A Photographer’s Notes and Image Gallery from Kentucky Day 1

Savannah Fulton and Captain Jack all smiles after their test. Photo by Leslie Threlkeld.

Today the first half of competitors got their initial scores on the board at the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event. While the day seemed to fly by and we still have some heavy hitters to compete tomorrow, there were some special moments worth noting.

It’s always such a pleasure to watch Michael Jung and fischerRocana FST perform. I love that they walked casually down the ramp into the arena and, after a short warm up around the ring, took another quick walk break to gather themselves before the bell. The relaxation and ease with which they execute each movement transcends to the audience, which sits quietly captivated.

Leah Lang-Gluscic thanks the Pony Club volunteers while they give AP Prime a pat. Photo by Leslie Threlkeld.

Every year, the sport’s next generation gets involved at Kentucky as volunteers. Groups of Pony Clubbers with matching uniforms and braided pigtails march together in sync, opening the arena entrance for competitors and collecting tests from the ground jury. They work hard and with great enthusiasm. It was a sweet gesture when Leah Lang-Gluscic stopped as she left the arena, thanked the girls at the gate and invited them to give AP Prime a pat.

Sara Gumbiner is delighted with Polaris! Photo by Leslie Threlkeld.

The highlight of the day for me was watching Sara Gumbiner and Polaris complete their test. It took time, hard work and determination for this pair to earn a qualifying score to get here in the first place and I held my breath until their final salute. For a horse whose nerves have led to elimination on the flat, he kept it together marvelously today and Sara was rightfully overjoyed. With dressage out of the way, it’s on to the fun stuff! Don’t miss this pair on cross country. They are quite the team.

Go Eventing.

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