The Event is produced by Equestrian Events, Inc. (EEI), a non-profit, charitable organization that supports the development of equestrian sports by staging sporting events at the highest level. EEI is dedicated to creating opportunities for riders, horses, and equine organizations while advancing the United States’ strength and competitiveness on the international stage.

K3DE features one of only seven annual 5* three-day events in the world. K3DE is the largest and longest-running Five Star event in the Americas, and as the United States’ premier event, it also serves as the Defender/USEF CCI5*-L Eventing National Championship presented by MARS Equestrian for the U.S. athletes. Known as “The Best Weekend All Year,” the event annually attracts over 90,000 spectators who also enjoy extensive shopping, a variety of hospitality experiences and a wide array of entertainment activities. Additionally, K3DE features the Cosequin^® Lexington CCI4*-S, a U.S. Equestrian Open of Eventing Series qualifying event, and the Kentucky International CSI5* Grand Prix presented by Hagyard Equine Medical Institute.

Spencer has owned and ridden “Max,” a 15-year-old bay gelding by Guillotine, since he was a four-year-old and their bond is clear. His test was highlighted by its smooth flow and intense focus, and just a touch of natural flamboyance. Spencer feels the work on their dressage has all been worth it because of the natural advantages a Thoroughbred brings to the second phase of competition, the cross-country.

“On cross country, it’s always nice to be on a fast horse,” she said. “But in the dressage, I’m very lucky with Max. He’s a beautiful mover and he’s always been very trainable, I quite enjoy riding him the dressage.

“I’ve had a few Thoroughbreds over the years that have been quite good at dressage, but he’s quite an expressive horse for a Thoroughbred. He likes to throw his front legs around and he did that today,” she finished with a laugh.

Price has a veteran campaigner in Vitali, and while he’s had lots of good finishes, including in Kentucky, that big win has eluded him.

“It’s not his first rodeo,” Price said of his and Joseph and Alexander Giannamore’s Holsteiner gelding. “He’s a good dressage horse but not usually in the spring; he doesn’t always do his best work, but we still managed to keep on track with a good test.

“I’ve had him 6 or 7 years and I’ve been through a lot with him. A lot of disappointments in terms of final results, but he’s an incredible horse in so many ways,” he continued. “I didn’t get him as a young horse, so it took a couple of years to form a good partnership with him. It was a matter of tinkering away to try to find something help us be truly successful at this level. I hope it happens one day, preferably sometime soon.”

McEwen is no stranger to the Kentucky Horse Park, including finishing second here in 2023 and 2024 on a different mount, JL Dublin. He was exceptionally pleased with John and Chloe Perry and Alison Swindburn’s Irish Sport Horse gelding today. “I’m absolutely delighted,” he said. “Norris did the test he does every time and laid everything down. I’m really looking forward to tomorrow.”

With the first of three phases complete, riders’ attention now turns to the cross-country phase, where they and their horses will be tested by course designer Derek di Grazia’s 28-obstacle test.

“It’s a proper 5-star,” Price said. “There’s nothing non-5star about it. The demands are right through the course. Derek is very clever at putting the right questions at the right place. Walking it gives me a little feeling of nerves and excitement, but it’s to be respected. It’s a long way around.”

“Ther are tough combinations the whole way and there’ll be problems everywhere, which is a sign of good course design,” Spencer agreed. “As usual with Derek, all the jumps are there to be jumped, but it’s easy to have a problem anywhere on course.”

“I completely agree,” said McEwen. “You are going to see some pairs through the combination make it look hard and others make look like nothing. It walks and feels like a proper 5-star form start to finish, and it makes me excited to go out and try it.”

Danito stays on top in the CCI4*-S, but margin narrows

Tamie Smith held on to her overnight lead with Ruth Bley’s Danito after the second day of dressage, keeping her top spot with a score of 27.0. Smith has three horses in the Cosequin^® Lexington CCI4*-S, and she also sits tied for 3^rd with Molly Duda’s Lillet 3, and in 13^th aboard Kynan Syndicate’s Kynan.

But after the second day of dressage, her margin narrowed with Pan Am silver medalist Sharon White sliding into second on her own Claus 63 (28.1) and Great Britain’s Elizabeth Barratt with Ride For Thais Chaman Dumontceau standing tied for 3^rd (29.7) with Smith and Lillet 3.

“I was really thrilled with Claus today,” White said. “He was relaxed and mature and well within himself. We’ve been working on that our whole partnership, and at 14 years young, he’s really coming into his own.

“I’m super excited about the rest of weekend,” she continued. “The track looks amazing — like always here.”

White and the Holsteiner gelding have competed here previously in the 5*, but she’s aiming to add to his confidence and experience this weekend.

“The (4*-short) here is certainly one of the hardest in the world, and that’s because of the atmosphere,” she said. “It’s Kentucky, there are so many people here, and that is so good for horses’ learning before championships. The crowd is a big reason it makes it harder than anything else. Personally, I’ve brought him here before, he’s done the 5* here and I’ve made a conscious decision to do the (4*-short). He’s had a bit of loss of form, and this is what’s best for him and for me to get him back.”

Barratt is here as part of a program from the British federation called “Rising Lions” for riders under the age of 25 at the CCI4* level. She’s been partnered with the grey Selle Francais gelding for just over a year, and is loving her first trip to the U.S. and the horse park.

“I was really pleased with my horse this morning,” Barratt said. “He wants to rise to occasion and he loves a crowd. This was our best test as a combination. He was listening and forward, we had a great ride together.

“It’s my first time in the U.S. and at the horse park, and it’s an incredible place,” she added. “We’ve had an amazing time so far, the course looks amazing and we’ve felt so welcomed. It’s a great feeling and I’m excited to be here.”

The event continues with the heart of the sport, the cross country on Saturday and the weekend will finish up with the show jumping phase on Sunday.

Videos of all press conferences are available on the official Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event Facebook page.

Want to get a look behind the scenes with some of our riders and learn more about the sport of eventing? Check out Behind the Barn! Stream all episodes here: https://www.kentuckythreedayevent.com/behind-the-barn.

Catch up on all the news, photo galleries, and videos at US Equestrian's K3DE hub. You can sign up for US Equestrian's official K3DE newsletter on your member dashboard. 

Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event presented by MARS Equestrian

The Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event (K3DE) is a thrilling multi-day competition featuring Olympic-level riders and horses in what can best be described as an equestrian triathlon. Horse and rider pairs compete in three phases of the competition – Dressage, Cross-Country and Show Jumping – for $400,000 in prize money to those competing at the CCI5*-L level. K3DE is the largest and longest-running Five Star event in the Americas and as the United States’ premier event, it also serves as the Defender/USEF CCI5*-L Eventing National Championship presented by MARS Equestrian for the U.S. athletes. Rolex is the Official Timepiece and Event Partner.

Cosequin^® Lexington CCI4*-S

Introduced in 2021, the Cosequin^® Lexington 4*-S runs concurrently with the CCI5*-L competition, featuring the three phases of eventing – dressage, cross country and show jumping. The Cosequin^® Lexington 4*-S is a U.S. Equestrian Open Eventing Series Qualifier and offers $50,000 prize money. Tickets for viewing the Cosequin^® Lexington 4*-S are included when purchasing the K3DE tickets.

Kentucky International CSI5* presented by Hagyard Equine Medical Institute

Formerly known as the Kentucky Invitational, the Kentucky International made its debut at the 2018 Kentucky Three-Day Event as a CSI3* and was held as a CSI4* for the first time in 2024. After becoming a CSI5* in 2025, the international show jumping event makes EEI the only event organizer in the world to host both a CCI5*-L and CSI5* in the same week. More information on the Kentucky International CSI5* presented by Hagyard Equine Medical Institute can be found at https://www.kentuckythreedayevent.com/the-kentucky-international-csi5.

About Equestrian Events, Inc.

Equestrian Events, Inc. (EEI) is a non-profit charitable Kentucky corporation that was established initially to produce the 1978 World Three-Day Event Championships at the Kentucky Horse Park. Following the success of those championships, EEI established an annual event that evolved into the world-renowned Kentucky Three-Day Event, which draws nearly 90,000 spectators to the Kentucky Horse Park each year. EEI added the Kentucky CSI Invitational Grand Prix in 2018, which upgraded to the Kentucky International CSI5* for 2025, the Lexington CCI4*-S in 2021, and also produces other events. EEI is also hosting the United States Eventing Association (USEA) American Eventing Championships in 2026-2028. EEI supports several local and equine charities and over the last 20 years has donated more than $1.1 million to various charities. For more information, please visit www.eq-events.com.

For More Information:

Equestrian Events, Inc. – www.kentuckythreedayevent.com

Media Contact:

Marty Bauman, Press Chief, 508-878-2394, marty@classic-communications.com