One horse eliminated in Kentucky five-star dressage: ‘He owes me nothing’

Lillian Heard Wood and her stalwart five-star partner LCC Barnaby were eliminated in the Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event dressage this afternoon.

“The ground jury decided today that Barnaby looked uneven in his test and eliminated me from the competition. The vets have looked him over back at the barn and there is nothing to report. My best guess is that tension made him take some short steps,” said Lillian.

“I am clearly devastated but I also am happy to have a healthy, sound horse and if there is one thing no one can argue, it is that Barnaby owes me nothing. I am here now to cheer on all my friends competing and will be back as a competitor another day.”

Lillian and her own 18-year-old Barnaby have a long-term partnership and have been all over the world together. They would have been seeking their 11th completion at five-star together this weekend had their event not ended in the Kentucky Three-Day Event dressage arena.

This was their sixth start at Kentucky and they have finished the event four times, their best result being 13th in 2017. They have been to the Maryland 5 Star on all three of its runnings and completed on every occasion, finishing 10th last year.

They have also started at Badminton Horse Trials twice, landing 20th last year, and their two starts at Burghley Horse Trials have yielded two completions, including 18th in 2019.

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