Kim Severson, three-time winner of the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event CCI****, individual silver medalist at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games and team gold medalist at the 2002 World Equestrian Games with her former mount Winsome Adante, has confirmed the sale of her four-star event horse Tipperary Liadhnan to her student Nina Ligon.

Ligon, 19, was named the 2010 U.S. Eventing Association Young Rider of the Year, recently won the Fair Hill (Md.) International Horse Trials CIC*** in April and placed second at Jersey Fresh CCI*** (N.J.) with her horse Fernhill Fearless. Her sights are set on qualifying for the 2012 Olympic Games in London, as a representative of Thailand.

“Her goal is to go to the Olympics and to have a back-up horse,” said Severson, of Troy, Va. “Even if ‘Paddy’ doesn’t give her the points she needs, he is going to give her a lot of valuable experience. She just needs more time in the saddle. She needed another horse to give her more mileage.”

Severson, who finished 16th with Paddy at this year’s Rolex Kentucky CCI****, 24th there last year, and fifth there in 2008, says that while she doesn’t have any definite prospects to fill Paddy’s shoes, she is exploring options.

“I’m going to Ireland next week to look at horses and hope to find a nice little one,” she said. “I have opened up the door a little bit by putting on my blog that since I don’t have anything coming up, I’m interested in talking to some owners about training some more horses.”

Severson confirmed that Ligon, of Esmont, Va., and Paddy’s competition schedule includes running a few intermediate-level competitions early this summer before heading to the Czech Republic, where they plan to compete in the CCI*** at Pardubice.