The Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event is one of the most prestigious and demanding equestrian events in the world. Held annually during the last weekend of April, the event attracts the best American and international riders and is strictly for four- and five-star horses, meaning those at the top of their class in regard to athletic performance. Rider and horse pairs compete in three stages (dressage, cross country, and jumping) across three days of competition.
The 2023 Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event presented by MARS Equestrian™ (LRK3DE) featured 39 horse and rider combinations from five countries in the CCI5*-L field, all of which competed for the largest share of the $375,000 in prize money up for grabs. Below is a look at some of the top stories from the event.
Tamie Smith Makes History
American Tamie Smith made history in front of more than 23,000 fans at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington on the final day of competition. Smith, riding the black German Sport Horse Mai Baum (nicknamed Lexus), finished in first place to claim her first-ever CCI5*-L victory and become the first American to win the Kentucky Three-Day Event since Phillip Dutton in 2008. She was also the first woman to win the event since Great Britain’s Mary King in 2011.
American rider and horse pairs have come close to winning the competition several times in the years since 2008, but missed out on first place after hitting rails during the jumping portion of the event. Smith, who was in first place after the dressage and cross-country competitions, faced the possibility of a similar scenario after second-place Tom McEwen of Great Britain, riding JL Dublin, executed a perfect double clear in the show jumping. Smith had to settle for a silver medal in the team competition at the Eventing World Championship last year after Mai Baum uncharacteristically bumped two rails. Yet, the duo pulled off a flawless run to end a 15-year drought for Americans in the competition.
Smith, 48, has ridden several other horses throughout her career and reluctantly began riding Mai Baum in recent years. Alexandra Ahern, a student of hers at Next Level Eventing, owns Mai Baum and insisted that Smith take the 17-year-old horse.
“I remember seeing Alex ride him for the first time to do a jump school at our place, then she came to be a working student for me,” Smith recalled after winning in Kentucky. “I usually don’t ride my working students’ horses because I don’t want them to feel like I’m pressuring them to ride their horse. When she went to college and said, ‘You need this horse—America needs a great horse.'”
Strong Debut for US Riders and Horses
Smith’s win wasn’t the only positive for US Equestrian. American Elisabeth Halliday-Sharp finished in third place while riding Miks Master C, a 2012 Swedish Warmblood gelding making his CCI5*-L debut. It was the first time that two Americans finished in the top three at the LRK3DE in seven years.
Three other horses—Chin Tonic HS, Contessa, and Nemesis—finished in the top-20 in the CCI5*-L class.
Canadian Karl Slezak Wins CCI4*-S Division
American horse and rider pairs took nine of the top 10 spots in the CCI4*-S competition, but it was Canadian Karl Slezak, riding Hot Bobo, who claimed first place with the low penalty score of 29.3. Smith, this time riding Solaguayre California, finished 0.7 points in second place, while Sydney Elliott (QC Diamantaire) finished in third place. Smith also claimed 10th place riding Elliot V.
Slezak, 41, has been competing in the equestrian discipline of eventing since he was 15 and first represented Canada on the international stage at the 2002 North American Junior and Young Rider Championships. He has had prior success in the CCI1* and CCI*2 divisions, but his victory in Kentucky marked his first win in the CCI4* class. The win was especially surprising considering it was only the second CCI4* for Hot Bobo.
King Charles’ Niece Zara Tindall Competes
In other noteworthy news involving international competitors, Zara Tindall, the niece of the newly crowned King Charles III, competed at the LRK3DE for the first time in six years and finished in 15th place while riding Class Affair. Her uncle’s coronation was a little more than one week later.
Tindall, who has been riding for more than two decades, finished in third place at the LRK3DE in 2017 and won a silver medal at the London Olympic Games in 2012.
New Jump in Honor of Eventing Legend Jimmy Wofford
One of the major additions to this year’s 5* cross-country course was Fence 15 just before Defender Head of the Lake. Although unassuming, the fence was named Wofford’s Rails in honor of eventing legend Jimmy Wofford, who died two months prior. Wofford was a two-time LRK3D3 champion, having won in 1981 and 1986, and has taught many riders in classical horsemanship.