They have been making tremendous progress on all the construction at the Kentucky Horse Park. John Nicholson, Executive Director of the Kentucky Horse Park, said in a recent interview on the 2010 Radio Show that there is currently $107 Million in construction currently going on at the park. Listen to that episode with John Nicholson and learn about all the new stuff going on at the park.

The new indoor arena is progressing and is apparently still ahead of schedule for a April/May opening. I did not get pictures, as the outside has not changed that much. I am working on getting you updated pictures of the inside in the next couple of weeks.

The New Outdoor Arena:

The new outdoor arena also appears to be on schedule to be ready for Rolex. They have made significant progress since my last update a month ago. Here are a couple of panorama shots of the structure. (Click to enlarge the pics.)

They have begun to work on the arena and getting the new footing in place before the Rolex Three Day Event.

The footing has a name I hope I never have to pronounce on the podcast. It is being installed by Otto Sport-und Reitplatz GmbH is based out of Altdorf, Germany, near Nuremberg. The company’s new state-of-the-art surface is being installed in the Kentucky Horse Park’s Outdoor Stadium, which is currently under construction, as well as two warm-up ring surfaces. The surface for the Walnut Ring and its warm-up ring will total nearly 90,000 square feet. The warm up ring appears to be finished with the new surface.

The footing’s Otto Riding Arena Mat System includes special drainage features and safety properties, and the Otto perforated mats ensure that water can drain off quickly when faced with excessive rain fall and precipitation. The mats, which offer non-slip properties and the ability to absorb shock, are complemented with a special footing mixture that is ideal for equestrian competition. This system has been featured at the World Equestrian Games in Rome, Italy, in 1998 and in Aachen, Germany, in 2006, as well as in the 2006 Asian Games in Qatar.

Here is a link to the companies website and how they install these arenas: Click Here

Some other shots of the new stadium including one of the statue of Bruce Davidson which has now been moved to it’s permanent home at the entrance to the stadium.

Look for more updates coming soon!