Lexington, Ky.—April 25

The horses in the Defender Kentucky CCI5*-L tend to be cross-country machines at the peak of fitness. But what are they like at home when the tack comes off? We asked five-star riders to tell us about their mounts’ personalities and their relationship together.

Sharon White’s Claus 63: An Expressive Partner

“You never have to wonder what he needs,” White said. “He is very clear about when he’s OK, when he’s not OK. He expresses himself freely. He’s very emotional, but he’s very intelligent. He gets himself into trouble thinking too much sometimes, but he’s such an athlete, right? And he knows that too. So my big problem is getting him focused on his job, because his job is so easy for him, but if you’re not focused on your job … you’ve got to get him to actually focus. So that’s my goal with him always, is just to teach him to focus and be with what we’re doing, rather than, ‘Did you see all of the things?’ I always say that he’s the champion of the game Made You Look—like, the Olympic gold medalist, the world champion of Made You Look.”

Katherine Coleman’s Monbeg Senna: ‘Dobbin Or Dragon’

“He’s a character. He is either a Dobbin or a dragon, and not a lot of in between,” Coleman said. “So you’ll go around [calmly], but then all of a sudden he just explodes. And it’s funny, because when I’m on him, I’m always kind of a little nervous, and I have my neck strap, and he’s donkeying along, and everyone’s like, ‘What?’ But you don’t know—just wait until he sees something, or wait till that switch flips. And then I’m either flying a kite or holding on. But he’s super cuddly.”

Jessica Phoenix’s Fluorescent Adolescent: Colorful Inside And Out

“She is as colorful in personality as she is in looks,” Phoenix said. “She has a larger-than-life personality, and she loves people, loves treats, loves cameras. Anytime she thinks there could be a photo involved, she is on board. She’s just one of those horses that fills space with her personality.

“She has a huge following,” she continued. “She is a crowd favorite almost everywhere we go. And she has a lot of fans asking her photos with her, which she loves.”

Jonelle Price’s Hiarado: A Troll

“She’s a right witch, a true mare,” Price said. “She’s a very determined, independent, strong-willed mare. That sums her up, I think. But, you know, I can’t help but love her. She’s right up my street.

“All our horses in the yard, when they hit five-star, they get a mascot which sort of depicts some of their personalities, or whatever, and hers is a troll,” Price continued. “She is a cranky thing, and she likes her own space. She would be the kind [who would] lock her bedroom door with a sign on saying, ‘Keep out.’ She’s very happy on her own. She doesn’t need for people or need for other horses, so that’s why she’s got the troll. She’d be the one living under the bridge, scaring everyone when they came over.”

Emily Hamel’s Corvett: A Particular Guy

“He’s quirky,” Hamel said of her partner of nine years. “He’s very particular. He is not afraid to tell you what he likes and what he doesn’t like. So luckily, he likes me, and he likes to run and jump. He’s very hard to catch. Like, I’m typically the only one that can really catch him. He’s gotten better with some of the girls, but often I’ll get a call, and they’re like, ‘Hey, I can’t catch him.’ ”

Tom McEwen’s Brookfield Quality: An Edgy Fellow

“He’s called ‘Norris’ in the stable,” McEwen said. “We call him Nervous Norris. He’s getting better and better with age, but as you could tell from the trot strip, we went very slowly away, and then we came back with a little bit more pace. He’s awesome, and he’s unique. He’s a horse that you’ve got to really get to know before you can do anything, really, with him.”

Matt Brown’s Alderwood: When Your Personalities Match

“He is definitely an overachiever,” Brown said. “I have to be very careful, because I’m also kind of an over-overachiever, and so I have to really tone that down, because he’s trying as hard as he can all the time. So I have to make sure I’m not trying too much and, be like, ‘No, no, we don’t need to try that hard. Let’s just calm down.’ It’s great because he’s always looking to please, but it means that I have to be a little bit careful that I’m not asking too much of him.”

Mary Bess Davis’ Imperio Magic: In Your Pocket

“He’s the biggest pet,” said Davis. “He’s quirky in the warm-ups. I don’t know that many people would want to ride him in the warm-ups, but in the barn, he’s everybody’s pet. He’s a love. He just wants to crawl in everybody’s lap. So he is just the sweetest little animal. He really is just a family horse. So that’s pretty cool.”

Arden Wildasin’s Sunday Times: A Younger Brother

“I’d say he’s a punk, but I mean that in the best sense. He’s also, in a sense, a younger brother to me,” said Wildasin. “I’ve had him for more than a decade. I was 18 years old when I got him from the Goresbridge Go For Gold auction [Ireland], and he’s now 18. Eighteen’s our lucky number.

“He’s a kid. He loves the cookies,” she added. “He looks which pocket has cookies in it, like, he loves them. Mrs. Pastures is his [favorite].”

Buck Davidson’s Sorocaima: A Worker Under Saddle, A Babysitter In The Barn

“He’s usually just unbelievably workmanlike,” Davidson said. “He wouldn’t be the fanciest one out there, but he would been in one of the steadiest ones.

“But with my kids he’s [great], especially Ellie, who’s only 4,” continued Davidson, who has two daughters, Ellie and Aubrey. “She can hug his legs. We joke that ‘Cam’ is Aubrey’s and [Cooley Candyman] is Ellie’s.”

Caroline Pamukcu’s HSH Double Sixteen: Look Out, Strangers

“We call him a Jack Russell in the barn,” Pamukcu said. “He’s very, very, very feisty. He’s hilarious. To his people, he loves them, but to strangers and all that, he might take a swing or a bite at them.”

Clarke Johnstone’s Menlo Park: A Citizen Of The World

“He’s a real dude,” said Johnstone. “He’s a real fun horse to take away to shows like this and flying and traveling across Europe. He’s done more traveling than most horses. He was born in England. A very good friend of mine, Tim Boland, bought him in Australia. So he’s lived in Australia for three years, and then I ended up buying him from Tim, which was fortunate. And then he moved to New Zealand, and then moved to England with me, and now here he is in America. So he’s a great traveler. He really enjoys being the center of attention, and [groom Marcus Bean] likes turning him out, because he’s such a beautiful horse, and he’s really fun to train. He always tries his best.”

Boyd Martin’s Fedarman B: A Chow Hound

“He’s a friendly horse,” Martin said. “He’s a he’s quirky, though. He’s hard to catch, and he’s been hard to get on, but he’s a very laid-back kind [of] horse. All the girls at the farm can hack him around. And he’s got a special story, and he’s a kind soul. He eats anything he get: donuts, cookies, bit of pizza.”

The Chronicle is on-site at the Kentucky Horse Park with two reporters to bring you everything you need to know at coth.com, so you don’t have to miss a minute of the action. You can find all of our coverage from the week here. You can also follow along on Instagram and Facebook. Be sure to read our May 23 issue for more in-depth coverage and analysis of the event.