The first five-star event of the season begins Thursday as the 2019 Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event presented by Mars Equestrian gets underway. But the long Land Rover weekend always starts with the jog, where each horse is presented to the veterinary panel for inspection to ensure they’re fit for the tasks ahead.Oliver Townend (GBR) and Cooley Master Class won the 2018 Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event, and they’re back to defend their title this year.
This year, 42 horses were presented in the first 2019 Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event inspection. Three horses were held for re-inspection: Ashley Johnson’s Tactical Maneuver; Hallie Coon’s Celien; and Erin Sylvester’s Paddy the Caddy. Celien and Paddy the Caddy were both accepted on their second inspection, but Tactical Maneuver will not compete.Hallie Coon (USA) and her KWPN mare, Celien, are competing at Kentucky for the first time this year.
The majority of the competitors at this year’s Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event are from the United States, but several other countries are represented, including Canada, Switzerland, New Zealand, Australia, Mexico, Brazil, and Great Britain.
Among the favorites are last year’s winning pair, British rider Oliver Townend with Cooley Master Class. Fellow Brit, Piggy French, is another one to watch. Her partner that showed up with her at inspection for the 2019 Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event is Quarrycrest Echo, the Irish Sport Horse gelding she rode to team gold and an individual 10th place finish at the FEI World Equestrian Games Tryon 2018 last September.Piggy French (GBR) and Quarrycrest Echo were on the gold medal-winning team at the 2018 FEI World Equestrian Games.
U.S. rider Boyd Martin showed up at the inspection with and will pilot the striking black Trakehner, Tsetserleg, around the Kentucky course for the second time this year and is another top contender. Hannah Sue Burnett and her longtime partner, the Irish Sport Horse gelding Harbour Pilot, are also among the top American pairs competing. Canadian Hawley Bennett Awad and her British Sport Horse mare, Jollybo, are a seasoned pair coming off a recent CCI3* win earlier this year.Trakehner gelding Tsetserleg and Boyd Martin (USA) are fresh off a win at The Fork CCI4*-S earlier this year.
The dressage phase of competition begins at 10 a.m. ET on Thursday, April 25. Watch the livestream online at usef.org/tune-in, and follow Horse Illustrated on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for updates throughout the weekend.
Leslie Potter is a graduate of William Woods University where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Equestrian Science with a concentration in saddle seat riding and a minor in Journalism/Mass Communications. She is currently a writer and photographer in Lexington, Ky.Potter worked as a barn manager and riding instructor and was a freelance reporter and photographer for the Horsemen's Yankee Pedlar and Saddle Horse Report before moving to Lexington to join Horse Illustrated as Web Editor from 2008 to 2019. Her current equestrian pursuits include being a grown-up lesson kid at an eventing barn and trail riding with her senior Morgan gelding, Snoopy.
Lexington, Ky. — Three of the world’s four top-ranked riders and defending champion Tamie Smith…
Stay up to date on the action from the 2024 Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event. Find…
Read the full article about showing in hand in Horse Illustrated’s June 2024 issue! Here…
Depending on the availability of indoor arenas, lights, and safe footing where you live, riding…
Welcome to Horse Illustrated’s weekly installment of the Right Horse Adoptable Horse of the Week, offered in partnership with the…
Read the full article about showing in hand in Horse Illustrated’s June 2024 issue! Here is some great content we…
Plenty has been written about the prevention, causes, and treatment of founder, but less information is available on whether or…
Depending on the availability of indoor arenas, lights, and safe footing where you live, riding throughout the winter can be…
Whether you’re new to cattle work or want to improve your cattle-driving skills, you’ll need to learn how to influence…