Three Day Eventing (or Three Phase Eventing) is a sport steeped in both athleticism and horsemanship. It is a true test of a horse/rider pair’s skill, courage, and endurance. There are several levels of eventing that are accessible to riders and horses of all breeds and experience levels, but there are only six events in the world that are offered at the highest level of the spot: five star eventing.
The Landrover Kentucky Three Day Event is the only five star event held in the U.S. Thousands of spectators, vendors, and of course competitors, grooms, trainers, and horses gather at the Kentucky Horse Park each Spring to participate in this iconic event.
This year, the event is closed to spectators, but we can all watch at home for free via live stream at the USEF network. You do have to sign up for a membership, but USEF is offering a free promotional membership just to watch the LRK3DE. I’ve signed up — and you absolutely should too, if you or your rider wants to watch! If anything else – just watching the cross country rides is a major thrill! Riders will be able to see a big picture of what they practice in their riding lessons each week, on a much smaller scale. I can’t recommend it enough as a way for your future eventer to learn about the sport and see some amazing riding.
You can sign up for a free promotional USEF membership to watch the LRK3DE live stream by clicking HERE. Use the code LRK3DE21 .
10:15-11:15 a.m. CCI4*-S Jumping Test first group 11:30–12:30 p.m. CCI4*-S Jumping Test second group; awards immediately after 2:15–3:15 p.m. CCI5*-L Jumping Test first group 3:30–5 p.m. CCI5*-L Jumping Test second group; awards immediately after
My favorite top riders to watch/listen to commentary: Kim Severson, Lucinda Green, Karen O’Connor, Selena O’ Hanlon, Doug Payne, Michael Jung, Leslie Law, William Fox Pitt, Gemma Tattersall, Boyd Martin, Phillip Dutton, Harry Meade (and dozens more-though not all of these folks will be at this year’s event) .
I have attended Landrover ( formally Rolex ) three times as spectator, and each time I come home breathless, motivated, and inspired. Although watching it via livestream isn’t the same as attending the actual event, it’s still sure to be educational and inspirational for aspiring eventers of all ages. There is a reason it is called “the best weekend all year!”
Happy riding and keep those eyes up/heels down!
Cross Country Day is the best day of the event – but you gotta pack a rain coat!!
If you’re missing the added thrill of the vendors section, LRK3DE vendor and friend of the farm Ride Heels Down is celebrating the best weekend all year with 20% off on fun eventing shirts and gear!
With the holidays around the corner, it’s a perfect time to get your young rider set up for success in their riding lessons! Below is a guide for holiday shopping as well as a list of inexpensive recommendations for beginner riders who are starting from the ground up. Feel free to contact me with any questions, of course – I am happy to help!
Helmet
By far, this is the most important recommendation I can offer. A good horseback riding helmet is the best investment you can make for your child’s safety, and I recommend wearing one any time they are on a horse/pony (even if it’s not one of mine!) We have come a long way in terms of understanding how to prevent traumatic brain injuries, and the technology in modern riding helmets is extremely effective in protecting riders’ heads from impact.
It’s best to go get a helmet fitted in a store by an associate in order to ensure the best (and safest) fit. I will also be happy to help test helmet fit if you are unsure. A good horseback riding helmet doesn’t need to be expensive, but it does need to be ASTM/SEI certified at a minimum. Below are a few examples of affordable schooling helmets:
Ovation Deluxe Schooler Helmet at SS Tack
Troxel Sport Helmet at Smart Pak
Dublin Opal Helmet at State Line Tack
Tipperary Sportage Helmet for Toddlers at State Line Tack
When you’re purchasing a helmet for riding lessons, be sure to look for the ASTM/SEI certification – and never purchase used helmets, which can be compromised in terms of safety!
Paddock Boots
Sneakers are meant for running, jumping, playing, climbing, and skipping – but not particularly well designed for the stirrup! Paddock boots are the second most important recommendation I can make to maximize your rider’s time in the saddle.
Paddock boots have a smooth profile and sole, making them less likely to get caught in the stirrup. They also have ankle support to help stabilize the rider’s leg/ankle when they are posting and riding in jumping position. The added bonus – your kid’s sneakers will stay cleaner longer!
Riding boots typically run true to normal shoe sizes for kids. Here’s an example of an affordable pair:
Tuff Rider Children’s Starter Boots
Gloves
Winter is coming — and riding gloves are the perfect little stocking stuffer to keep your kiddo’s hands warm during their horseback riding lessons! Horseback riding gloves have grip to help little fingers hold the reins, whereas normal gloves are generally too bulky and slick to do them any favors. Even in the summertime, summer gloves will protect your little equestrian’s fingers from blisters and rubs from the reins.
Ovation Children Hearts & Horse Gloves at SS Tack
Riding breeches/jodphurs
Riding pants give riders the perfect amount of stretch in all the right places so they have the freedom to move with their horses. Jodphurs also have knee patches to provide your rider with extra grip in the saddle! Conservative tan jodphurs are a safe bet for future showing endeavors, but for everyday riding lessons, any color is fine and there are plenty to choose from!
Equistar pull-on jodphurs at Dover Saddlery
Half chaps
For serious riders who are getting more advanced, I highly recommend half chaps. Half chaps plus paddock boots are a good, comfortable option for those not ready to commit to the cost of tall boots. They provide riders with lots of grip so they can stabilize their leg, protect from pinching by stirrup leathers, and add just a little extra ankle support. They’re nice to have for colder days, too.
Dublin Child Easy-Care Silicone Half Chaps at State Line Tack
Saddle pad
For little horse kids who enjoy seeing their pony in their favorite colors and patterns, a saddle pad will certainly up the cuteness factor! A clean white saddle pad is a good option for those who may want to attend horseshows in the future, but for every day lessons, there are lots of fun options for the perfect photo op with your little rider and their favorite pony! You can even customize saddle pads with your rider’s embroidered name or the Firefly Farm logo so you’ll always know it belongs to you!
Custom Embroidered Saddle Pads from Ride Heels Down
Horse Treats
Who doesn’t love spoiling their favorite pony with treats? Spoil your own favorite kiddo with a fun bag of horse-themed cookies and treats that they can feed after their riding lesson. Giving is receiving! (This recommendation may or may not have been brought to you by a hungry lesson pony.)
Nickerdoodles Horse Treats at Dover Saddlery
Books and Learning Activities
When their weekly horseback riding lesson isn’t enough to satisfy the horsey itch, providing your young rider with learning opportunities in the form of books and activities are a great supplement to their education. For older kids, I can’t recommend “Centered Riding” by Sally Swift enough. It is a timeless book with lots of helpful illustrations that they will find extremely useful in their riding forever! A subscription to Young Rider is a great option for kids to learn (and daydream) about horses when they can’t be on the horse themselves.
Centered Riding at Centered Riding Website
Young Rider Magazine at Discount Mags
Grooming Kit
Of course, we have everything your rider needs to groom their lesson horses, and learning to groom horses properly is a big part of our lesson program! However, if your kid is crazy about horses, a grooming kit of their very own might be a fun Christmas present for your little equestrian.
For younger riders:
Tikaboo Grooming Kit at Jeffers Equine
For older kids:
Grooming Tote Bag with Tools at Jeffers Equine
10. A Gift Certificate for More Horseback Riding Lessons!
Of course, the best gift for any horse lover is time in the saddle. There’s a saying in the horse world: “people who have $15,000 worth of equipment usually just need $15,000 worth of riding lessons!” We’re happy to offer horseback riding lessons for kids that are affordable, fun, and educational. We promote horsemanship at all levels so that kids get the full experience of being a true horseperson because our mission at Firefly Farm and Pony Lessons is to promote the love of horses and the love of horseback riding.
Call me crazy, but sometimes I think I might enjoy going to clinics more than I enjoy competing. Something about the pressure of riding in front of top athletes (and critical auditors) combined with the reassurance of being under instruction – or even just adult supervision – plus the inherent camaraderie of spending extra time with your own horse and fellow riders is just the tops.
Case in point: in August, I rode in a clinic with Olympian Leslie Law, a well known/loved rider, trainer and educator in the eventing world. I’d ridden with him on a different horse several years prior, and when I saw the chance to ride with him again at Bella Rose Equestrian, I jumped on it.
The evening before the clinic showed that no matter how prepared you think you are, there’s always a new challenge to face. My phone had busted (my husband took the lead on filing a claim and getting that sorted, thankfully!), my horse wore the head of his horseshoe nail down so much it shifted in his shoe (by a magic coincidence we ran into my old farrier at the clinic and he fixed us up), and then the starter on our truck went out. Fortunately, Andy was already safely tucked in for the night and I happened to be in my parents’ neck of the woods. They scooped me up, got the truck dropped off for repair 10 minutes before closing time, fed me dinner and even set me up with a portable AC unit for camping in my non-LQ horse trailer!
Thanks to the combined efforts of my parents, my husband and my old farrier, I managed to find myself groggily stumbling from my trailer to the barn to feed at 5:50 AM for a 7:30 ride time on Saturday morning. Symantha Melemed later aptly nicknamed our group the “we ride at dawn” group.
Stadium Day
First, Leslie commended forward seat riding as “one of the things you Americans got right!” While he didn’t dismiss riding from a full seat by any stretch, he encouraged us to give the horses’ backs a rest as we travelled around the stadium ring on long stretches. He also broke down the uses for the automatic release (staying connected) vs. the crest release (staying defensive) in the jumping position.
Warm up on stadium day was extensive but consisted of a lot of walk work, a small mercy for the hard working horses in the brutal Georgia heat! (yes- even at 7:45 AM!) Leslie’s exercises were mind-blowing reminders of the little things that it’s so easy to forget about. In this instance, it was turn on the forehand. This used to be a well worn tool in my own riding tool box, but at some point with my own horse I had put it down and forgotten about it. Leslie had us do walk-halt and trot-halt transitions, using the turn on the forehand to simultaneously change rein, sharpen the response to the leg and laterally supple the horse.
And then, when that wasn’t enough hardship for my fussy red horse, he had us flex the horses toward the direction of travel as we moved their haunches over. After much, uh, “lightening of the forehand,” Andy accepted the exercise and we even started to pull it off without too much drama. Next was some alternating renvers-travers down the long side, followed by working through a line of cavaletti, and then we were off to jump. We’ve been incorporating a lot of work on his flexibility at home and his jump has gotten better and better, so the lateral suppling in warm up paid off here too.
Leslie is a very positive coach, forgiving of mistakes and patient with worried horses and riders. He set up a round liverpool under the back oxer of a one stride ( the first fence of which was a neat wave plank ). My happy little novice horse and I had seen one Liverpool in the far distant past of the pre-titanium plates/screws era, but I wasn’t sure he’d remember. I knew the round shape in particular would give him something to take a good hard look at.
Nevertheless, my guy is brave ( ok reckless ), so when Leslie noticed my green face and asked if I’d like it to be lowered, I said no. After all, I came here to drink Gatorade and embarrass myself, and I’m allll out of Gatorade.
As I came to it, I felt Andy look at the wave planks and ask me “Hey those look funky, are we still a go?“
I closed my leg to say “yes“.
A stride and a half later, he saw the liverpool on the back side, this time pumping the brakes slightly and asking “Wha-wha- what?!”
My answer was ” uhhhhh.. surprise?Keep going please!“, so my keen carrothead leaped, dragging my not-so-keen caboose along with him.
I’m sure we less-than-impressed Leslie, but he gently reminded me to stay with my horse and sent us around to it again. This time I rode like I vaguely remember how and Andy was happy to jump it beautifully.
Later that night we wandered down to the cross country course to stretch Andy’s legs and graze along with Laura Duhamel and her two horses. No one can say Leslie doesn’t earn his clinician fee – well after 8:00 PM he was designing a course for us to ride the next day. And come the next morning, we were not disappointed at all.
Cross Country (The Fun Stuff)
First, Leslie lectured on suitability and safety for cross country, even mentioning an important little detail that I’d long forgotten about: shortening your friggen stirrups a hole. That little nugget of advice helped to stabilize my wandering lower leg while I hung out in galloping position.
We warmed up by opening and shortening the gallop, with Leslie reminding us that we can only send them as forward as well as they are balanced. Otherwise it’s just running at a fence. And that works about as well as repeatedly running red lights: you might get away with it 1,000 times, until the one time that you don’t.
He stayed on me about keeping Andy’s ears up and his weight off the forehand, and boy did that pay off when it was time to jump!
Photo by Richard Imbeault of RPI Photograpy
We started with a sweet little canter around the paddock lanes to gently come to a simple, straightforward line of logs.
And next we jumped a giant upright. 😱
My horse and I didn’t flatten, but we did peter out a little as we left the ground, so we fixed that and got a great jump the next time. Next up was a shallow serpentine line of a big ( to me, but probably not to anyone else in the group including my horse ) rolltop to the giant upright, to a coup. Easy peasy, lemon squeezy.
Andy was feeling confident and keen after revving his engine and setting back on his hocks throughout our warm up. So when our next exercise was cutout to corner to roll top, his enthusiasm was contagious. I just knew he was going to love the corner as soon as he saw it. We’d only jumped one before, and that was pre-titanium days as well. But I was right. Every time we jumped, even if we came a little short or long, he fired off the ground like a rocket ship. It was a good day.
Photo by Richard Imbeault of RPI Photography
A few of my own personal take-aways from the clinic :
1. Most accidents happen for one of two reasons: the horse is too fast or the horse is too slow. The rider must be constantly working to find the balance ( literally ) between the two. Leslie used the analogy of pushing a wheelbarrow up a plank (uphill balance) – which is harder, to pushing a full wheelbarrow down a plank, which is easier but also quick to tip over (downhill runaway balance).
2. Leslie was a big fan of walk-canter transitions in stadium.
3.To lighten the seat, stay tall in the center of the saddle while thinking about taking the shoulder to the knee.
4. Make sure you can send the horse forward and rebalance it several times to warm up.
5. It’s safer to buy a horse who is suitable for cross country and then work hard to improve the dressage than vice versa (score one for the OTTB fan club!)
He also talked about some of the harder to define qualities that all the greatest athletes of our time have:
1. Technique
2. Awareness
3. Instinct/Intuition
4. Imagination
My own long term homework hasn’t changed – get Andy’s ears up and forehand lighter as he gets stronger and more flexible through his back. Andy and I came away from the clinic feeling confident, happy and hungrier for running training level. It was a great weekend making new friends and getting to spend time with old ones ( family included! ) Cheers to you, Leslie, and cheers to the team at Bella Rose Equestrian for making it happen!
Firefly Farm’s founder and head coach, Beth Clymer, had a great outing at the Chattahoochee Hills Eventing’s June 13 schooling show and finished 2nd in her division!
