One of my favorite sports to watch is three-day eventing. For some obvious reasons – I’m an equestrian and (low, LOW) level eventer myself. But it’s the stories and the partnerships of the horses and riders that makes it such an inspiring sport to follow. All of that is on full display right now at the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event.
There are legendary stories – ones that feel like they’re made for the movies. Boyd Martin’s partnership the Thoroughbred gelding Neville Bardos was one. Karen O’Connor’s masterful reign with Teddy O’Connor was another. But every single rider and horse that make it to the Kentucky Horse Park for this fateful event in April has a story. And behind that story is a heck of a lot of blood, sweat and tears.
You get glimpses of those hard-earned narratives in sound-bite quotes from daily sport coverage:
“He is full of character,” Meghan O’Donoghue told the Chronicle of the Horse on jog day about her longtime partner, the 17-year-old gelding Palm Crescent. “He shows his opinions and tells you exactly how he feels all the time. He loves being the center of attention. He knows he’s king in the first stall and gets to go all the places. He knows when it’s special, and he’s the only one on the trailer, and we’re there for an extra bit of time. It’s kind of cool to see a horse that’s evolved from a young off-the-track-Thoroughbred to something that is a class athlete.”
In my head, I can see Canadian rider Hawley Bennett-Awad beaming – like she always does – when someone asks her to talk about her beloved JollyBo.
“She’s pretty special; she’s part of the family. She’s in love with [my husband] Gamal; she’s in love with me. She loves the dogs,” she told the COTH Wednesday.
Jennie Saville (Brannigan) got emotional when talking about her long-time partnership with Stella Artois, who spent most of last year out of competition while recovering from an injury.
“I had my best five-star finish on her and had them all since they were young, and it’s really cool to have them all here. But any time they break you are just hopeful they’re coming back, and she’s going better than ever. It’s really special. I love her.”
Boyd Martin described himself as an optimist when talking about his chances with Contessa, a mare he’s been developing for years, at Kentucky.
“Once these horses make it to the top, I believe that on their day, no one can beat them,” he told Practical Horseman. Sometimes, I get accused of being too much of a dreamer. But, once they get to this level, I really feel like the sky’s the limit.”