Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event

The Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event is an eventing competition held at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky. Rolex Kentucky is a CCI**** eventing competition. Four stars is the highest level of competition in the sport, the same level of competition as Eventing at the Olympics and the World Equestrian Games. The event is sponsored by Rolex watches and is known by many equestrians simply as Rolex. Prize money of $350,000 is distributed among the top placings with $110,000 as well as a Rolex watch awarded to the first place horse and rider.

Although the event's name continues to reflect its roots as a three-day competition, Rolex currently takes place over four days (Thursday through Sunday). Due to large number of entries, both Thursday and Friday are devoted to Dressage. Cross-country is on Saturday, and show-jumping is on Sunday.

Rolex is held the last weekend of April, the week before the Kentucky Derby. It is one of the three events in the Rolex Grand Slam of Eventing.

In 1974, Bruce Davidson and the United States Equestrian Team won individual and team gold at the World Championships held in Burghley, England and Bowers took 2nd place. This gave the United States the right to hold the next World Championships four years later, in 1978. The Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky was due to open around the same time, and plans were made to hold the World Championships there.

Equestrian Events, Inc. (EEI) was formed to as a non-profit organization to help plan the competition and raise public awareness. The first horse trials at the Kentucky Horse Park was held in 1976, to prepare. In 1977, the National Pony Club Rally and the North American Junior Three-Day Event Championships were also held there.

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