Say what you will about a Thursday morning at MARS Badminton (and boy, do the riders: “I don’t think the judges have woken up yet,” sniffed one, who will remain anonymous to protect the grumpy),
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We are underway in North Carolina with the Tryon International Three-Day Event, where among others we have our first CCI4*-L of the 2026 season here in the U.S.. We’ll be following closely all week, and
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As Smash Mouth once sang (kind of), the five-stars start coming and they simply do. Not. Stop. Coming. Adelaide? Kentucky? Completed them, mate, with barely enough time to do some deep breathing into a paper
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Here it is — the Big, Bad, Bold Badminton Form Guide to your horses and riders for our 2026 edition. Hold on tight and follow along below as the riders take to the field (and
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The famous wartime journalist Hal Borland once wrote that “no winter lasts forever; no spring skips its turn.” Well, sorry Hal, but we’re still smarting over here from those two Badminton-less springs during the pandemic,
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The MARS Badminton CCI5* field has whittled to 64 entries with a few more withdrawals this week including one top contender in Oliver Townend’s Cooley Rosalent. The 2024 Defender Kentucky champion had also proven to
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It’s the omnipresent goal for every rider to call time on a horse’s career at the right time. Generally speaking, many riders are able to make this call at the right time — before an
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In the midst of Kentucky, we failed on getting you updates from the Strzegom Spring Open II (Poland), which concluded on Sunday. The following press release from Strzegom has been edited with some additional information.
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Buckle in everyone — we’ve got a lot to say today! Last October as the action wound down from the inaugural Final of the US Equestrian Open of Eventing at Morven Park, I gathered my
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A chilly morning greeted us today at the Kentucky Horse Park for the early final horse inspection for both the CCI5* and CCI4*-S divisions. We did have a couple of withdrawals overnight: In the CCI5*,
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During mixed zone interviews this week over the two days of dressage, one member of the media had one simple question for the riders: Can you sum up eventing in one word? After cross country
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Of course, true diehard eventing fans relish every moment of a three-day, but let’s be totally honest, it’s cross country day that we live for. And that day, my friends, is today. Yes, the best
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It’s 2026 and while many things in our lives may seem uncertain, theres one thing that is constant like the rising of the sun: Derek di Grazia is going to make one beautiful cross country
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The art of dressage is a multi-faceted one. Perhaps chief among the challenges of this first phase of eventing is the unending pursuit of improvement. It’s just as much mental as it is skill —
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Despite the fact Will Coleman admitted he felt he didn’t have things completely perfect in his final warm-up ahead of Diabolo‘s first CCI5* dressage test at Defender Kentucky, the efforts made between the boards today
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It’s been two years since we last saw Ruth Bley’s Danito with Tamie Smith here at Defender Kentucky. The 17-year-old Hanoverian gelding (Dancier – Wie Musik) has a long tenure in the sport, earning accolades
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“When I was a little kid, I was very close with my grandfather; he was a World War Two veteran,” Defender Kentucky CCI5* rookie Alex Conrad shared. “He gave me his dog tags when he
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The drawn order for our next CCI5* is live, and once more it’ll be World #1 Harry Meade who will lead the way for dressage and cross country at the 2026 MARS Badminton CCI5* in
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It was all smooth sailing at this afternoon’s first horse inspection at the Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event, and all 29 horses in the CCI5* field have passed with flying colors. This weekend’s CCI5* Ground Jury
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Washington-based Karen O’Neal has been waiting a long time for this Defender Kentucky week. When Karen heads down the centerline at Kentucky for her first CCI5* with Annika Asling’s Clooney 14, it will mark the
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Want to get to know all our sparkling Kentucky guys and gals, but don’t quite have the time to dive into our full form guide? We’ve got you covered – here’s the rundown of key info to
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We are ready to hit the ground running at the 2026 Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event at Kentucky Horse Park, and we hope to see you soon on site! Whether you are following along with us
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Welcome to Defender Kentucky week! We’re suspiciously on time with our Form Guide this year, so why not drop it on Monday instead of Thursday?? Below, you’ll find a quick write-up on each pair in
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