Olympic Gold and Silver medalist Michael Jung of Germany, the two-time defending Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event champion and winner of the 2016 Rolex Grand Slam, heads the list of top riders, including Olympic, World and European champions, entered for the 2017 Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event, Presented by Land Rover. Known as the "Best Weekend All Year," the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event returns to the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, April 27-30.
The Kentucky Horse Park will welcome a star-studded list of competitors, with some riders entered with up to three horses, who will vie for top honors. The entry list includes 69 riders representing 9 countries: Australia, Canada, France, Great Britain, Germany, Ireland, Mexico, New Zealand and the United States. The top names joining Jung for this year's event include Zara (Phillips) Tindall of Great Britain, granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth II; Joe Meyer and Tim Price of New Zealand; Jessica Phoenix of Canada; and U.S. Olympic veterans Phillip Dutton, Boyd Martin, Kim Severson, Lauren Kieffer, Will Coleman and Clark Montgomery to name a few.
"This year's field of competitors includes some of the biggest names in the sport. These are equestrian stars you won't see at any other competition on American soil," said Lee Carter, Executive Director of Equestrian Events, Inc., producer of the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event. "With another increase in prize money this year, we continue to attract the world's best riders and horses, and we guarantee another week of extraordinary equestrian competition!"
At stake is $400,000 in prize money, a $50,000 increase from last year, as well as a shot at the $350,000 Rolex Grand Slam of Eventing, which is awarded to any rider who wins the Rolex Kentucky, Mitsubishi Motors Badminton and Land Rover Burghley 'Four Star' Events in succession. Last year, Jung became only the second rider (along with Pippa Funnell of Great Britain in 2003) ever to win the Grand Slam.
Defending Champion Jung has entered FischerRocana FST, his 2016 Rolex Kentucky winning partner with whom he also won the Team Gold and Individual Silver medals with at the 2014 FEI World Equestrian Games™ (WEG). Jung is the first-ever event rider to hold the Olympic, World and European titles simultaneously. He won the Individual Gold medal at the 2010 WEG, double Gold medals at the 2012 London Olympic Games, and three consecutive European Championships. He successfully defended his Olympic title, re-claiming the Individual Gold medal at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.
Among those entered to compete in this year's Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event are:
In addition to these veterans of international competition, many more of the sport's leading riders from the U.S. and abroad are entered to compete. The full list of entries is available on line at the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event website at www.rk3de.org/entry-list.
The 2024 Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event is truly an eventing lover’s paradise with four full days of competition, vendors galore, opportunities to meet some of the sport’s greatest riders face-to-face, and so much more. For a seasoned Kentucky veteran, hopping over to the Kentucky Horse Park for the fun feels easy enough, but attending Kentucky might feel a bit overwhelming for first-timers. We chatted with USEA members from all over the country to get their favorite Kentucky tips to share with you. Check them out here!
There are some familiar names and new faces on the five-star roster for this year's Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event. Which horses have had recent top placings? Which riders have seen success at the Kentucky Horse Park in previous years? Which horse is called "Grandpa" by his rider and which one was purchased for $1?
The United States Eventing Association, Inc. (USEA) is thrilled to announce Canter Culture as a “Silver Sponsor for the USEA American Eventing Championships” taking place at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky, Aug. 27-Sept. 1.
If you’re a new team setting out to compete in the 2024 USEA Intercollegiate and Interscholastic Eventing Championships in just a couple of weeks, preparing for the “happiest horse trial” in the U.S. may seem a bit daunting. With five components to the Spirit Award contest that require creativity and cohesion between team members, there is a lot that goes into preparing and packing to leave for the event.