Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event presented by MARS Equestrian Organizer EEI Selects Mike Cooper as Interim Executive Director

• Lee Carter Leaves EEI to Become Executive Director of the Kentucky Horse Park
• Laura Holoubek Succeeds Cooper as EEI President

Equestrian Events Inc. (EEI), organizer of the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event presented by MARS Equestrian™, has selected Mike Cooper (pictured below) to serve as Interim Executive Director, replacing Lee Carter who is leaving EEI to become Executive Director of the Kentucky Horse Park.

The Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event, which returns to the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, KY, April 28-May 1, 2022, hosts one of only seven annual Five Star three-day events in the world. The event also hosts a CCI4*-S as well as the $225,000 Kentucky CSI3* Invitational Grand Prix presented by Hagyard Equine Medical Institute. Known as “The Best Weekend All Year,” the event annually attracts more than 80,000 spectators who also enjoy extensive shopping, a variety of hospitality experiences, and a wide array of demonstrations.

Cooper has served on the EEI Board of Directors since 1991 and has been the Board’s president since 2019. He served as Commissioner of the Kentucky Department of Travel and Tourism from 2007-2012 and was deeply involved in the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games (WEG) held at the Kentucky Horse Park. To accept the position as EEI’s Interim Executive Director, Cooper resigned as President and from the Board of Directors.

“We are deeply indebted to Lee Carter for all he has done for the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event and for equestrian sports,” Cooper said. “I have been fortunate to work closely with Lee and I intend to continue to build on what he has done to solidify our event’s position at the absolute pinnacle of our sport.”

Succeeding Cooper as President of the Board is Laura Holoubek who was already in line to succeed Cooper at the end of his term. A business and equine attorney and partner in the law firm, Dinsmore & Shohl LLP, Holoubek has been on EEI’s Board of Directors since 2017.

The Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event presented by MARS Equestrian is a thrilling multi-day competition featuring Olympic-level riders and horses in what can best be described as an equestrian triathlon. Horse and rider pairs compete in three phases of the competition – Dressage, Cross-Country, and Show Jumping.

Two distinct Eventing competitions are held, a CCI5*-L and a CCI4*-S. The Five Star riders compete for their share of $375,000 in prize money as well as a shot at the $350,000 Rolex Grand Slam of Eventing, which is awarded to any rider who wins the Land Rover Kentucky, Badminton, and Land Rover Burghley Five Star Events in succession. LRK3DE is the longest-running Five Star event in the Americas and as the United States’ premier event, it also serves as the Land Rover/USEF CCI-5*-L Eventing National Championship presented by MARS Equestrian™ for the U.S. athletes.

The $225,000 Kentucky CSI3* Invitational Grand Prix presented by Hagyard Equine Medical Institute will take place on Saturday afternoon, April 30, after the cross-country portion of the LRK3DE. As part of the competition, there will also be a $36,500 Welcome Speed Cup Ranking Class on Friday in the Rolex Stadium, after the day’s LRK3DE dressage competition.

Further information about the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event and the Kentucky CSI3* Invitational Grand Prix is available at www.kentuckythreedayevent.com.

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Suzanne Ashton

Suzanne Ashton, Founder of Everything Horse (Est, 2012), has a BA Hons in Marketing Management and a Diploma in Equine Science. Suzanne has ridden and owned horses all her life and has twelve years of experience in marketing, writing, design, SEO, and website creation.