Now Is the Time to Finalize Your Travel Plans
March 9, 2020
by Kate S. Spencer, Kentucky Three-Day Event “Super Fan”
With the 2020 Land Rover Kentucky Three Day Event less than two months away, it’s time to nail down your travel plans and make absolutely sure that you have ALL of your tickets. It’s important to know that the LRK3DE is NOT the only show in Lexington at this time; the Keeneland thoroughbred racing spring meet will also be happening, so there will be a lot of visitors vying for rooms, flights and restaurant reservations. The earlier you can confirm your reservations, the better. Still don’t know which day to fly to Lexington? Still aren’t sure whether you want a commentary headset? Let me lay some wisdom on you.
- If you don’t have tickets yet, buy them.
- Plan Your Arrival Day. West Coasters and international attendees should plan to arrive by Tuesday, April 21st. For everyone else, Wednesday, April 22nd, can be your arrival day. Just make sure you can get to the Kentucky Horse Park on Wednesday in time to see the First Horse Inspection beginning at 3 p.m. on High Hope Inspection Lane. (Read more on the ‘jogs’ here.) This is the true beginning of the LRK3DE, and it’s absolutely the best place to see the riders and horses up close. The competitors will be dressed to impress, and the horses will be fit and gleaming.
- Book Your Flight. The Blue Grass Airport in Lexington is the closest airport; Louisville and Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky international airports are less than 70 miles away (you will want to rent a car if you fly in to either of these airports).
- Book Your Accommodations. The Kentucky Horse Park is situated between Lexington and Georgetown. Both have some beautiful hotels and inns, as well as a large number of rentals available through Airbnb and VRBO.
- Rent a Car. Though Uber and Lyft are great ways to get directly to a destination, you will definitely want to drive along our gorgeous country roads to see all the new foals trying out their impossibly long legs. Here is a link to a fabulous drive. (Taxis/Ubers, etc., may be more difficult to find in Georgetown.)
- Plan Your Meals. The Bluegrass Area has some amazing restaurants, and most every chef is committed to buying and serving locally grown products. Remember that there are a LOT of visitors here during LRK3DE weekend, so make reservations if at all possible, and make them soon. Here are a few of my favorite places in Lexington:
– (with kids) Ramsey’s Diner, Windy Corner Market;
– (for creative deliciousness) Middle Fork Kitchen Bar, Coles 735 Main
– (for Kentucky all the way) Holly Hill Inn, Merrick Inn;
– (for BBQ) Blue Door Smokehouse, City Barbeque;
– (for breakfast) Josie’s, First Watch, Sunrise Bakery. - Print Your Tickets. If you ordered your tickets online, you should have gotten an email from etix confirming that your tickets are available for download. Print ALL of your tickets, and make sure that you have BOTH Ground Admission tickets AND Reserved Stadium Seating tickets for dressage and jumping.
- Order A Commentary Headset. This is my best advice for truly enjoying the dressage competition. A limited number of headsets will be available to rent at the event on a first-come, first-served basis, so order yours now to ensure that you have one.
- Measure Your Horse. There will be SO MANY fabulous vendors at LRK3DE, and many of them will be selling products for your equine friends. This is a great place to buy halters, bridles, saddles, horse blankets and saddle pads. If you can bring a halter or bridle that currently fits your horse, definitely do that. At the very least you should take a few measurements of your horse so that when you see that PERFECT THING you will know what size to buy.
- Bring A Big Suitcase! The LRK3DE Trade Fair is also the best place to buy helmets, gloves, boots and riding attire, mainly because you can try everything on. Want to buy your little rider a sparkly new helmet? It might help to get a measurement of her head, just in case.
- Check Out Area Horse Attractions. The Bluegrass IS the Horse Capital of the World, and we have some absolutely gorgeous horse farms to visit. The last day of Keeneland’s spring meet is Friday, April 24th, and if you are flying out of Louisville airport, make time to stop by Churchill Downs, they have a fabulous museum, and you may catch a glimpse of a Derby contender arriving in style.
LRK3DE will be here before you know it, so now is the time to finalize your plans. If you need more information about the Lexington / Georgetown area, the folks at the Lexington Visitors Center and Georgetown-Scott County Tourism know everything there is to know about bourbon distillery tours, places to stay, historic homes in the area, and everything happening in and around town. (If you call VisitLEX at 1-800-845-3959 they will mail you their most popular driving tour map. Ask for Polly; she’s a peach!)
And, if you don’t have time to make all your local plans ahead of time, when you arrive at the Horse Park for the event stop by the new Official Visitor Center near the Bruce Davidson statue by Rolex Stadium for information on local sightseeing, dining and more. (Courtesy of Georgetown-Scott County Tourism and VisitLEX.)
See you at the First Horse Inspection on April 22nd!
Sydney Solomon’s journey to the top levels of eventing is a story of determination, resilience, and belief in steady progress. Raised in Maryland, Sydney did not grow up in a horse family. What began as a once-a-week hobby quickly became twice a week, and before long, the barn became home. Her first horse, a green Thoroughbred x Percheron cross, presented a true learning curve from day one. During her initial time with "Bella", Sydney wasn’t even aware that eventing existed as a sport. She was riding in 4-H and local hunter shows, building her horsemanship from the ground up alongside a horse who was learning, too. Everything shifted after a visit to Fair Hill International, where she saw eventing at the international level for the first time. She returned inspired and certain that this was the path she wanted to pursue. Eager to move forward, Sydney began searching for a horse that could match her growing ambitions in the sport. That journey brought her to True Prospect Farm, owned by Phillip Dutton, where she discovered Lillian Pink, who was for sale at the time through Boyd Martin. After several successful seasons eventing with Lillian Pink, Sydney stepped into a new phase of development, training under the guidance of Lillian Heard and eventually becoming a working student for her. The experience sharpened her skills, strengthened her foundation, and propelled her confidently up the levels. The working student years were demanding and formative. They offered a clear view into what it truly takes to build a career at the highest level of the sport. After the heartbreaking loss of Lillian Pink, Sydney made a defining choice to continue pursuing her dream, leaning into the challenges rather than stepping away from them. With Heard's support, Sydney was connected with a working student position under Phillip Dutton at True Prospect Farm, immersing herself fully in a high-performance program and the daily rhythm of top-level eventing. Soon after, she was offered the ride on Early Review CBF, a Hanoverian mare who would go on to become a defining partner in her upper-level career. Together, Sydney and “Coco” have worked their way up the FEI levels one step at a time, building experience and confidence all the way to CCI5*. In 2023, they made their 5* debut at the Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event, marking a career-defining milestone — one that stirred emotions Sydney rarely allows herself to show and underscored just how far the partnership had come. As “Early Review, accepted” echoed over the speakers during the first horse inspection, Sydney found herself tearing up, caught off guard by the magnitude of the moment. Even walking into the dressage ring, she admitted she felt the weight of it all — the years of work and the grit it takes to get there. They returned to Kentucky in 2024 to contest the Cosequin Lexington CCI4*-S, continuing to build their résumé at the upper levels of the sport and adding another chapter to a partnership forged through resilience and experience. Today, Sydney continues to compete at the highest levels of the sport while dedicating much of her time to teaching and producing horses within her own program. Having trained within some of eventing’s most respected systems, she has drawn on that mentorship to shape a competitive and training business grounded in intention, patience, and strong fundamentals. Her journey — from learning on a green first horse to stepping onto the five-star stage — reflects a career built thoughtfully and earned step by step. With each season, she continues to add depth to her experience at the upper levels, carrying forward the resilience, perspective, and work ethic that have defined her path from the very beginning.
2026 Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event presented by MARS Equestrian™ Set to Return, April 23-26
