24 SIDELINESMAY 2014
FORHORSEPEOPLE • ABOUTHORSEPEOPLE
InOctober 1976,
as preparation
for theWorld
Championships,
EquestrianEvents,
Inc., (EEI) organized
the first horse trials
ever at theKentucky
HorsePark.
The 1978World
Three-DayEvent
Championships
wereheldat the
KentuckyHorse
Park. Individual
WorldChampion
BruceDavidson
of Pennsylvania
retained the
world titlewith
Might Tango.
TheCanadian
team tookTeam
GoldMedal.
In 1979, the
Kentucky
Horse
Trialswere
established
due topopular
demand.
In 1985, theRolex
KentuckyThree-DayEvent
was the starting place for a
new four-year cycle leading
horses and riders to the
1988Summer Olympic
Games inSeoul, South
Korea. TheAdvanced Level
CCI that’s the hallmark of
Kentucky served as the
first three-day event in
theU.S. at which riders
and horses aspiring to a
place on the 1986World
ChampionshipsTeam
were observedby officials
of theUSETSelection
Committee. EEI addedan
IntermediateLevel Three-
DayEvent toprovide a
more technically difficult
competitionearly in the
year for aspiringAdvanced
Level competitors, and, as
in past years, aPreliminary
Level divisionwas also
offered.
In order toensure that horses
and riders areable to compete
under thebest possible climatic
conditions, EEI moved the dates of
the 1988RolexKentuckyThree-
DayEvent onemonthearlier toget
away from the heat, high humidity
and hard ground that had plagued
the competition in recent years.
RolexKentucky 1996 served
as the onlySelectionTrial
inNorthAmerica for the
OlympicGames, with the
BadmintonHorseTrials
(CCI****) inEngland, the
followingweekend, theother
USETSelectionTrial. In
addition to theCCI*** being
used as aSelectionTrial,
a special division, called
thePre-Atlanta Invitational,
enabledOlympic candidates
whohad already fulfilled
theThree-DayEvent
requirements tobe tested
under conditions of an
abbreviatedEnduranceTest.
This divisionalsowas open
to foreign ridersmeeting the
same criteria and six horses
ran in this division.
With a record
number of
Advanced level
horses ready
to compete in a
three-day event
at the three star
level, Rolex
Kentucky hosted
the three-day event
division in 1997
with66 starters.
For the first time,
theevent served
as aSelection
Trial for both the
EuropeanOpen.
Championships at
Burghley, England,
and theEuropean
YoungRiders
Championships at
Pratoni del Vivaro,
Italy, in addition to
hosting the annual
USETSpring
Three-DayEvent
Championship.
The1998
Rolex
Kentucky
Three-Day
Event also
was the first
competition
in theworld
to offer both a
four star and
a three star
competition.
RolexWatchU.S.A. becamea
corporate sponsor of theUnited
StatesEquestrianTeam (USET)
in 1981. TheKentuckyHorse
Trialswas chosenas the initial
sponsorship recipient.
ARolex fence from 1982 - one
year after Rolex began their
sponsorship of TheKentuckyHorse
Trials.
Photo by LynneHumkey.
In1983, EEI organized theRolex
KentuckyThree-DayEvent,
which hosted competition for
theUSET’sChallengeTrophy
for UnitedStates citizens at the
AdvancedLevel. Recognized as
aCCI by theFEI, European and
Canadian riders competed along
withAmericans.
DavinaHenderson and
Krumbeinwere oneof many
international pairs during the
1983Rolex.
Photo by LynneHumkey
BruceDavidson andDr. Peaches
during the1988Rolex.
Photo byBill Straus.
1976 1979 1983 1988 1997
1978 1981 1985 1996 1998
RolexTimeline
Takea tripwith
Sidelines
through
theRolexKentucky
ThreeDayEvent’s
History - from its
foundation to its
modern-dayglory.
