For the first time since 2019, the grounds at the Kentucky Horse Park will be packed for cross-country day during the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event presented by MARS Equestrian. Tailgaters are setting up their tents, spectators are hiking to their favorite jump, and vendor row is soon to be buzzing as the competition gets underway.
First out of the start box this morning at 9:00 a.m. in the CCI4*-S is Liz Halliday-Sharp and The Monster Partnership’s 11-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding Cooley Quicksilver (Womanizer x Kylmore Crystal) who currently sit in third on a 25.7. The overnight leaders Doug Payne and the 11-year-old KWPN mare, Starr Witness (Chello III VDL x Carmen) owned by Doug Payne, Catherine Winter, and Laurie McRee, are scheduled for 10:30 a.m.
Will Coleman aboard Team Rebecca, LLC’s 12-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding Dondante
(Pacino x Muckno Clover) are the pathfinders in the CCI5* today which is kicking off at 12:50 p.m. Overnight leaders Michael Jung and Klaus and Sabine Fischer, Hilmer Meyer-Kulenkampff, and DOKR's 14-year-old Hanoverian gelding FirscherChipmunk FRH (Contendro I x Havanna) will start on course at 2:34 p.m.
Derek di Grazia designed both cross-country courses. The CCI4*-S has an optimum time of 6 minutes and 57 seconds and is 3,960 meters with 21 numbered fences and 33 jumping efforts at 570 mpm. The CCI5*-L course has an optimum time of 11 minutes and 4 seconds and is 6,308 meters with 28 numbered fences and 45 jumping efforts at 570 mpm. Take a walk around it here.
Be sure to catch up on all the dressage action before cross-country gets underway by clicking here.
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Today, we pause to honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and reflect on the powerful moment in 1963 when he stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and shared his vision for a better future. Dr. King's "I Have a Dream" speech was more than just words; it was a call to action that transcended time, culture, and boundaries—a beacon of hope that continues to inspire.
We’ve all been there—on the horse who pokes his way around the warm-up ring, needs leg, leg, leg coming into the combination, or brings up the rear on every trail ride. None of us wants each and every ride to be a lower-body squeezefest, nor do we wish to do anything with our crop except maybe wave it at that annoying deerfly. In this excerpt from his book The Sport Horse Problem Solver, former international eventer Eric Smiley explains the essential quality of forwardness and how to prepare the horse to expect you to look for it in all that you do together.
The inaugural USEA Interscholastic Eventing League (IEL) Championships may have been the pinnacle for program members of the IEL last year, but that’s not the only exciting achievement that occurred in 2024. A total of 41 events offered IEL Team Challenges for over 360 program members, and in the end, a year-end leaderboard champion was named at every level from Starter through Intermediate. The following IEL members worked tirelessly with their clubs and on their own competitive journeys in 2024 to earn the title of Interscholastic Rider of the Year at their respective level. Join us in congratulating these up-and-coming eventers on their success!
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