Phillip Dutton and Z. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
Today is the day! Tickets are officially on sale beginning at 9 a.m. ET for the 2026 Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event! Now is your chance to snag the best seats in the house for the #BestWeekendAllYear, and reserved tickets + hospitality tend to go quickly, so it’s good to be early to the party in this case. Importantly, you can also save money with early bird pricing until December 11. You can find ticket options here.
Major International Events
Military Boekelo CCIO4*-L (The Netherlands): [Website] [Schedule] [Entries/Timing/Scores] [Live Stream] [EN’s Coverage] [Support EN’s Coverage Sponsor: Horsepal]
U.S. Weekend Events
Morven Park Fall International CCI / US Equestrian Open of Eventing Final (VA): [Website] [Entries/Ride Times] [Schedule] [Scores] [Live Stream] [CrossCountry App XC Maps] [Tickets and Tailgating] [Volunteer] [EN’s Coverage] [Support EN’s Coverage Sponsor: Ride EquiSafe]
Poplar Place Farm October H.T. (GA): [Website] [Entries/Ride Times] [Scores]
Redefined Equestrian H.T. (CO): [Website] [Entries/Ride Times/Scores] [Volunteer]
The Event at Isaacks Ranch (NM): [Website] [Entries/Times/Scores] [Volunteer]
News & Reading
While it’s too late to make changes to your Eventing Manager team, you can still handicap the field and, in particular, the horses who could surprise us this weekend at the US Equestrian Open of Eventing Final at Morven Park. The 30-horse field is full of successful 4* and even 5* horses, and the $200,000 prize money will have everyone aiming to be as competitive as possible. Take a look at some pairs tapped to be potential dark horses this weekend here.
The MARS Maryland 5 Star next week will feature several USEA Young Event Horse graduates in the 5* and 3* divisions (as well as, of course, in the East Coast YEH Championships). Now you can meet the horses who’ve come through this pipeline here.
“Dressage training is a systematic process that anyone can learn, however, the quality of the training is in the practitioner.” The student will never ride exactly like their teacher because they are a completely different person with different life experiences, a different physique, and a different temperament. A physically strong, even-tempered person will produce a different result than someone who is short-tempered and equally strong with the same education. A good instructor understands this and teaches accordingly. Horse Nation explores the topic more here.
Sponsor Corner: Virginia Horse Center Foundation
Don’t forget to send in your entries for the fall edition of VHC Eventing at Virginia Horse Center! This year, the CCI1*-S level is offered, along with FEI divisions through CCI3*-S. It’s a great opportunity to have a good test for where you’re at for the end of the year. Entries close on October 14, so be sure to get those sent in soon. More information here.
Video Break
Catch the latest episode of The Open Road featuring Boyd Martin:
