Rolex Equestrian Games

The Rolex Equestrian Games are held annually in Kentucky. The Rolex Games are a three-day equestrian competition where riders and horses participate in dressage, show jumping and cross country eventing. An average of 50 competitors and over 50,000 spectators attend the event every year.

  1. Four-Star Event

    • The Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event is the only annual CCI**** (Concours Complet Internationale Four Star) event held in North America. Four-star events are the highest level of eventing competition, and there are only a handful of these events held each year. The eventing competition during the Olympic Games is another four-star event. The Rolex equestrian games achieved four-star status in 1998.

    Purpose

    • The Rolex equestrian games provide upper level riders and horses in the United States a chance to compete in their own country. It also gives the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) an event that can be used to evaluate riding candidates for teams that represent the United States in international competition.

    Sponsorships and Event Hosting

    • The Rolex Kentucky Three-Day is organized by Equestrian Events, Incorporated (EEI). EEI was initially created to organize and host the 1978 World Three-Day Event Championships in Kentucky. It is a non-profit charitable organization. Rolex Watch U.S.A. is the title sponsor of this event, and has been since 1981. The presenting sponsor of this event is Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations, LLC.

    Activities

    • In addition to the three-day eventing competition, the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day also plays host for a large equine trade fair that features merchandise and businesses from all across the country. The Rolex Grand Slam of Eventing is also up for grabs during the Rolex equestrian games. The Grand Slam awards $350,000 to any rider who can win the Land Rover Burghley, Mitsubishi Motors Badminton and Rolex Kentucky four-star events one after the other. As of 2011, only one rider, Pippa Funnell of Great Britain, has ever won the Rolex Grand Slam. Funnell won all three competitions in succession during 2003.