by Kate S. Spencer, Kentucky Three-Day Event “Super Fan”

Fall snuck up on us in Lexington, Kentucky. Almost overnight the hot, dry days morphed into icy rain, and temperatures plummeted 20 degrees. The horses in their pastures are sporting some seriously shaggy winter coats, and their humans are frantically searching through trunks and closets for those turnout sheets we are fairly certain we had cleaned, so where the heck are they? Hay is piled high in the barn lofts, and riders bundled in quilted jackets and fleece breeches are arriving at their barns with steaming mugs of coffee and multiple pairs of gloves. The horses love these cooler temperatures, so they run and prance and roll and play and we watch, sipping our coffee and silently begging them to be careful.

Fall is my favorite time of year in Lexington, not only for the colorful palette that graces the farms and countryside, but Land Rover Kentucky Three Day tickets are finally on sale! LRK3DE 2020 will take place again April 23-26 at the Kentucky Horse Park. Right now, 2020 tickets are the least expensive that they will ever be (prices will increase on December 6th) so now is the very best time to buy your tickets. And, there is NO BETTER GIFT than LRK3DE tickets for the holidays! My husband’s annual gift to me is a 4-day grounds admission ticket (he knows I like to choose my stadium seats myself), and there is no gift I appreciate or look forward to using more than this. If you have a birthday in December, like I do, ask for a reserved parking pass, too! You deserve it!

Though the eventing season is definitely winding down, there are still several competitions and schooling shows happening in areas that are unlikely to get snow this month, so if it seems like a loooooooooong time until LRK3DE, check out the events happening near you (the Carolinas, Florida, Georgia, California, Texas, Tennessee). This is a great time to see some of our favorite teams in top form, and to meet some of the up-and-coming horses showing promise for next season. Most horses not heading to Aiken or Ocala are at home, refining their skills, before they take a few wintry months off. They will be back to work by February, starting with dressage and jumping shows before moving on to eventing competitions in the Spring.

At a time of year when our thoughts turn to all of the good things and people in our lives for which we are thankful, I am truly thankful for all of the volunteers, planners, organizers, sponsors, fans, riders, and (especially) the horses that make the Land Rover Kentucky Three Day Event the BEST WEEKEND ALL YEAR! As a Super Fan, I appreciate all the work that goes into this event, and I am amazed that, every year, this event gets better and better.

So bundle up, put another log on the fire, cue up the Man From Snowy River, and enjoy pumpkin and peppermint season. See you in Lexington in April!