Come hear what our beloved Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event cross-country course designer has in store for us this year on Thursday, April 13, 2022 at 7 p.m. CDT! Join Eric Dierks in a livestream interview with one of the world's most sought-after cross-country course designers. Listen in on how Derek puts his imagination behind his courses and what he hopes to achieve while competitors navigate their way around his challenging, thought-provoking tracks. He may even share some secrets he has planned for this year's Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event!
Biography
Derek di Grazia is an American cross-country course-designer who has been responsible for the five-star course at the Kentucky Three-Day Event since 2011 and for the track at Burghley Horse Trials. He was also the designer for the track at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
Like many course-designers, Derek has ridden at the top level—he won Kentucky in 1985 on Sasquatch in the days before star classification when it was simply an international advanced three-day event.
Are you following along with the action from home this weekend? Or maybe you're competing at an event and need information fast. Either way, we’ve got you covered! Check out the USEA’s Weekend Quick Links for links to information including the prize list, ride times, live scores, and more for all the events running this weekend.
After not running in 2020 and 2021, the MARS Bromont CCI Three-Day Event returned to the Bromont Olympic Equestrian Center in Quebec, Canada, in 2022. America's Jennie Saville (née Brannigan) and Twilightslastgleam won the CCI4*-L, as the chestnut Thoroughbred gelding (National Anthem x Royal Child) bred and owned by Nina Gardner moved up from eighth after dressage into the lead after cross-country with the fastest round on wet ground over the tracks designed by Derek di Grazia. Canada's Lindsay Traisnel and Bacyrouge, a bay Selle Français gelding (Mylord Carthago x Lelia) owned by Patricia Pearce, finished second, and they are among four from the top-10 in the CCI4*-L in 2022 that return in 2023.
Hannah Sue Hollberg of Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, was on a winning streak at the Essex Horse Trials on Sunday, claiming victory in both the $10,000 Open Intermediate and Open Preliminary divisions with two horses that are fairly new to her. Some difficulty on cross-country did not stop her mount Hachi from claiming victory in the Open Intermediate with a score of 101.6, while Open Preliminary partner Rockster finished on his dressage score of 27.3.
The great football coach Vince Lombardi said, “We win our games in practice.” With the goal of having the most effective practices possible for horses, their riders, and their coaches, Cathy Wieschhoff explains some signs that can indicate when horse and rider should repeat an exercise, switch it up, or be done with that activity. Wieschhoff brings perspective as a five-star rider that has competed at the Kentucky Three-Day Event and Burghley Horse Trials, a USEF “R” Course Designer for eventing cross-country and show jumping, a former Area VIII chair and member of the USEA Board of Governors, and a Level V USEA ECP Certified Coach based out of Carriage Station Farm in Lexington, Kentucky.