A THREE-PEAT AT THE THREE-DAY EVENT Written by Bridget Williams / Photos by Tony Bailey
Michael Jung, 34, made history in late April when he became the first rider in the 39-year history of the Kentucky ThreeDay Event, presented by Land Rover, to win three years in a row. The ultimate test of horse and rider, the Three-Day event is comprised of dressage, cross-country and jumping tests. Aboard FischerRocana FST for a third year, the German duo lowered one rail in show jumping to finish on 42.7 penalties, just ahead of France’s Maxime Livio and Qalao Des Mers in second (44.6) and England’s Zara Tindall and High Kingdom in third (46.6). “Without the horse, you are just walking people, I’m not sure how you say that in English,” said Jung with a laugh following the win. “This is a very wonderful horse, she is absolutely a top horse, 50 slmag.net
and she is always fighting for me. We have a partnership, I know everything that she needs for me to motivate her. But she was perfect. I am so thankful for my whole team and my horse.” Livio is the only competitor in recent memory to have bested Jung, and the 29-year-old Frenchman's powerful doubleclean round put the pressure on the eventual champion as he cantered out of the ring in front of 24,159 fans in Rolex Stadium on the final day of competition. “There is always a little pressure in the ring, especially at a four-star with all the top riders,” Livio said. “With my horse, I just have to stick to him and stick to my ride, and if I do that the pressure goes down. I know if I’m very focused on my riding, the horse will do his
