http://www.chronofhorse.com/article/rolex-discontinues-title-sponsorship-of-kentucky-three-day-event
What a sad loss. It will be hard to refer to this event as anything other than “Rolex”.
Looks like we posted at the same time! Any way for me to delete mine?
Hard to believe. The article contained very positive statements by EEI, and no comment whatsoever from Rolex.
Whenever I have to ride in the rain, I say, “Well it’s good preparation for Rolex!”
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You can edit it to change the title to “please ignore” or whatever, or flag it for the moderators to merge with this thread.
As for the actual topic–I internalized “Rolex” as the name for an equestrian event a long time ago, but as far as broader perceptions go I’m a huge fan of the change for what’s arguable the North American showcase event for the sport; makes it sound less like a sport only for the sort of people who wear $10k watches.
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But I wanted to win one of those watches! :lol:
Not sure if Land Rover being the title sponsor will make it look any more affordable hhahaha and lets be serious, this sport is expensive and not for everyone sadly, probably including me soon if costs keep going up!
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When I first saw this I mentally checked to see if it was April 1st.
All that RK3DE logo wear is now outdated…When I first heard about Rolex it sounded really weird calling an event a watch company name, but now it’s ingrained in my brain.
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I posted on the other thread before I saw this one, but… Sad to see the era end, but at the same time I never really did understand why a very non-horsey company like Rolex would want to sponsor an event. Perhaps the future title sponsor will be something more relevant to the sport (although I doubt it).
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It would be awesome if Horseware Ireland could sponsor it 
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Oh man, what a bummer. I’m sure the event will stay just as great, but definitely the “end of an era.”
Personally, I think it’s great for big-name consumer brands that aren’t equestrian items to sponsor competitions; helps get/keep more of the general public interested in the sport.
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I admit I’m pretty “shook” (as the kids say). Especially since the name “Rolex” is what the event has always been called since I’ve been following the sport, versus the “Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials,” which is always abbreviated as “Badminton.” Or the “Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials” which is always called “Burghley.”
I hope they find a good, supportive sponsor…with a good name!
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I think it’s great they sponsored for so long! Maybe now that people are getting more data driven Garmin could be approached.
Well, we don’t call Badminton the Mitsubishi or Burghley the Land Rover, so in that sense, it’s probably good to re-shape it as Kentucky Three Day event rather than Rolex. It seems to me that EEI had been trying to do that with some of the merchandise for a while.
I do hope they will find a title sponsor that is worthy of the event and following in Rolex’s tradition. Yum Brands anyone? :winkgrin:
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Rolex, I’m sure, can get more bang for their bucks elsewhere; https://www.rolex.com/rolex-and-spor…strianism.html
The major sponsors for European events usually have a lifestyle kind of association with equestrian sports. Unfortunately in the USA, the equestrian lifestyle is not similarly coveted or popular. The sponsor needs to be able to sell his product to the wider public, based on the equestrian image.
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Rolex has been (and still is) a long time sponsor of major equestrian events in Europe.
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Collectors items. In 10 years they will be worth a lot.
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They are quickly being outpaced by longines, which also sponsors a number of other sports including formula one and gymnastics. Longines has the Global Champions Tour which is attended by much more well heeled folks than eventing is.
I may be misremembering, but isn’t there another watch company (Longines maybe) that has an overall sponsorship deal with FEI. I seem to remember that the conflict between Longines (if that is who it was) FEI sponsorship deal and Rolex’s K3DE sponsorship deal was a major “fly in the ointment”. That may be part of the motivation.
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Damn. I wonder if I can get some of those Rolex props from the show!
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The KHP has been undergoing some serious review by the current Kentucky government administration. One of the points that was raised in one of the articles was the relationship between the park and its event renters. I wonder if that had anything to do with Rolex pulling out.
It is truly the end of an era. For 35 years Rolex has been the major sponsor for EEI at the Horse Park. 35 years is one heck of a long time.
The Rolex sponsorship was a “major fly in the ointment” when the KHP was considering a bid for WEG after Bromont imploded. More recently, the KHP withdrew a bid for the 2022 WEG because they couldn’t afford it.
Given all the other horsey things they sponsor, I’m willing to bet that the end of the relationship with the 4* had something to do with KHP’s new management.
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