ROAD TO ROLEX IJRC TOP 10 FINAL: Kent Farrington

Kent Farrington (USA)

28/12/1980

Kent Farrington has been cruising steadily at the top of the rankings for a while and has qualified for six editions of the ROLEX IJRC TOP 10 in the last eight years. He topped this competition twice: in 2019 with Austria 2 and in 2015 with Voyeur. He is the only US rider to have reached this milestone.

In 2016, at the Olympics in Rio, he played a main role in the US team's silver medal win. More recently, Kent has been silver medallist at the Pan American Games in Santiago, where his team topped the podium.

Kent began cultivating his equestrian reputation when he won the gold medal at the 1999 North American Young Riders International Competition. He was 18 years old.

Stubborn, perfectionist and resolute, he grew up in downtown Chicago in a family that had nothing to do with horses and yet supported him greatly in his passion.

His start was uphill: as a boy he used to travel three hours a day for training and sometimes he happened to ride up to twenty horses that he trained for competitions and equestrian shows.

In February 2018, he had a bad accident during the Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington that made people worry about the possibility of seeing him in the saddle again. But Kent turned even this difficult circumstance into a challenge and, thanks to his determination, achieved another great personal victory.

You’ve already topped this competition twice (2015 on Voyeur and 2019 on Austria 2). Could you describe the feeling you can get from Geneve's public?

«Geneve’s crowd is one of the best in the sport. They are knowledgeable about the sport and very supportive. I love it».

What was your best moment in the 2023 season?

«I’m not sure... Hopefully the best is yet to come».

Which horse are you going to enter in the ROLEX IJRC TOP 10 and why?

«I have two 9yr horses. So they are both inexperienced for this level. I’m going to see how they handle Geneve but most likely I will ride Greya».

Who would you bet on for the 2023 Top 10 podium?

«Best part of the Top 10 is that all of them are capable winners. If I had to bet I would say Ben Maher or Henrik. I think both of them have many horses to choose from at the moment».

Let's play a little game: enter your stable and think about Paris 2024. What is the first box you look at?

«That’s a tough game for me. I don’t like to decide what horse will do what. I’ve done this long enough to know that you never know and horses can always surprise you. All options open!».