FIVE QUESTIONS WITH...BUCK DAVIDSON

Back in April at the Rolex Kentucky Three‑Day Event Presented by Land Rover, top American rider Bruce (Buck) Davidson Jr. won the ‘Land Rover Best Ride of the Day’ competition and the prize of a two‑year lease of a 2013 Range Rover Evoque. So how is he enjoying it so far?

1. Which version of the Range Rover Evoque did you pick?

I went for the Range Rover Evoque four‑door. It’s the top Prestige version, in Indus silver with a black interior. I absolutely love it. I picked it up in June and so far I’ve put around 1,300 miles on it. That doesn’t sound like much, but my barn here in Pennsylvania is just across the road from my home, so all those miles have been for fun. In a few weeks we’ll move down to our winter base in Ocala, Florida, so I’m looking forward to that drive.

2. How are you enjoying those 240 turbocharged horses?

I love the performance. It drives more like a sports sedan than an SUV. It feels really quick. What’s even more impressive is the gas mileage. I’ve had SUVs in the past and they just drank fuel. With the Range Rover Evoque, a tank seems to last forever. But what I think I like most about it is its size. It feels compact and easy to handle, yet there’s space for four people. And although it drives like a car, it can go across a muddy field. In my life, that’s pretty important.

3. What kind of reaction does the car get?

This is no lie, but I’m pretty sure that I’ve sold at least seven Range Rover Evoque vehicles to people in the equestrian community. The one that amazed me was my mom. She took a ride in mine and went straight out and bought one. A friend from one of the TV sports channels called me up and asked me what I thought about my Range Rover Evoque and he too went and bought one. The equestrian world is a pretty tight‑knit community, so everyone knows that I won the Range Rover Evoque and are always asking “So how are you liking it?” It’s tough not to be totally enthusiastic.

4. So what have you been up to since the Rolex Kentucky Three‑Day?

I’ve had a great summer. The only disappointment was earlier this month at the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials in the UK. I was having a strong round when I took a pretty big fall right at the end. One minute everything is going great, the next me and Park Trader are upside down. But I guess the biggest excitement for me was getting engaged, after four years together, to Andrea. And naturally, she loves the Range Rover Evoque as much as me.

5. Will it be a sad day in 2015 when you have to hand back the keys?

I’m already thinking of how I’ll buy it. It’s funny, even before Kentucky, I was thinking that I should buy a new Range Rover Evoque. Land Rover has a huge involvement in the sport of Eventing and is an enthusiastic supporter of the United States Equestrian Federation. So there have been Range Rover Evoque vehicles around at most of the big events and I’ve always loved the look of them. But right now I’m just really enjoying my ‘prize’. Winning trophies is nice, but this is so much better.