How Did The Kentucky Three-Day Event Nearly Fall Through The COVID Cracks? An Interview With EEI Executive Director Lee Carter

When the announcement came out on Feb. 2 that Equestrian Events Inc. was canceling the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event for the second year in a row due to the COVID-19 restrictions for spectators, the eventing community jumped into action and active debate.

Some rallied behind a last-minute effort to fundraise the money EEI needed to run the event without spectators, while others questioned why an event with connections to large corporate sponsors and wealthy horse owners was asking grassroots supporters for donations in an economic climate still ravaged by the effects of COVID-19.

On Feb. 10, EEI announced that, thanks to grassroots fundraising and several big dollar donations, the five-star event is back on. But how did the event get into this situation, and how is it proceeding from here? EEI Executive Director Lee Carter and Clay Green, chairman of the board of the Kentucky Horse Park Foundation, sat down to answer some hard questions.

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Article written by: Ann Glavan