This year’s Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event presented by MARS Equestrian has already begun in dramatic fashion, with a snowstorm blanketing the Kentucky Horse Park the night before the first horse inspection. Now, the snow has melted, the spring flowers are out, and we are set with 63 combinations ready to canter into the Rolex Arena for the CCI5*-L, and 46 combinations in the CCI4*-S, after all horses passed the first inspection.
Jessica Phoenix and Jim Phillips’ Wabbit will be the first down the centerline in the CCI4*-S at 7:59 a.m. today. The division will see 21 horses this morning and will break after Lauren Lambert and her own and Team Fantastique’s Fantastique ride at 11:10 a.m. The CCI4*-S division will reconvene on Friday at 7:45 a.m. with 25 horses left to go.
The first 30 horses in the CCI5*-L will complete dressage today, kicking off with New Zealand rider Jonelle Price and The Grape Syndicate’s Grappa Nera at 12:23 p.m. The last combination in the arena today will be reigning champions Oliver Townend and Cooley Master Class, the 16-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding owned by Angela Hislop. The pair from England won the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event CCI5*-L in both 2018 and 2019, and they’re looking to add a third victory to their resume this year. The rest of the CCI5*-L will complete dressage tomorrow, beginning at 12:15 p.m. with Boyd Martin and his and the Turner family’s On Cue.
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Did you miss yesterday's horse inspection? You can re-watch it here:
Karma is developing into one of the fastest and most-reliable cross-country horses in the West. The 9-year-old bay Oldenburg mare and James Alliston won their third-straight blue ribbon together at either the four-star or Advanced level in the CCI4*-S at the Twin Rivers Fall International in Paso Robles, California, with the only double-clear cross-country round on Saturday.
Most couples share a kiss and part ways at 8:00 a.m. as they head off to their own work days, but eventing power couple James and Helen Alliston do it all together. We gave our USEA members the opportunity to submit their questions for this West Coast-based couple, and USEA Podcast host Nicole Brown gets them to share all on many topics: eventing in the U.S. versus the U.K., who is the most competitive of the two, dealing with warmer temperatures, why James likes to drive illegally slow, and so much more!
The Plantation Field International CCI4*-S concluded today with the cross-country phase, and the final standings were nearly a matter of “last one standing.” As Tropical Storm Ophelia brought a torrential downpour to the area, a number of riders decided to opt out: of 39 competitors, only six completed, and 17 withdrew before the start of cross-country.
After 15 years of successfully cultivating and establishing the Future Event Horse (FEH) program for eventing breeders and owners, the United States Eventing Association (USEA) has merged the FEH program with the Young Horse Show Series (YHS). The updated YHS allows for a more comprehensive show series for sport horses in the U.S., as the YHS is now open to young talent with a future in eventing, as well as hunters, jumpers, and dressage.