Out today! We’re getting the Kentucky party really started with the latest episode of The Go Eventing Podcast! Tune in to hear from 5* rider, Pan Ams medalist, ECP coach, and committee member Sharon White as we dive into the latest news, what’s happening this week at Kentucky, and why she is so invested in the idea of self-improvement.
The episode comes out this morning, so be sure to subscribe on your favorite podcast platform or listen here.
U.S. Events Opening Today
Revel Run H.T. I (MI); Middleburg H.T. (VA); Unionville H.T. (PA); Apple Knoll Farm H.T. (VT); Windermere Run H.T. (MO)
U.S. Events Closing Today
Tryon International Three Day Event (NC); River Glen Spring H.T. (TN); Galway Downs Spring H.T. and Preliminary Challenge (CA); Unionville H.T. (PA); Majestic Oaks Ocala H.T. (FL); Queeny Park H.T. (MO)
News & Reading
Kick off Kentucky week with more podcast fun, this time from the USEA podcast, host Nicole Brown and Will Coleman as we look ahead to a thrilling week of action. Listen in here.
The countdown to the 2025 Mars Badminton Horse Trials is well and truly on, and course prep is already in full swing despite a dry spring. Director Jane Tuckwell shared a peek behind the scenes last week as irrigation efforts ramped up across the parkland, with site manager Harry Burnley reportedly out by 6 a.m. daily to keep the turf in tip-top shape. “It looks quite amazing,” Jane commented of the footing, which has been mown, fed, and lovingly tended since last fall. With a “stellar” entry list on the books, the Badminton team is pulling out all the stops to ensure the ground is pristine for what’s shaping up to be another incredible running of this storied event. Read more here.
James Alliston is Kentucky-bound with a string of talent—and a whole lot of patience. The California-based British-American rider has Karma aimed at her second 5* at the Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event, and he’s bringing Cora and Irish Pop along for the 4*-S. In a recent Practical Horseman interview, James reflected on his long partnership-building philosophy, his quirky but gifted mare Karma, and the early horses that helped define his career—like Parker, his first U.S. horse who took him to countless 5* finishes. “I love the all-around test of horsemanship,” he said of eventing. “And there’s something really special about watching a horse with heart and desire make it all the way.” Read the Q&A here.
The 2025 Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event is shaping up to be a true clash of titans. In a recent column for The Chronicle of the Horse, Olympic veteran Kyle Carter gave us his take on this year’s event, calling out the strength of the international contingent, including four-time Kentucky winner Michael Jung, who’s back with fischerChipmunk FRH and aiming for a record fifth victory. Add in Tim Price with three top mounts and World No. 1 Tom McEwen (though JL Dublin has rerouted to Badminton), and we’ve got a showdown for the ages. Kyle also celebrates this year’s six 5* first-timers and reflects on the end of the once-coveted Rolex Grand Slam, which Jung himself claimed in 2016. With a beefy 4*-S, a brand-new 5* jumper class, and wall-to-wall coverage, Kentucky week is officially on. Read the full column here.
Sponsor Corner: Kentucky Performance Products
If you’ll be at the 2025 Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event later this week, stop at the KPP Booth — #160 at the Trade Fair in the covered arena — to enter our $500 Shopping Spree Contest! If you win, you get to order $500 of our high-quality, research proven horse supplements, including natural vitamin E leader Elevate®, digestive tract health support Neigh-Lox ADVANCED, Summer Games Electrolytes, and more. PLUS: Check back here later this week for another special KPP drawing!
Video Break
Tune in for another Behind the Barn episode with show jumper Karl Cook:
