Tags
Combined Driving, Cross Country, Dressage, Great Britain, Kentucky, Kentucky Horse Park, Lexington, Parklane Hawk, Pony Club, ROLEX, ROLEX Three Day Event, Show Jumping, Trade Fair, William Fox-Pitt
The ROLEX Three Day is an eventing competition where horse and rider compete over three days in three different phases of competition. The first phase is dressage, a technical phase in which the rider must show the dexterity of the horse in completing a set pattern. This phase occurs on Thursday and Friday. All of the competitors then compete in the cross-country phase on Saturday, followed by the final show jumping phase on Sunday. All competitors are judged on various elements in the different phases, and the pair with the best score wins the overall competition. The ROLEX Three Day Event was won this year by William Fox-Pitt of Great Britain on his horse, Parklane Hawk.
William Fox-Pitt and Parklane Hawk preparing for their dressage phase.
The ROLEX is a fun event for the entire family, especially the cross-country day, which is a big draw for non-horse enthusiasts as well as the fans. During the competition there were also demonstrations going on, including a Pony Club Quadrille exhibition and a combined driving demonstration. There was also a Trade Fair set up during the day with plenty of shopping opportunities and food choices. Additionally, ROLEX is held at the Kentucky Horse Park, which has its own activities.
Combined driving exhibition.
I volunteered at ROLEX last year and again this year. Both experiences were a lot of fun and a great way to participate in the event that gives you a different perspective. Volunteering is another great way to experience such a prestigious event in the horse community if you can’t afford the ticket prices. Often volunteers get the chance to be closer to the action than the ticket holders. It truly offers a different perspective of a fun event.
Volunteering at ROLEX has it's perks. I'm sitting on part of a jump set up for the show jumping phase of competition.
I’ve included a lot of pictures I took in the following slide show. I was not at the event for show jumping, but there are good show jumping pictures at this site: EventingNation
Stephanie's Script 
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