Photo by Leslie Wylie.
Y’all remember the morning of last year’s Kentucky first horse inspection? I do! Stumbling out of the EN RV at 5:30 a.m. to check on our propane tank (which had, of course, gone out in the night) into a surprise blanket of snow … it was one of the more bizarro moments of an already weird edition of LRK3DE. Without spectators, the 2021 event was a ghost-town relative to most years — not counting 2020, when the event was cancelled outright. The crowd at the Wednesday jog, normally standing room only, was sparse. Rolex Stadium, usually packed, was empty save a few rows of fan stand-in cardboard cutouts.
For the 2022 LRK3DE, things are already looking up — and I’m not just talking about the five-day forecast. (Which, yeah, there’s probably going to be rain, but there will be some sun too. That’s just LRK3DE tradition!) During the pandemic, I swore I’d never take “normalcy” — if such a concept ever returned — for granted again. Whether you are watching this year’s event ringside or from afar, let’s all take a moment on the front end to feel gratitude. We, all of us, have been through it these past couple years. We’ve weathered storms, and there are storms still to come; there always will be. But we sure can enjoy a break in the clouds.
U.S. Weekend Preview:
Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event (KY): Website, CCI5* Entries, CCI4*-S Entries, Live Scoring, Live Stream (North America), Live Stream (Outside of North America) Tickets, EN’s Coverage, EN’s Ultimate Guide, EN’s Twitter, EN’s Instagram
Ram Tap H.T. (CA): Website, Scoring
Stable View Spring H.T. (SC): Website, Scoring
University of New Hampshire Spring H.T. (NH): Website
Loudoun Hunt Pony Club Spring H.T. (VA): Website, Scoring
Horse Park of New Jersey Spring H.T. (NJ): Website
News & Notes:
Want to stay in the know for all things revolving around the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event and Badminton Horse Trials? We’ll be sending out our Daily Digest email now through Tuesday, May 3 for Badminton. It’s the best place to keep up with our coverage and all of the latest news from the big spring 5* events — and, it’s free! We’ll also be giving out prizes (think exclusive EN merch and sponsor goodies!) throughout each event, so you definitely don’t want to miss out. Sign up here.
Meet California-based adult amateur hunter/jumper rider Lyssette Williams.“It’s my personal belief that we shouldn’t just sit around complaining about the problems that we see, that we should get involved.” [Lyssette Williams Advocates For Equity, Inclusion In Horse World]
Pippa Funnell has come to Kentucky with a very special stuffy in tow. “Tigga is here, Tigga has come to every event since 1995 given to me by long-standing owner Sarah Jewson. He has travelled the world with me, I wouldn’t be brave enough to leave him at home.” [We’re Going to Need To See Your Passport, Sir]
Best of the Blogs: “So who will get this year’s viral shot at Land Rover Kentucky? It won’t be me and if it’s you, remember that an otherwise simple jumpshot can be an extraordinarily epic moment, if only you see it in perspective.” [Perspective is Everything by photographer Erin Gilmore]
Listen: Well hey there, Samantha! We love you! [WUKY: Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event revs up this week]
Fun fact: Neat breeding connection!
Watch: Watching the 2022 #LRK3DE from afar? Here’s your live stream hookup. Here’s a #WaybackWednesday (well, OK 2021 wasn’t THAT far back) video to get you hyped.
