At the end of April every year, equestrians from across the country flock to Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington to watch the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event. Known to many simply as “Rolex,” this eventing competition is ranked four-star by Concours Complet International (CCI****), making it the same level as the eventing in the Olympics and World Equestrian Games.
The Kentucky Horse Park opened in 1978 and was scheduled to host the World Championships that year. Two years prior, the first horse trials (eventing competitions) were held at the park in preparation. The World Championships would continue to be held annually, eventually evolving into Rolex Kentucky, which is now part of the Rolex Grand Slam of Eventing, the three top CCI**** events of the world. Only two equestrians have ever won the Rolex Grand Slam consecutively.
Eventing is an equestrian sport comprised of three different disciplines: dressage, cross country, and show jumping, each of which is held on a separate day at a three-day event like Rolex. The first phase, dressage, is considered a basis for the other disciplines, as it shows strength and balance. In dressage, the horse and rider perform a series of specific movements in an area and are judged on rhythm, balance, and the ability of the team to communicate. Master riders are able to give commands to the horse that are nearly indistinguishable to anyone watching. Next is cross country, which is a steeplechase over 30 to 40 fixed jumps. The team is scored based on the completion of the course within a certain time. This makes cross country very fast, and possibly one of the most dangerous equestrian sports. Last is show jumping, which tests suppleness and stamina over jumps with poles that can be knocked down (which contributes to the scoring system).
This past April, Michael Jung of Germany won first place at Rolex Kentucky with his mare fischerRocana FST. With impeccable flying lead changes, the team emerged in the lead of dressage by a wide margin of 5.3 points. This was Jung’s second Rolex win (both were with fischerRocana) and contributed towards the Rolex Grand Slam of Eventing. After finishing first at the Badminton Horse Trials in England the next weekend, Jung became the second equestrian to win the Grand Slam.
Aside from being the only CCI**** event in the Western Hemisphere, the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event has become an important occasion for many non-competing equestrians. Thousands return to Lexington year after year for Instagram meetups and to photograph every team as they conquer the water jumps. For an aspiring equestrian, there is nothing quite like watching your heroes—human and equine—thundering down a grassy slope, clearing huge jumps, or executing a perfect flying lead change. These are the people and horses who make this challenging sport look easy.
Despite some controversy regarding eventing’s perils, eventing remains the epitome of equestrian competition. Since its beginning, the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event has been the Kentucky Horse Park’s most prestigious competition, and is arguably the most important equestrian event in the United States.