Land Rover Extends Equestrian Team Partnership

Land Rover has extended its sponsorship of the US Equestrian Federation until 2023, continuing one of the company’s most successful partnerships.

The United States Equestrian Federation governs all equestrian sports in America and organizes the American Olympic and Paralympic teams. They also run the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event, one of the few 5* Olympic-level eventing competitions on the annual calendar. There are only six annual 5* events in the world, and the Kentucky Three-Day Event is the only one in America. Land Rover has title sponsored the event since 2018, which qualifies for the Olympics, World Championships, and World Equestrian Games.

The winner of the 2021 Three-Day Event, Oliver Townend, was also given the keys to a 12-month lease on a 2021 Discovery as part of his prize package. The new Defender 90 was displayed throughout the event field.

Land Rover’s partnership runs deeper than just smacking their name on some banners and parking some Defenders in the event field, though. They contribute through a Land Rover Eventing Grants program, founded in 2017, which allows 5* athletes (the highest level in the sport) to travel to eventing events around the world. In 2020, with the Three-Day Event canceled and international travel impossible, the three recipients, Tamie Smith, Body Martin, and Phillip Dutton were instead able to travel to domestic 3* and 4* events.

Land Rovers and equestrian sports go well together, and Land Rover has supported the sport in some way for a long time in America. Dealers have even held off-road events at the Equestrian Team Foundation’s headquarters at the Hamilton Farm in Gladstone, New Jersey, in the middle of New Jersey’s Somerset Hills horse country. Of course, it’s a natural fit…equestrian sports are also where some other big Land Rover fans, the Royal Family, have competed in Olympics. (Princess Anne competed in Montreal 1976, and her daughter Zara Philips won a medal at London 2012.)

While Land Rover’s Equestrian partnership continues strong, they have ended their association with the US Ski and Snowboard Team, after a two-year partnership. The mutual separating brings the Ski and Snowboard Team back to long-time supporters Toyota.