

Buck Davidson, Phillip Dutton, Lauren Kieffer, and Kim Severson are all multiple-time national champions and have talented mounts who could help them add a title to their resumes again this year. Dutton, who has captured the title five times so far, will try for back-to-back titles this year after earning it last year with Mr. Medicott.

  1. USEF Network will be covering all three phases of the event — and the new Kentucky CSI3* Invitational Grand Prix.

Check out USEF Network for broadcast schedule updates, live stream, and links as we cover dressage on April 26-27, cross-country on April 28, and show jumping on April 29. We’ll also be streaming the weekend’s new grand prix events: the Kentucky CSI3* Invitational Grand Prix $35,000 Welcome Speed Cup 1.45m on Friday, April 27, at 6 p.m. ET and the $225,000 Kentucky CSI3* Invitational Grand Prix 1.60m on Saturday, April 28, at 4:30 p.m. ET.

by Glenye Cain Oakford
© 2018 United States Equestrian Federation

*Featured/Spotlights, Championships, Eventing/H.T., Kentucky Three-Day

Impressive Field Ready for 2018 Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event

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Land Rover/USEF CCI4* Eventing National Championship Up for Grabs

Lexington, Ky. – The Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event (LRK3DE) is set to begin at the Kentucky Horse Park following the first horse inspection on April 25. A total of 46 athlete-and-horse combinations from nine nations will vie for top honors at America’s only CCI4* event, which also serves as the Land Rover/USEF CCI4* Eventing National Championship, awarded to the highest-placed U.S. athlete. The Roger Haller Trophy, honoring the late, internationally respected eventing official, will be awarded to the national champion.

The 2018 field is full of talented combinations, and several returning national champions hope to stake their claim on the overall and national title. Defending Land Rover/USEF CCI4* Eventing National Champion Phillip Dutton (West Grove, Pa.) already has the most titles at five, but he could add another to his resume with I’m Sew Ready or Z. Dutton rode I’m Sew Ready, Kristine and John Norton’s 13-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding, to a 10th-place finish at the 2017 Kentucky event in the horse’s CCI4* debut. This year, they finished fifth in The Fork CIC3*/FEI World Equestrian Games™ Tryon (WEG) Eventing Test Event to prepare for the LRK3DE. Z, a nine-year-old Zangersheide gelding owned by Thomas Tierney, Simon Roosevelt, Suzanne Lacy, Ann Jones, and Caroline Moran, will make his CCI4* debut with Dutton. The pair comes to Kentucky in fine form after winning The Fork CIC3*/WEG Eventing Test Event.

Looking ahead to cross-country day, Dutton said, “We have been around the course this morning and, as we expected, it is big but fair, so I’m sure it will be a great competition.”

Three-time national champion Buck Davidson (Unionville, Pa.) has three mounts at the LRK3DE: Carlevo, Copper Beach, and Park Trader. Park Trader, Carl and Cassandra Segal’s 15-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding, will make his fifth appearance at the LRK3DE, while stablemate Copper Beach, Carl Segal and Sherrie Martin’s 12-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding, will make his third consecutive appearance. Carlevo, the 10-year-old Holsteiner gelding owned by Carlevo LLC, makes his CCI4* debut in Kentucky and is coming off a second-place finish in the Chattahoochee Hills CIC3* with Davidson.

Two-time national champion Lauren Kieffer (The Plains, Va.) brings two mounts to Kentucky: Landmark’s Monte Carlo, Jacqueline Mars’s 12-year-old Irish Thoroughbred cross gelding, and Vermiculus, Mars’s 11-year-old Anglo-Arabian gelding. Both horses collected top-15 finishes in CIC3* competition this spring in preparation for the LRK3DE.

Kim Severson (Charlottesville, Va.), a three-time Kentucky Three-Day winner and national champion, will aim for a strong showing with Cooley Cross Border, The Cross Syndicate’s 11-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding. The pair finished second in The Fork CIC3*/WEG Eventing Test Event behind Dutton and Z and won the 2017 SsangYong Blenheim Palace International Horse Trials CCI3* in England last fall.

Rising stars of the sport hope to gather more experience at the CCI4* level. Emerging Athlete Eventing 25 Program participants Savannah “Woodge” Fulton (Finksburg, Md.) and Caroline Martin (Miami Beach, Fla.) plan to tackle the LRK3DE for the second time. Fulton brings her 2017 mount, Captain Jack, Full Moon Farm Syndicate’s 15-year-old Thoroughbred gelding, while Martin has two mounts: The Apprentice, Sherrie Martin’s 14-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding, and Spring Easy, Sherrie and Caroline Martin’s 12-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding.

“I think this weekend speaks for itself, how much Leslie and the program have helped my riding,” Martin shared when asked how the Emerging Athlete Eventing 25 Program has helped her development. She added, “Being able to have a camaraderie with all the other riders is great. I wouldn’t know Mackenna Shea [an Emerging Athlete Eventing 25 Program alum] if it wasn’t for the program.”

Dressage begins Thursday at 9:30 a.m. ET with Davidson and Park Trader.

For more information about the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event, visit kentuckythreedayevent.com.

From the US Equestrian Communications Department

*Featured/Spotlights, Eventing/H.T., Kentucky Three-Day

The Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event’s Transformative Power

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The Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event, North America’s only CCI4* and the venue for the Land Rover/USEF CCI4* Eventing National Championship, takes place at the Kentucky Horse Park April 26-29 this year. Only a handful of riders each year get to take to the park’s manicured rings and rolling grass galloping lanes, and, when they do, many describe the experience as transformative — one that helped them and their horses learn, grow, and rise to a new challenge. The equestrians and their four-star horses occupy center stage at this important American event, but they’re not the only ones who make the competition tick: the numerous volunteers and officials behind the scenes also have an inspiring story to tell.

We asked a group of the Kentucky Three-Day Event’s veterans — not just riders, but also an owner, a licensed official, and a longtime volunteer whose team decorates the iconic Head of the Lake combination — to give us a glimpse behind the scenes with their first-person perspectives on the competition and on what this great sporting pageant means to them. Regardless of their roles, whether in the saddle or on the ground, all shared a common sentiment, the one that serves as the heartbeat of the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event: it’s all about the horse. Read on for their perspectives on one of the country’s most famous competitions.

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From Equestrian Weekly
equestrianweekly@communications.usef.org

Eventing/H.T., Kentucky Three-Day, USEF

NBC Announces Time Change for Re-Air of 2017 Rolex Three-Day Event

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Lexington, Ky. – NBC has announced that the re-air of the 2017 Rolex Three-Day Event presented by Land Rover (RK3DE) will now occur on Sunday, May 28, 4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. EST on NBC Sports Network.

NBC’s first re-air of the April 27-30 RK3DE on Sunday, May 7 at 1:30 p.m. ET reported drawing 649,000 viewers (p2+ ratings), beating the 2016 ratings as the second highest-rated sports program across all reported networks in its broadcast window.

Coverage of the RK3DE is also available for US Equestrian members only on the USEF Network. Help US Equestrian #SharetheJoy of equestrian sports by not only watching nationally televised events, but by visiting the USEF Network page for more information on the USEF Network broadcast schedule and on-demand content.

From the US Equestrian Communications Department

*Featured/Spotlights, Eventing/H.T., Kentucky Three-Day

Michael Jung Rewrites History, Crowned Winner of Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event for Third Time

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(LEXINGTON, KY) – April 30, 2017 – After four thrilling days of world-class equestrian sport, Germany’s Michael Jung made history once again, claiming a third consecutive title of the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event Presented by Land Rover, aboard his 12-year-old mare, fischerRocana FST. It was second place for France and Maxime Livio, with Land Rover Ambassador Zara Tindall (GBR) finishing in third place after a flawless clear round aboard High Kingdom.

Following Saturday’s tough cross-country ride, 39 horses headed into the final phase of the competition. The show jumping course set by Richard Jefferys, which featured a 2017 Range Rover Evoque Convertible and a 2017 Range Rover Sport, proved tricky for the field with only four competitors finishing clear within the time. Third-to-go, Zara Tindall, produced a stunning clear round aboard her 16-year-old bay High Kingdom; the echoes of cheers from the 25,000 spectators confirmed this and put the pressure on the final two competitors. Maxime Livio, who beat Michael Jung in Pau, France last year, kept his cool to ride the fourth and final clear round of the day with his partner, Qalao Des Mers. The stadium fell silent as the formidable pairing of Germany’s Michael Jung and fischerRocana FST began their round, with a fence in hand, hoping to make history once again. Despite incurring four faults, the crowd erupted as Jung pumped his fist in the air celebrating a special moment in his career to claim the coveted Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event title for a historic third consecutive year.

Jung commented on his achievement: “fischerRocana FST is a top horse; the mare fights so hard for me and our partnership is so strong. She gave me a very good feeling in the warm up ring which made me feel good entering the arena. I did not have enough power in the triple combination so I was little nervous with two jumps to go! I am so grateful for my team and really pleased with the result.”

Land Rover Ambassador, Zara Tindall, spoke of her third-place finish. “I am so lucky to be here and I am very thankful to Land Rover and Rolex to have me back here; I wouldn’t be here without their support. My horse is fantastic; all through the competition he has been amazing; he owes me nothing and I have loved riding him this weekend. I have really enjoyed being here it as it is an amazing event to be a part of.”

Olympic bronze medallist, Phillip Dutton (USA), moved up the leader-board with his Irish Sport Horse gelding, Mr. Medicott, to not only take fourth place but also the USEF Championship Trophy awarded to the highest placed American rider, a prize presented to him for a record fifth year.

“It is particularly rewarding to finish as the top US rider,” said Dutton, who also celebrated his 40th Rolex Kentucky completion. “It has been a great event and it is the perfect way for Mr. Medicott to finish his four-star career.”

Saturday’s cross-country saw Erin Sylvester produce a thrilling round aboard her 13-year-old thoroughbred mare Mettraise to win the “Land Rover Best Ride of the Day” that rewards the top U.S. rider to complete the cross-country course closest to the optimum time without jumping penalties. Sylvester was presented with a 2017 Land Rover Discovery Sport 24-month lease by Helen McDonald, Events and Partnerships Manager, Jaguar Land Rover NA LLC at the 2017 Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event Presented by Land Rover.

The optimum time of 11 minutes and 17 seconds proved difficult for the horse and rider combinations with only five out of 57 starters finishing within the time set by renowned course designer Derek di Grazia. Despite accurate clear rounds from fellow U.S. team mates, Holly Payne Caravella and Matthew Brown, Sylvester demonstrated true perfection, finishing spot-on the optimum time of 11 minutes and 17 seconds, to win the Land Rover Discovery Sport 24-month lease.

For any equestrian fans unable to attend the event, the NBC telecast of the Rolex Equestrian Championships presented by Land Rover will allow those to enjoy it from home on Sunday, May 7, from 1:30 to 3:00 p.m. EST and NBCSN on Sunday, May 28, from 3:00 to 4:30 p.m. EST.

For a copyright-free two minute highlights film, please click here.

To learn more about the 2017 Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event Presented by Land Rover, please visit: www.RK3DE.org.

*Featured/Spotlights, Eventing/H.T., FEI, Kentucky Three-Day, Show Jumping

Michael Jung Makes It Three in a Row at Kentucky

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Michael Jung (GER) and FischerRocana FST. (FEI/Rebecca Berry)

Jung retains Kentucky crown, with Livio (FRA) and Tindall (GBR) holding on to second and third

Germany’s Michael Jung smashed yet another record when winning the Kentucky Three-Day Event for the third year running on the 12-year-old FischerRocana, a mare that may not have the biggest movement but certainly has the biggest heart.

Jung did have a jumping fence down, but his supremacy in the dressage and cross-country meant he could afford it and is second in the FEI Classics™ after three out of six legs behind the superbly talented Frenchman Maxime Livio (FRA), who finished runner-up at Kentucky on Qalao Des Mers with a clear jumping round.

“She is a really wonderful horse, a top fighting girl. She jumped wonderfully and was only a bit spooky at the white fence. I really like Kentucky – and not just because I win here! – but because I feel very welcome. You can train the horse for every phase and it’s why I like it and why I come back.” — Michael Jung (GER)

With one FEI Classics™ win each, and a second place each, Livio and Jung both have their sights firmly on the 2016/17 series title. However, only Jung is competing at Badminton next weekend, fourth leg of the series, which could be his opportunity to step up to top the leaderboard.

Both Livio and Zara Tindall, the only British athlete in the field, finished on their dressage scores. Tindall was ecstatic with her third place after a beautiful clear round on High Kingdom and it must have laid the ghost of the disappointment two years when she had to withdraw before dressage when the horse suffered a freak injury.

Matthew Brown (USA) slipped from fourth to sixth after hitting the very first rail with BCF Super Socks, so it was the super-consistent Phillip Dutton (USA), who has now completed Kentucky an amazing 40 times, who captured yet another national title as highest placed USA rider, as he moved up to fourth with a clear round on the 18-year-old Mr Medicott, a horse having his last four-star run after an illustrious career. Hannah Sue Burnett (USA) was fifth on Under Suspection.

The Kentucky three-peat was Jung’s 10th four-star win – William Fox-Pitt holds the record with 14 – and the German Olympic champion, who is only 34, looks to be catching up with the Briton. Just hours after his triumph on American soil Jung was catching a flight to England en route to defending his title at Badminton next weekend.

A record number of spectators watched the 4* Eventing action this year at Kentucky, with 34’000 attending cross country and 24000 at the jumping finale.

By Kate Green

Press contacts:

Leanne Williams
Manager Press Relations
leanne.williams@fei.org
+41 79 314 24 38

Marty Baumann
Press Chief
info@classic-communications.com
508-698-6810 x 10

*Featured/Spotlights, Eventing/H.T., FEI, Kentucky Three-Day

Michael Jung Takes Over Kentucky Lead after Cross Country

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Michael Jung (GER) and FischerRocana FST. (FEI/Rebecca Berry)

Even dual Olympic champion Michael Jung admitted cross country day at the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event, third leg of the FEI Classics™, was a tough one with Derek di Grazia’s track posing a serious challenge. However, the German maestro is yet again in pole position on FischerRocana FST, despite finishing four seconds (1.6 time penalties) over the optimum time of 11 minutes 17 seconds and surviving a precarious moment when the brave little mare made an enormous leap into the lake.

Jung, currently third in the FEI Classics™ having led the series last year, has a fence in hand to win a record third successive Kentucky on the same horse. His nearest challenger is Frenchman Maxime Livio, current leader of the FEI Classics™ after his win in Pau, who rode a masterful round to finish exactly on the optimum time on Qalao Des Mers to rise from eighth place after dressage to second.

“Today was not our best ride, but we have a true partnership and kept fighting,” said Jung. “FischerRocana looks very well after the finish – she is a tough girl!”

The leaderboard has changed dramatically and a brilliant, committed ride by the sole British representative, Zara Tindall on High Kingdom, has propelled her from 16th to third place. A determined Matthew Brown, previously 19th after dressage, has leapt to fourth place on Super Socks BCF and is the highest placed American rider.

Demonstrating the openness of the competition, Erin Sylvester (USA), who was only 51st after dressage, is now 13th on Mettraise after finishing bang on the optimum time.

There were 26 clear rounds from the 42 finishers and six within the optimum time. Dressage leaders Clark Montgomery (USA) and Loughan Glen lost their chance of retaining their position with a disappointing refusal at a skinny brush at fence 18a.

Three other riders in contention after dressage also disappeared off the leaderboard: both Kim Severson (USA), third on Cooley Cross Border, and Jessica Phoenix (CAN), fifth on Bentley’s Best, retired after run-outs at corners and Elizabeth Halliday-Sharp (USA), fourth, parted company from Fernhill By Night at the Normandy Bank.

The jumping finale, which starts at 1pm local time, is sure to be a tense affair as the magnificent Michael Jung bids to make history – again.

Press contacts:

Leanne Williams
Manager Press Relations
leanne.williams@fei.org
+41 79 314 24 38

Marty Baumann
Press Chief
info@classic-communications.com
508-698-6810 x 10

*Featured/Spotlights, Dressage, Eventing/H.T., FEI, Kentucky Three-Day

Clark Montgomery and Loughan Glen Lead at Kentucky

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Clark Montgomery and Loughan Glen. (FEI/Rebecca Berry)

Montgomery leads on 33.6 ahead of Germany’s Jung on 37.1

American rider Clark Montgomery rode a superbly smooth dressage test on Loughan Glen to take the lead in front of his new home crowd at the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event. It’s the third leg of the FEI Classics™, a series that links the world’s six major four-star events and provides valuable cash prizes to the top three in the points table.

Montgomery, who has returned to the USA from a spell based in Britain and now lives in Kentucky State, heads the 59 starters at the USA’s premier event on the excellent score of 33.6, but there’s no relaxing when defending champion Michael Jung from Germany is only 3.5 penalties behind. Jung, the dual Olympic champion and 2015-2016 FEI Classics™ leader (he is currently third in the 2016-2017 table), is going for a record third successive Kentucky victory on the same horse, gallant little mare FischerRocana FST.

He has a habit of piling on pressure with faultless jumping performances and Montgomery and Loughan Glen, no strangers to outstanding success in the dressage arena, have a few blots on their cross-country record. However, the dressage leader, who describes that test as “beefy”, was visibly elated:

“My horse felt super. This morning he was pretty tight, but he was ‘up’ which is what we wanted. He felt good in his body, good in his mind.” — Clark Montgomery (USA)

US rider Kim Severson, who has achieved the rare distinction of winning Kentucky three times on the same horse, Winsome Adante (albeit not in succession), is in third place on her rising star Cooley Cross Border.

Speedy Frenchman Maxime Livio scored the first victory in the current FEI Classics™ series, at Pau, France, and brings that winning horse, Qalao Des Mers, for a first attempt at Kentucky. They are eighth on 44.6.

Zara Tindall, the 2006 world champion, is the sole Brit; she was near the bottom of the Badminton waitlist and decided to cross the Atlantic instead with her 2012 Olympic silver medallist High Kingdom. They are currently 16th on 46.6, just 0.3 ahead of fellow traveller Tim Price (NZL) on Ringwood Sky Boy, 17th.

Kentucky’s last home winner was Phillip Dutton way back in 2008; he’s in joint ninth on 44.8 with two of his three rides, Fernhill Fugitive and the 17-year-old Mr Medicott. The vastly experienced rider, a bronze medallist in Rio last year, has this to say about the cross-country, which starts at 10am local time: “You’ve got to keep thinking, not let the blood rush to the head and see how your horse handles the distance. It’s another great course from Derek (di Grazia, designer) and will sort everyone out.”

Press contacts:

Leanne Williams
Manager Press Relations
leanne.williams@fei.org
+41 79 314 24 38

Marty Baumann
Press Chief
info@classic-communications.com
508-698-6810 x 10

*Featured/Spotlights, Dressage, Eventing/H.T., Kentucky Three-Day

Dressage at #RK3DE – Watch Day 1 On Demand on USEF Network

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Photo credit: RedBayStock.com.

The only place to catch the action-packed competition is the USEF Network live stream. Wall-to-wall coverage of each phase will be available on computers, tablets, phones, and smart TV devices. As always, the broadcast will include multiple camera angles, live athlete interviews, and analysis from professional sports commentator John Kyle with varying guest hosts.

Don’t miss the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event presented by Land Rover broadcast on NBC Sunday, May 7, at 1:30 p.m. ET. Check your local listings for channel numbers in your area.

“It Inspires You to Be Better”: Athletes Share Memories of the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event

Leah Lang-Gluscic
Leah Lang-Gluscic completed her first Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event in 2016 aboard A.P. Prime.

“Rolex is a spectacle, in the best way possible. You think you’re going to get there and it’s going to be this long week of waiting. But with A.P. in particular, I had such a huge fan base for him that I was occupied every single second of the entire week. It’s nice, because you don’t have time to sit and worry about how big and long the cross-country is or about how your horse might be wild in dressage. So it’s unique in that there really is something for the riders to be doing almost every minute of the competition. Personally, for me, I love that.”

Sinead Halpin
Halpin finished third in her first Rolex Kentucky event in 2011 with Manoir de Carneville, earning the pair the Rolex/USEF CCI4* Eventing National Championship.

Sinead Halpin and Manoir de Carneville (Mike McNally)

“I’ve been there a thousand times to watch, but I’ve ridden there three times. I think every time I have gone it’s been a little different. It’s truly the pinnacle of the sport, and one of the things that three-day eventing does is it wraps so many emotions and so many experiences into one weekend, right? Rolex is like that times 100.”

Elisa Wallace
Wallace first attended Rolex Kentucky as a spectator in 2008 and returned in 2014 to give a training demonstration with her mustangs. She rode there for the first time in 2015 with Simply Priceless, with whom she also finished sixth last year.

“There’s nothing that compares with going to your first Rolex. You have this weird thing of, ‘Oh my gosh, we’re here, and I don’t really believe that I’m here!’ It’s a surreal feeling. That stuck with me throughout the whole thing; I kind of felt outside my body.”

Jimmy Wofford
Olympic medalist Wofford won the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event in 1981 with Carawich and again in 1986 on The Optimist when the event was a long-format competition. He’s also coached many riders there and regularly serves as a commentator.

“I went around the course probably 10 times. It was always a challenge. First of all, it was a challenge for everybody because it was a classic format. I never rode in the modern short format. And of course, I especially remember ’81 and ’86. The first Rolex sponsorship was in 1981; before that it had been the Kentucky Three-Day Event, even though it already took four days to put it on back in 1981. So I have the first Rolex watch that was ever won there.”

Kim Severson
U.S. Olympic medalist Kim Severson won Rolex Kentucky three times with Winsome Adante, who was owned by Linda Wachtmeister’s Plain Dealing Farm. This year she’s competing at Rolex with The Cross Syndicate’s Cooley Cross Border.

“For the years that I was with Linda [Wachtmeister], they still had the tie pinneys for your number. It was always a thing that we did: Linda tied my number for me before I went on course. That was always a special thing because it was our thing.”

Doug Payne
Payne first tackled Rolex Kentucky in 2012 with Running Order, then owned by Stone Hill Farm. This year, he returns with his 2016 mount Vandiver, a horse he co-owns with Debi Crowley and Jessica Payne.

“The first time going down the chute into the arena there for dressage was probably my most memorable moment. Of course, you can’t beat having a cross-country round and all that, but that’s what’s etched in my mind: the first time going down the chute and stepping onto that stage.”

Dorothy Crowell
Lexington native Crowell and Kentucky-bred Molokai were hometown heroes when they won the first Rolex/USEF CCI4* Eventing National Championship in 1998, the first year the event was run as a four-star. The pair finished second overall that year at a time when Rolex Kentucky was still a long-format competition.

“My main memory, the one I go to anytime I think of Rolex, would be of the first four-star in 1998. It was Molokai’s final three-day event after a pretty amazing career, and it was in our hometown. It was the only competition where every stride he took, people were cheering – the whole 14-minute course, from when we left the box. On the gallop stretches there were only a few people, and sometimes, as when we were going through the Head of the Lake, there seemed to be thousands of them.”

Lauren Kieffer and Vermiculus Dressage Test

Check out Lauren Kieffer and her Anglo-Arabian Vermiculus performing their dressage test to lead the Rolex/USEF CCI4* Eventing National Championship after Day 1. Watch Now >

© 2017 US Equestrian Federation

Eventing/H.T., Kentucky Three-Day, Revolution Sports

Behind the Scenes with Lauren Kieffer ahead of Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event

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(MAHWAH, NJ) – April 21, 2017 – Land Rover North America is pleased to announce the ‘Land Rover Best Ride of The Day’ programme will return to the 2017 edition of the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event Presented by Land Rover.

Ahead of this year’s competition Land Rover North America went behind the scenes with the 2016 winner of the prize, Olympian and U.S. Land Rover Eventing Team rider Lauren Kieffer. The 90 second copyright-free film can be viewed and shared here.

To learn more about the 2017 Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event Presented by Land Rover, please visit: www.RK3DE.org.