It was a beautiful but chilly weekend in the pines at the Setters' Run Farm Carolina International. After a record-setting 19.4 in the CCI4*-S dressage, Will Coleman became the first three-time winner in the event's history when he led from start to finish on Hyperion Stud's Chin Tonic HS.
Read more about his win here, and scroll down to view more photos from the weekend.
Germany’s Michael Jung hasn’t competed in a five-star since the last time he won the Kentucky Three-Day Event in 2022 with his longtime partner fischerChipmunk FRH, but his love for this event and his horse’s readiness compelled him to return this year and break an all-time record for lowest dressage score at this event (which they set at that 2022 event with a score of 20.1) at the same time. They lead the five-star field with a nearly 10-point lead on a score of 18.6.
“It's day 1, so I'm not getting too excited yet. There's a long, long way to go in this competition,” said Phillip Dutton after his dressage test aboard Denim in the Cosequin CCI4*-S leaving the pair in the overnight lead upon the conclusion of the first day of dressage at the 2025 Defender Kentucky 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!
And they're off! The first official day of competition at the 2025 Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event (K3DE) begins today and we have a schedule jam-packed with dressage for both the four- and five-star fields.