The Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event presented by Mars Equestrian offers top-of-the-line equestrian sport, a national championship, a chance to make lifelong memories, superior shopping, and more! We’ve got your list of essential resources and activities to help you make the most of your experience.

Stay Tuned to USEF Network

USEF Network’s livestream at usef.org/network, presented by Mars Equestrian, will carry the entire competition—from the dressage test ride on Thursday, April 25, to the awards ceremony on Sunday, April 28—and a lot more. USEF Network’s coverage will also include special features like a cross-country course preview, behind-the-scenes interviews, and an archive of individual performances from the dressage, cross-country, and jumping phases.

Learn More About Eventing

Check out the United States Eventing Association and US Equestrian’s eventing page to learn more about this sport, its three phases, and how you can get involved as a fan or an equestrian. And stop by our online Learning Center at usef.org/learn for video tutorials with top riders and experts on such topics as preparing for an event, riding cross-country, cross-training tips, and more!

You Are Here

Plan your shopping expedition with maps of Sponsor Village, a new vendor area called The Hill (behind Rolex Stadium), and the trade fair, available at kentuckythreedayevent.com. Maps include company profiles, links to vendor websites, and more. For more information on the trade fair and Sponsor Village, visit kentuckythreedayevent.com/shopping-2.

The US Equestrian Demonstration Arena

The arena will host demos highlighting some of US Eques­trian’s 29 breeds and disciplines—including American Saddlebreds, Connemaras, and vaulting—on Thursday 4 p.m.-5 p.m. and Saturday 3 p.m.-4 p.m. There will be meet-and-greets with horses and equestrians, as well as opportunities to learn how various US Equestrian breeds and disciplines compete. For the demo schedule, stop by US Equestrian’s booth in the Sponsor Village, next to the Land Rover Ultimate Stable, across Nina Bonnie Blvd. from the iconic Bruce Davidson statue and Rolex clock at the west end of the Rolex Stadium.

The US Equestrian Booth and Tailgate

US Equestrian will be bringing the joy to LRK3DE—get in on the fun! We’ve got giveaways, exclusive US Eques­trian and Ariat Team gear, and much more in the US Equestrian booth in Sponsor Village. We’ll be next door to the Land Rover Ultimate Stable,

across Nina Bonnie Blvd. from the Rolex Stadium and the bronze statue of Bruce Davidson on Eagle Lion.

While you’re visiting, be sure to check out our interactive storytell­ing area—and bring a friend! Snap a photo and share a favorite memory or moment from your life as an eques­trian or horse sports fan. Selected two-minute stories will be included in Equestrian Weekly’s special LRK3DE daily editions. US Equestrian also will be offering athlete signings next door at the Land Rover Ultimate Stable.

Not a US Equestrian member yet? Sign up for a free fan membership and explore our MemberPerks pro­gram while you’re visiting.

During Saturday’s cross-country phase, check out the US Equestrian tailgate at spot #A15, directly across Nina Bonnie Blvd. from the glamping area. Kids’ activities will include a jump course, bounce horses, and face painting. Stop by for light refreshments, giveaways, and fun!

Land Rover Experiences

These are always a popular draw, and no wonder! Take your own cross-country challenge with Land Rover’s off-road experi­ences, which allow drivers to take the wheel and get a feel for Land Rover vehicles’ combination of luxury and rugged ability over purpose-built off-road courses. There’s also a teen version, the Start Off-Road Teen Driving Experience, located across from the

Test Drive Course, where young adults age 14 and up can drive a multi-terrain course under the close supervision of a trained Land Rover driving instructor. Also in the Sponsor Village: Land Rover’s Junior Drive Experience, where kids aged four to eight can drive mini electric vehicles around a specially created course.

Also check out the Land Rover Ultimate Stable next to the US Equestrian booth on Nina Bonnie Blvd., across from the Rolex Stadium, to take a close look at Land Rover vehicles, snag a snack, and watch a blacksmith make your own branded horseshoe. US Equestrian will host daily autograph signings with LRK3DE athletes in the Land Rover Ultimate Stable—stop by the Land Rover Ultimate Stable or US Equestrian’s booth for a schedule.

For tailgaters, the Land Rover Tailgate Experience offers a chance to show off their classic British tailgate style—and to win an exclusive ticket package and tailgate spot for the 2020 LRK3DE. So break out the Pimm’s, unfurl a Union Jack, and put your own unique spin on the quintessential British big-event tailgate.

Cross-Country Course Walks

Keep your eyes and ears open for late-breaking chances to walk the XC course with athletes and experts. SmartPak often hosts a course walk on Friday afternoon; check the whiteboard at the SmartPak booth in the Sponsor Village for timing and other specifics. Other course-walk oppor­tunities can crop up on relatively short notice, so listen for announcements on Thursday, April 25, and Friday, April 26, and check the LRK3DE information booth in the Rolex Stadium’s breezeway.

The Jogs

Horse inspections provisionally are scheduled for Wednesday, April 24, at 3 p.m. and Sunday, April 28, at 8 a.m.; check the online

Competition Schedule for updates. Both take place on the High Hope Inspection Lane beside the steeplechase course, between the steeplechase judges’ tower and the Kentucky Horse Park Amphitheatre. The inspections, known as “the jogs,” offer a rare opportunity to see the powerful equine athletes without their tack as they trot up and down a lane for the inspection team. It’s also a chance for their riders to show off their sartorial splendor!

Go Jumping

After dressage on Friday and cross-country on Saturday, respectively, add a different flavor of jumping with the $36,000 1.45m FEI Welcome Speed Cup/Ranking Class and the $225,000 Kentucky Invitational CSI3* Grand Prix presented by Hagyard Equine Medical Institute. More details are available at kentuckythreedayevent.com/grand-prix. Both jumping classes will take place in the Rolex Stadium. Seats are $5, with $1 of each seat sold going to the Bluegrass Land Conservancy, LRK3DE’s official charity in 2019. To learn more about the sport of jumping, visit US Eques­trian’s jumping page and the United States Hunter Jumper Association.

Champions Live

This moderated panel discussion on Sunday after that morning's horse inspection features prominent equestrians from the three Olympic disciplines on display during the LRK3DE competition—dressage, eventing, and jumping—engaging in a fun and wide-ranging conversa­tion about their sports. The panel takes place in the spectator seating tent located on The Hill behind the Rolex Stadium grandstand. Former eventing Olympian Jimmy Wofford will moderate the discussion, which is free and open to anyone with a Sunday LRK3DE grounds admission ticket. Stop by to glean behind-the-scenes knowledge of Olympic equestrian sport at one of LRK3DE’s highlights, co-hosted by Equestrian Events, the United States Dressage Federation, the United States Eventing Association, and the United States Hunter Jumper Association.

Around the Park

While you’re at the Kentucky Horse Park, take advantage of the many sights to see there, including US Equestrian’s office and the headquarters of US Equestrian affiliates the American Hackney Horse Association, American Saddlebred Horse Association, United States Dressage Federation, United States Hunter Jumper Association, and Paso Fino Horse Association.

While you’re there, get in touch with equestrian sports history at the American Saddlebred Museum, the Rolex Stadium’s USHJA Show Jumping Hall of Fame display of Hall of Famer plaques, and the USHJA Wheeler Museum at the USHJA’s headquarters. Explore the horse-human connection and its role in history, art, and more at the 60,000-square-foot International Museum of the Horse, which has a broad array of collections and exhibitions, including online exhibits.

Places to Remember

There are other notable spots around the grounds, too. Visitors to LRK3DE will want to make a stop by one of the event’s most

famous and picturesque combinations on the cross-country course—the Head of the Lake, located at the east end of the Rolex Stadium and adjacent to the lake that borders the stadium.

On the slope overlooking the Head of the Lake is another worthwhile spot to visit—memorial plaques to a number of notable horses, including the beloved 1982 Kentucky Three-Day Event winner The Gray Goose and the popular pony and two-time Kentucky Three-Day veteran Theodore O’Connor. Piloted by Olympic medalist Karen O’Connor, the 14.1-hand Thoroughbred/Arabian/Shetland cross known as Teddy was the first pony ever to compete at the Kentucky Three-Day Event when he finished third in 2007.

During the dressage and jumping phases, consider a trip to the warm-up ring outside the Rolex Stadium, where a hushed crowd assembles to watch horses and riders make their last-minute preparations. You might hear a bit of coaching advice, too.

On cross-country day, the walk to the start box is worth it. Get a feel for the intense focus and athleticism of the equine and human athletes, and thrill to the cheers of the crowd as horse and rider begin their cross-country run.

Now that you’ve got your game plan set and a list of must-sees, go forth and enjoy! LRK3DE is a great chance to mix and mingle with fellow equestrians, experience the power and grace of horses and the human athletes who work with them, and share the joy of horse sports.

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