Kent Farrington

Kent Farrington (born December 28, 1980) is a professional show jumping athlete for the United States.

Early life
As an eight-year-old boy with no family background in horses, Kent’s entry into the sport began with weekly lessons at a stable housing carriage horses in downtown Chicago. Working his way from racing ponies to retraining ex-racehorses, Kent spent most of his junior career catch-riding for many industry professionals on horses that he was not familiar with.

As a young rider, Kent won the Washington International Equitation Medal and Eiser/Pessoa National Equitation Medal Finals. Kent solidified his presence in the sport when he claimed a gold medal at the 1999 North American Young Riders International Competition at the age of 18.

Professional career
Kent turned professional later that year, accepted a job with four-time British Olympian Tim Grubb, and later worked with two-time US Olympian Leslie Howard. At 21, Farrington started his own business and became one of the fastest riders to enter the club of earning over $1 million in prize money. He received the Maxine Beard Award, presented to the American rider who is the best at displaying true potential to represent the United States on the international stage.

Farrington’s first notable Grand Prix win was at Saugerties in 2004 with Madison; the following year Madison was named AGA’s "Horse of the Year" and Farrington “Trainer of the Year." With Uceko, Farrington won team gold at the 2011 Pan American Games in Guadalajara and the King George V Gold Cup at CSIO Hickstead on Uceko.

With Voyeur, Farrington became the first American to win the International Jumping Riders Club (IJRC) Rolex Top Ten Final (2015) and won the Queen Elizabeth II Cup at Spruce Meadows (2014). The pair also earned Team Silver at the Río Olympic Games (2016) and team bronze in Caen for the FEI World Equestrian Games (2014).

With Gazelle, Farrington was victorious in the Rolex Grand Prix of Geneva (2017) and the Rolex Grand Prix of Aachen (2019).

In April 2017, Farrington took over as World Number One on the World Jumping Rankings and held the top position until March 2018.