A sporting events that Rolex has supported for many years is equestrian. In 2008 alone, Rolex sponsored six major tournaments in two continents.

Photo Credit: Rolex

All eyes were on the U.S. and Europe last Spring for three major events – the Rolex Kentucky Three Day, the Rolex FEI World Cup Final, and the Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials.

The Rolex Kentucky Three Day is held the week before the Kentucky Derby. At the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington on the last weekend of April, the competition features dressage, cross-country, and show jumping.

From April 23 to April 27 in Göteborg, Sweden, the Rolex FEI World Cup Final takes place with the world’s best show jumping horses and riders in the competition. The series, which started in 1978, now has 14 leagues across the world. Only the top riders from 132 preliminary competitions qualified for the final.

The Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials is held in May, and many equestrians consider the competition the toughest event of the year. Horses and riders compete in dressage, cross-country, and show jumping tests.

From June 27 to July 6, around 500 horses and 300 riders from more than 20 nations competed in the Rolex-sponsored CHIO Aachen held in Germany. The Chio Aachen, the “Official International Equestrian Tournament of the Federal Republic of Germany,” showcases five disciplines, which are jumping, dressage, eventing, four-in-hand driving, and vaulting.

Photo Credit: Rolex

Rolex also sponsored two events in September - the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials in England and the Spruce Meadows Masters in Canada.

The Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials was held on the grounds of Burghley House, Stamford, Lincolnshire. The tournament, which prides itself as the equestrian social event of the year, showcased horses and riders competing in dressage, cross country, and show jumping.

Contemporaneous with the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials was the Spruce Meadows Masters, which offered more than two million dollars in prize money. The tournament in Calgary, Alberta in Canada featured the very best riders and their steeds. Overall, with Rolex in support, the equestrian sports are flourishing.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 15th, 2008 at 12:09 pm and is filed under Rolex Events. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.