Lexington, Ky. – An exciting week of competition is set to begin at the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event presented by MARS Equestrian (LRK3DE). A field of 63 combinations from seven countries are vying for top honors in the CCI5*-L. The world-class event at the Kentucky Horse Park also hosts the Land Rover/USEF CCI5*-L Eventing National Championship presented by MARS Equestrian. The highest-placed U.S. combination in the CCI5*-L earns the national champion title and will be presented with the Roger Haller Trophy. In addition, the LRK3DE hosts a new CCI4*-S division running concurrently with the CCI5*-L.

Boyd Martin and Tsetserleg TSF won the 2019 Land Rover/USEF CCI5*-L Eventing National Championship presented by MARS Equestrian as the top-placed U.S. combination after finishing second overall. Martin (Cochranville, Pa.) and Christine, Thomas, and Tommie Turner’s 14-year-old Trakehner gelding aim to defend their title after a solid start to their 2021 season. Martin also brings Long Island T, a 15-year-old Oldenburg/Thoroughbred gelding owned by The Long Island T Syndicate, and On Cue, a 15-year-old Selle Français mare owned by Christine, Thomas, and Tommie Turner and Martin, for their CCI5*-L debuts.

Four other national champions hope to win another title. Five-time national champion Phillip Dutton (West Grove, Pa.) brings longtime partner Z, a 13-year-old Zangersheide gelding owned by Thomas Tierney, Simon Roosevelt, Suzanne Lacy, Ann Jones, and Caroline Moran; and LRK3DE first-timer Fernhill Singapore, a 12-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding owned by David Vos, Ann Jones, and Thomas Tierney. Three-time national champion Buck Davidson (Unionville, Pa.) will stay busy with three mounts: Erroll Gobey, Cassandra Segal’s 11-year-old Holsteiner gelding; Jak My Style, Roberto and Kathleen Cuca’s 16-year-old Thoroughbred gelding; and Carlevo, Katherine O’Brien’s 14-year-old Holsteiner gelding. Two-time national champion Lauren Nicholson, née Kieffer, (The Plains, Va.) brings two mounts to the LRK3DE: Paramount Importance, Jacqueline Mars’s 14-year-old Holsteiner gelding, and Vermiculus, Jacqueline Mars’s 14-year-old Anglo-Arabian gelding. Allison Springer (Upperville, Va.) was the national champion in 2012, and she returns to Kentucky for the first time since 2016 with Business Ben, an 11-year-old Thoroughbred gelding owned by The Business Ben Partnership.

The USEF Eventing Program is on full display at the LRK3DE. Each of the Elite Training List combinations are competing in the CCI5*-L: Dutton and Z; Elisabeth Halliday-Sharp (Lexington, Ky.) and Deniro Z, Ocala Horse Properties, LLC’s 12-year-old KWPN gelding; Martin and Tsetsereg TSF; and Doug Payne (Aiken, S.C.) and Vandiver, a 17-year-old Trakehner gelding owned by Debi Crowley, Doug Payne, and Jessica Payne. Multiple athletes on the Pre-Elite Training List, Development Training List, and Emerging Athlete Program List are competing in the CCI5*-L and CCI4*-S. All the athletes have been training diligently during the winter and spring seasons and are ready to demonstrate their skills at the top of the sport

The LRK3DE experienced a one-year hiatus due to the COVID pandemic in 2020, but the prestigious event returns for 2021. This year’s event is able to take place thanks to the financial support of fans, sponsors, and the Kentucky Horse Park Foundation.

Competition Information

LRK3DE begins Thursday with the first day of dressage. The CCI4*-S dressage phase begins at 7:45 a.m. ET, while the CCI5*-L starts at 1:30 p.m. ET. The second day of takes place on Friday, and combinations contest Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games course designer Derek di Grazia’s cross-country course on Saturday. The competition ends on Sunday with Steve Stephens’s jumping course deciding the ultimate winners of the LRK3DE and the Land Rover/USEF CCI5*-L Eventing National Championship presented by MARS Equestrian.

Visit the LRK3DE website for the latest ride times, schedule of events, and scoring.

Watch the USEF Network for wall-to-wall coverage of the LRK3DE. The live stream will broadcast to North America. Not a US Equestrian member? Sign up for a free fan membership using promo code LRK3DE21 to access the stream.

For viewers outside of North America, sign up and watch the coverage on H&C+.

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Catch up on behind-the-scenes coverage of the LRK3DE on USEF Network Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram accounts as well as USA Eventing on Facebook and Instagram. Use #USAEventing.

The USEF International High Performance Programs are generously supported by the USET Foundation, USOC, and USEF sponsors and members.