Hometown: Wellington, Fla Birthday: 12/28/1980 Sport/Disciplines: Jumping Olympic Years: 2016, 2020, 2024
Kent Farrington’s roots in equestrian sport were seeded in Chicago, Illinois, where he began riding at the age of eight. He quickly made his mark, ascending through the junior ranks before turning professional in 2000. He has since gone on to represent the United States at numerous international championships, including as part of the silver medal-winning team at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games and the bronze medal-winning team at the 2014 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in Normandy, France, both with the KWPN gelding Voyeur.
In 2011, Farrington and Uceko represented the U.S. at the Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico, where the team won gold. In 2015, he rode Gazelle as part of the bronze medal-winning team at the Pan American Games in Toronto, Canada.
In 2019, he became the first U.S. rider to win the Rolex Grand Prix of Aachen and the International Jumping Riders Rolex Grand Prix of Geneva in the same year. In 2020, Farrington brought home numerous victories, including a top finish aboard Gazelle in the coveted $213,300 American Gold Cup Grand Prix CSI4*, besting a competitive jump-off of 15 combinations. At the Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF) in Wellington, Fla., Farrington set the tone early with a win in the $214,000 Marshall & Sterling/Great American Insurance Grand Prix CSI4* aboard longtime mount Creedance. He was named USEF’s International Equestrian of the Year for 2020.
Farrington’s early 2021 results included wins in the $137,000 NetJets Grand Prix CSI3* at WEF 3 with Austria 2, the $73,000 CaptiveOne Advisors 1.50m Classic CSI5* with Creedance, and the $25,000 Palm Beach Equine Clinic Spring 4 Grand Prix with Kaprice. Over the summer, Farrington competed Gazelle as an individual at the Tokyo Olympic Games. Next, he scored several wins with Austria 2, Gazelle, and Orafina at Spruce Meadows. Farrington and Gazelle won the $213,300 Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Lexington CSI4*-W at the National Horse Show. Farrington then partnered with Creedance to win the Trophée de Genève at CHI Geneva to close out the year.
Farrington began 2022 with a win in the $75,000 CaptiveOne Advisors 1.50m Championship CSI5* on Easy Girl during week five of WEF. He and Orafina won the $75,000 Adequan WEF Challenge Round IX CSI5* during week nine of WEF. The pair scored another win $140,000 Bainbridge Companies Grand Prix CSI3* during week two of the ESP Spring Series. Farrington traveled to Thunderbird as part of the NetJets® U.S. Jumping Team, riding Landon in the Nations Cup and winning the $186,900 Longines Grand Prix CSIO5* with Orafina. Heading to Spruce Meadows, Farrington and Orafina tallied three separate wins. The pair won again at Ottawa in the $215,000 RBC Grand Prix CSI5*. Farrington and Orafina continued their winning ways taking the $139,000 Horseware Ireland Grand Prix CSI3* in Tryon and the $74,200 CWD Jump-Off Challenge CSI5* in California.
In 2023, Farrington won the CHF140,000 Florida Coast Equipment CIS3* Grand Prix with Landon during week two of WEF. He partnered with Orafina to win the $226,000 Adequan® Grand Prix CSI4* at Desert Circuit IV on the West Coast. Back on the East Coast, Farrington and Toulayna $226,000 Horseware Ireland CSI4* Grand Prix during week 10 of WEF. Farrington partnered with Landon to take first in the Grand Prix and help the NetJets U.S. Jumping Team win gold in the 2023 FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ of Mexico at San Miguel de Allende CSIO5*. The pair were members of the U.S. team again and helped secure bronze at the FEI Jumping Nations Cup of Canada at CSIO5* Langley. Farrington earned CSI5* wins at Spruce Meadows with Creedance, Landon, and Toulayna. He rode Toulayna and Creedance to a one-two finish in the $145,000 CSI3* Grand Prix of Michigan at Traverse City Horse Shows as well as earning CSI3* and CSI5* wins with Creedance in the following weeks. Farrington tallied another win with Toulayna in the CSI5* Kubota Grand Prix at Major League Show Jumping (MLSJ) Toronto.
Farrington made his third Pan Ameircan Games appearance in Santiago, Chile, earning team gold and individual silver with Landon. Back in North America, he took top prize in the $38,500 Strength and Speed Challenge and the $80,000 1.50m International Speed Challenge with Creedance at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair. Farrington closed out 2023 with a win in the Trophée de Genève with Toulayna at CHI Geneva.
Farrington began 2024 with wins in the $62,500 Adequan® CSI4* WEF Challenge Cup with Landon and $116,100 Adequan® CSI5* WEF Challenge Cup CSI 5* with Toulayna during weeks 4 and 5 at the WEF. He debuted both Greya and Toulayna at the championship level in 2024, securing a fourth-place finish with Greya at the 2024 FEI Jumping World Cup Final in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The pair were named to the U.S. Jumping Short List for the upcoming 2024 Paris Olympic Games. The duo were strong in their showing for the team, earning top honors in the Rolex Grand Prix of La Baule CSIO5* in June to secure their nomination to the team.
The Paris 2024 Olympic Games will be Farrington's third consecutive Olympics and Greya's first.