LEXINGTON, KY (May 14, 2009)  Last year, in response to the plight of abused and neglected horses, the Kentucky Horse Park created the John Henry Memorial Equine Adoption Fair to provide assistance to organizations involved in rescuing them.

“Last year’s adoption fair was such a big success, we knew it was something that we wanted – and needed – to do again this year,” stated John Nicholson, Executive Director of the park.  “Horses are the sole reason the Kentucky Horse Park exists and they have provided a living for hundreds of park employees for 31 years.  We intend to return the favor by using this opportunity to improve the lives of some horses who haven’t been as fortunate as the ones who live and compete at our park.

“We believe that it is very important to make a statement to the world about the priority we give to equine welfare.  Our adoption fair may be a rather humble event, but has certainly made a difference in the lives of the unwanted horses who were adopted and the starving horses who were fed as a result, and our goal is to assist even larger numbers of horses this year.”

The John Henry Memorial Equine Adoption Fair on June 27 at 4:30pm is named in memory of the park’s beloved former resident, the legendary racehorse John Henry, and will be held in partnership with the Kentucky Horse Council.  The adoption fair will feature adoptable horses from several equine rescue organizations, in an effort to assist these organizations in finding good homes for their rescued horses.

The adoption fair will also include a live and silent auction, and all proceeds will benefit the Kentucky Horse Council’s Save Our Horses (SOHO) fund, which has already saved the lives of many horses and ponies across the Commonwealth of Kentucky this year and last through its emergency horse hotline.  The SOHO fund provides financial support for food and veterinary care when an agency or county cares for a horse that has been confiscated due to its poor condition.  In addition, the fund provides an Equine Abuse Investigation Class to train local officials on how to successfully identify horses that need help, and how to ensure prosecution when it is warranted.

Last year, the inaugural John Henry Memorial Equine Adoption Fair netted more than $16,000 to assist abused and neglected horses through SOHO.

The public is invited to attend the adoption fair.

Nicholson concluded, “The Kentucky Horse Council and these equine adoption organizations are out there on the front lines every day, battling to save the animals who have made Kentucky the Horse Capital of the World.  We want to come alongside them in their life-saving mission and make it a little easier for them to continue their work on behalf of horses.”

For more information, contact Cindy Rullman, 859-259-4209 or Cindy.Rullman@ky.gov.  To watch a video about the life-saving work being done by the Kentucky Horse Council through their SOHO fund, click on http://www.kentuckyhorse.org/SoHo_PSA.shtml.

The New Outdoor Stadium: (Click pics to enlarge.)

Here is a view of the backside of the new stands with the statue of Bruce Davidson welcoming you.

The workman were power washing under the bleechers:

Other views of the stadium:

Here is panarama view of the whole stadium complex:

New Indoor Arena:

They are laying the foundations for the new barns to be built that connect with the new indoor arena.  They eventually hope to build 800 stalls that connect to the indoor.  It will be set up that you never have to go outside from the barns into the arena.

New Hunter Jumper Association Building:

Construction is also moving right along on the new Hunter Jumper Association building.

New Hunter Jumper Association Building:

Read more about the new headquarters for the USHJA. They are making very good progress on this building. When I was out there several weeks ago the walls were not even up yet.

Here is a close up view of the building from Cigar Lane:

(Click the images to enlarge.)

Here is the view from the road on Ironworks Pike near the on ramps to the highway:

New Outdoor Arena:

The footing is done in the main arena and the warm-up ring! Plus, they have really cleaned up the construction zone and made great progress on the grading of the grounds around the stadium. It looks like they are putting the finishing touches on the inside of the stadium bathrooms and concession areas. Looks to this radio host that things will be well in hand for Rolex!

This is a panorama view from across the pond: (Click the images to enlarge.)

Another closer panorama view from across the pond:

Closer view from across the new footing:

New press box and announcers booth at the new outdoor arena:

Stadium looking across the new warm-up ring:

The new home for the Bruce Davidson statue as you walk into the new stadium:

A fun shot of Bruce:

Here is the view from the road on Ironworks Pike near the on ramps to the highway:

Just some fun shots of Man O’War that I took in the fall:

Winter hit the Bluegrass State of kentucky with a vengence this week. We had the second largest ice storm ever to hit the state. There are over 600,000 without power and many of them will be that way for weeks to come. Here are some of the pictures I took in front of our house. You can also see more dramtic storm pictures here.

Here is a video from Clark County, Ky:

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!

The winner of the Pink Overall Contest was announced in Episode 20, the Merry Christmas epiosde.  We had over 60 entries, that is 59 more than I expected.  There are a lot of pink lovers out there.  Thank you to everyone who sent in entries.  It was tough to pick a winner.  Here are the top five entries, good job all.

Congrats to the winner Jane Crister from Nebraska.  You can hear the phone call and conversation we had with Jane in the Merry Christmas episode.

Here are the top five entries:

From Jane Crister (winner):

Hi, I would love to get a pair of the pink overalls to give to my 11 year old daughter.  This has been a very difficult year for us as I was hurt by a colt with a shattered pelvis.  But it was due to this accident, Multiple Myloma (bone marrow cancer) was discovered.  For 7 months, I was without a hip and now I have just undergone a stem cell transplant to try and get the cancer in remission.  I am a single mother and it is going to be a difficult X’mas this year with all the bills adding up.  My little girl has been a trooper doing all the chores as we still have 8 horses to feed.  Please consider this email for the giveaway.  Thank you. 

From Deanna Castro:
  
Hi Glen! Oooh what a great contest! The reason I think I should win the pink overalls is for a few reasons. My first reason is that since the birth of my son I have not yet gotten to update my winter barn clothes. I\’m not the size I was last year or the year before. I\’m smaller than last years maternity clothes yet still larger than the pre baby clothes. I have been trying my best to stay positive in this situation. I teach year round in the indoor arena, and it\’s much colder here in Pennsylvania than it is in Kentucky I can assure you that. You would think that the indoor arena would be a nice break from the elements, but it is actually very cold because of the metal. By the time the sun sets it ends up being colder inside than it is outside of the barn.

Another reason I would like to win them, Pink is my favorite color. I just revamped my website and it is now pink, my signature color. I had a new logo designed as well and it is a pink spur. How cute would my logo be embroidered on those coveralls? Anyway, check out my new site at http://deannacastro.com and thanks for the opportunity to enter the contest.

From DeAnna:
 
Let me introduce to you the winner of the  your contest, my name is DeAnna Mendietta, and all I wear is pink! I live on a ranch and even my horse wears pink, my fishing pole is pink, my tackle box is pink, my mud boots….pink,  my camo ….. pink, my suitcases….pink,  my nursing bag….pink…..I am known as the Pink Nurse…..(I work with the elderly and sometimes they cannot remember my name but they always remember what I wear…..PINK). 

My leather gloves….pink,  my spur straps….pink, my cowboy boots…..pink, my frying pan….pink, my measuring cups….pink, all my ball caps….pink, my bathroom is pink camo, my kitchen bowls…pink.  My obsession with pink started long ago when I realized that pink was my color and it also is my happy color, sounds weird, but true.  As the years have passed (I am 45 soon to be 46…in December) pink has served a purpose, no one takes anything of mine, why because it’s pink and everyone knows it’s mine, a surefire way to ensure my fishing tackle stays put is to always buy pink, so I NEED those pink overalls so everyone will leave mine alone and I will be warm when I go to cover my horse with his pink blanket.

From Barbara Sikora:

I believe I deserve to win the Pink Coveralls for Christmas because they would go to one of  two very special sisters who were “rescued” from a tragic family situation by my daughter ,Kristi and son in law ,Chris. The girls  have become  caring , loving , contributing members of  my daughter’s  family , on their ranch in Montana. In the past year they have learned to ride and help with all the ranch activities, do chores caring for the animals in any weather, join 4-H & rodeo even though they were city kids ,they love it and try real hard .

They had three strikes against them but  are still in the game. I believe they are amazing ,considering the wounds they carry,  the challenges they are facing head on and  the progress they’ve made. They would love the coveralls, so …if I won… I would buy the other pair, so these special girls  would both be warm this winter when outside doing chores.

From Kathy Smeltzer-Powell (Ranch Hand number 2):

When I saw these pink bibs the first thing that came to mind was I work on
a ranch with all male ranch hands EXCEPT ME!  There are times when I must
remind them that their bussiness must be taken care of BEHIND THE BARN
when the lady is present.  Now I do give them a little leeway due to the
fact that we are all dressed quite alike in our canvas colored bibs and
coats during the cold wether.  BUT….if I were to be present wearing
these darling PINK bibs there would be no mistake that I am near and the
nessesities in life need to be delt with in another area. Thank you for
listening to me and my delemma.

There will not be an episode this week as we gave the hosts the week off.  We will be back on Friday, January 9th. 

Thanks to all our listeners, we set a record for downloads again in December.  We appreciate all your support and look forward to a full year of shows in 2009!

Thanks again to Rod’s Western Palace for joining the Horse Radio Network this holiday season.  Below you will find the winner’s of the Rod’s Giveaway items.  Thank you to everyone who entered and congrats to the winners.

The Winners:

The equestrian scene didn’t reach quite the same level of tumult as the stock market in 2008, but it had plenty of jagged edges that will require some smoothing in 2009 and beyond.

It may be difficult for some to find good memories of the past year, but there’s little doubt the highest point of 2008 for U.S. fans was the team gold in Olympic show jumping. Canada’s team silver added to the luster of North American efforts in Hong Kong. After all, the competition seen worldwide effectively demonstrated that whatever the Europeans believe, they don’t dominate this discipline.

Among the too-numerous low points of the last 12 months was the death of superpony Theodore O’Connor in a freak stable accident. It was stark misfortune; one of those mishaps without reason, which devastated the little eventing prodigy’s far-flung fan club.

Read the entire article.

Equestrian Collections and the Stable Scoop Radio Show did the Annual English Gift Show.  Please listen to Episode 14 for all the details.  Click here to listen. 

Congrats to all the winners and thanks to Equestrian Collections:

 Meredith Whitney of Bedford, NH

    Cassie Keenum of Alachua, Fl

      Sharon DiRienzo of Drexel Hill, Pa.

    Anissa Hance of Los Angeles, CA

     Debra Warfield of Washington, PA

    Jennifer Martin of Alpharetta, GA

   

Rod’s Western Palace and the Stable Scoop Radio Show did the Annual Western Gift Show.  Please listen to Episode 15 for all the details.  Click here to listen.             

Congrats to all winners!  Your stuff will be on the way shortly:

 Katie Shick of Bookville, Pa.

James Osborn of Mico, Texas

Pamala Taylor of Yankton, SD

 Amber Wharton in Indianapolis, IN

Winner of the Pink Overalls will be announced in the Christmas Show on  December 23, 2008.

Our Host Glenn the Geek has issued a challenge.  Send him an email and tell him why you think you deserve to win these Pink Overalls.  The best explanation will get these Pink Coveralls from Glenn the Geek for Christmas!

Send your entries less than 200 words to glenn@horseradionetwork.com.

If you want to buy these very colorful overalls or jacket – check them out at Rod’s by clicking here.

The Kentucky Horse Park has become a construction zone. When I was there the other day taking these shots I counted no less than 12 construction projects going on around the park. It was amazing. The World Equestrian Games sure will do a whole lot for The Kentucky Horse Park long after the games are over. With the new indoor arena and the massive outdoor arena shown below it will certainly be “America’s Horse Park”.

You can see a map of what the park will look like in 2010 by clicking here.

New Indoor Arena:

From all reports the new indoor arena is progressing ahead of schedule. Here is an artist’s view of what it will look like when it is finished in 2009:

I believe the above photo does not include the 4 new barns that are now planned to be attached to the indoor. The new barns are expected to hold up to 800 horses. You will not have to go outside at all to go from barn to arena, great for winter and those nasty weather days.

The horse’s view of the new indoor looking from Cigar Lane on the park side:

Click to enlarge this image of the new indoor. The area with all the windows will be vendor space and a trade area:

The New Outdoor Arena:

The bleechers are getting bigger and bigger every week. You can see the tops of them from Ironworks Pike! Here is the latest panorma from across the pond (click to enlarge):

This is one serious erector set!

New Fencing Everywhere:

Something I noticed new in the last two weeks is some serious fence replacement work going on. They are replacing or adding miles of this stuff. And if you ever have been to the horse park you know how much fencing is there, a whole lot of it.

The New Central Kentucky Riding for Hope Facility:

The Central Kentucky Riding for Hope is a fantastic program for riders with disabilities. They do great work and they are one of the most popular programs at the park. They also are getting a new facility that should be done shortly and it is fantastic.

Here is the artists drawing and then my current picture. They are hoping to be open this winter.

Click to enlarge:

You KNOW the conversation I’m talking about right? In case you don’t, here’s an excerpt:

DEVIL: Wooooo weee! We get to go barrel-assin’ across the countryside today and feel like a speedracer. The sun is shining, the horses are up, the colors of the landscape are sizzling with reds, and golds, and greens. Let’s go hunting!

ANGEL: Oh boy. Oh boy. This is not your horse. You don’t know how he’s going to behave today! There are a lot of people out here. It’s one of the biggest fields you’ve seen this year. What if this horse just doesn’t behave?

DEVIL: Who cares if the horse behaves! He’s not yours. Just grab some mane and hold on. Worst comes to worse, you pick a soft spot on the ground (!) and bail. Stop being such a LOSER and go ride for goodness sake! Don’t miss out on all the fun, you big weenie.

ANGEL: But you have a little girl at home who needs her momma!

DEVIL: Yeah, a miserable mom is something we all need at home, isn’t it. Just think of the adrenaline rush, the joy of an all out gallop across open land, with hounds calling, hoofbeats thundering all around you and the collective grin of the whole field…

ANGEL: Oooh. Good point, D.

DEVIL: Yeahhhh. Now you’re getting the picture. There’s nothing in the world like a good run. The sun on your face, endorphins all a-flowing. We call this the REWARD. You can’t get it without taking the risk, though, so cowboy up my dear, ’cause

HERE

WE

GO!

We Kentuckians just added to the excitement of 2010 by getting the Breeders Cup Races at Churchhill Downs. They are held in November – one month after the 2010 Games. Read more about it:

Churchill Downs to host 2010 Breeders’ Cup

Officials of Churchill Downs and Breeders’ Cup Ltd. announced Wednesday morning that the home of the Kentucky Derby will host the World Thoroughbred Championships in 2010. This will be the seventh time Churchill Downs will be the site of the Breeders’ Cup.

“We are delighted to be returning the Breeders’ Cup to Churchill Downs and to our great supporters in Kentucky and throughout the region,” said Breeders’ Cup Chairman William S. Farish, Jr. “Churchill Downs has proven to be an outstanding Breeders’ Cup venue and is extremely popular with our horsemen and fans from around the world. Churchill will also provide an extraordinary site for our expanded two-day program of the Championships.”…

Read the entire article
Date: 10-08-2008
Source: www.kentucky.com

We have the first look inside the new indoor arena at the Kentucky Horse Park and some great progress being made on the new outdoor arena. Last week was the “Halfway There” press Conference that was held amidst the construction crews in the new indoor arena. You can hear all about it in Episode 5.

Using Microsoft’s new Image Composite Editor I was able to easily create some of the panorama shots below.

New Indoor Arena – The First Peek Inside:

Here is a panorama of the inside of the arena. As you can see they are making some excellant progress. It is reported that they are six weeks ahead of schedule and it should be ready by May of 2009:

Click to enlarge

This is a panorama looking at the new indoor from Cigar Lane as you come into the park:

Click to enlarge

Here is the front of the new indoor that faces Route 75 and the new parking lot, which you can see they are working on:

New Outdoor Arena – The Grandstands Go Up

This is the new ourdoor arena looking from across the pond.  Click the panorama to enlarge.

Click to enlarge

These are the new grandstands being erected:

Completed Smaller Outdoor Ring:

Here is the completed outdoor ring that we discussed in this post. It is located right next to the old indoor arena:

Click to enlarge

Here is a screen shot of their home page the day it was posted:

So this year, I’m just going to say what I feel on this little ol’ blog of mine. I figure it doesn’t have to mean anything to anyone other than me, really.

No matter how you mark the 7th anniversary of the attacks on the United States on September 11th, I hope you’ll take a few minutes to remember not the horrors of the day, but instead how you felt about your fellow Americans in the immediate aftermath of the attacks. Remember how that which divided us became so small compared to that which brought us together. Remember the solidarity, the brotherhood, and the unselfishness of millions of your fellow Americans as we pulled together for one another. We were all one in those days following the attacks.

Each year on September 11th, I look over at my neighbor or the person in the car behind me and I think, “Whatever that person has going on today, whatever her troubles, she’s my compatriot and she deserves my respect and my support.” Thinking that way suddenly softens my entire perspective. It rekindles the compassion I felt so strongly back in 2001.

Our humanity can be both beautiful and horrifying, but it is what it is, and it’s in all of us. Because of that, we should give our brothers and sisters (spiritual, physical, social, or political) the benefit of our human best. Wouldn’t you want the same from them? Imagine then, that each September 11 from this day forward will be a day where you and your fellow Americans take a few minutes out of your day to appreciate one another and the remember the days when we all rallied. When we came together as we experienced both ends of the spectrum of humanity. It was beautiful.

My fellow boarders and I did our best to keep Patty’s owner occupied during one very long, stressful evening. That is one of the most brutal waiting games ever played – will he get better or will he get worse? Every hour is an exercise in human patience, hope, and fear. It was a constant fight between faith and practicality. I still don’t know if the two can peacefully co-exist.

If you read this post, please promise me you’ll hug your horse the next time you head out to the barn. Smell his smell, feel his softness, smoothness, and then step back and look at him. Really look at him. Appreciate him for what he is; a non-perfect being who is totally perfect in his ability to soothe you. When you finally leave him and head back to the house, breathe deeply and thank your stars, your god, your mother or father, or just yourself, for the blessing of this animal. Create the memory in your heart of your beloved horse and he will be with you forever. And ever.

Here is a map of what the Kentucky Horse Park will look like for the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games:

Let’s take a look at the new pictures:

New Indoor Arena at Kentucky Horse Park:

As you can see they started to get the siding on the new indoor arena. They also paved a large parking lot since the last update.

Looking at new indoor from the park side on Cigar Lane.

Looking at new indoor arena across new parking lot. Picture taken from the highway side.

Looking at new indoor arena from Ironworks Pike

Here are some shots looking at the new outdoor arena:

Looking at the new outdoor arena from across the pond

Looking at the new outdoor ring from across the pondNew outdoor arena - footers for grandstands going up.

New outdoor arena - footers for grnadstands being going up.

I live in Lexington, KY, which has it’s share of impressive horse sculpture.  But this sculpture/fountain in Irving, Texas is the largest equestrian sculture in the world.  It is called The Mustangs of Las Colinas and it consists of nine mustangs running across a granite stream at Williams Square Plaza.

From the website at mustangsoflascolinas.com:

Robert Glen was given the assignment to create the mustang sculpture in the summer of 1976. He was asked to create a band of mustangs crossing a stream of water in the middle of the plaza proportioned so that they could be viewed from any direction.

Glen spent a year of research preliminary to starting the actual sculpturing process. He read books and historical periodicals to fully understand the background of these magnificent animals that were brought to the American continents from Spain and which sired the original wild horses of Texas and the western United States.

Glen constructed a number of small scale model horses in various positions and movements reflecting the mood and motion of the concept that had been given him. Modeling was done in plasticine, considered an improved material over clay for this type of work, to facilitate greater detailing.

Glen used a mixture of fiberglass and resin in which to cast a lightweight yet durable model that would endure the trip from Nairobi to England. The fiberglass maquettes were cleaned and prepared for shipment to England. Each fiberglass intermediate size maquette was crated and shipped by air from Nairobi to the Morris Singer Foundry at Basingstoke, England, about an hour’s drive from central London. Periodically, Glen flew to England and spent several months at a time in the foundry where the final process of creating the 1 1/2 life-size model was begun, using the intermediate size maquette as a scaling and measurement guide.

The Morris Singer Foundry, whose heritage includes the casting of public monuments around the world such as the famed Lions of London’s Trafalgar Square, is one of the oldest continuing sculpture foundries in the world. Founded in 1848 by John Webb Singer, utilizing British, French, and Belgian artisans, it was merged in 1927 with the Morris Art Bronze Foundry and in 1973 with the Paris sculpture foundry, Susse Fondeure S.A.

The bronze casting process itself was completed on November 10, 1981. The London firm of Evan Cook was engaged to prepare the bronze sculptures for shipment to Texas. They were transported to Heathrow Airport outside London. Upon arrival at Dallas-Fort Worth Airport the cargo of mustangs was unloaded from the plane and brought overland to Las Colinas.

Finally, on September 25, 1984, the sculpture was in place and the plaza was open for the public to inspect and enjoy. Assembled together were the nine bronze mustangs, forming the largest equestrian sculpture in the world. The centerpiece of the plaza, the Mustangs of Las Colinas, shall be a lasting memorial to the vanguard of the civilization of Texas.

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

Here is the latest press release about the footing:

New Otto Sport Riding Arena Mat System Makes Debut in the Walnut Arena at the Kentucky Summer Horse Show
Equestrian News Release

Lexington, KY – July 30, 2008 – The Kentucky Summer Horse Show started with an exciting opening day at the Kentucky Horse Park. The Walnut Arena debuted exceptional new footing by Otto Sport- und Reitplatz GmbH. Funded by the Kentucky Horse Park Foundation, the Otto Riding Arena Mat System is a state-of-the-art surface that has been proven all over the world including the 1996 Olympics, the 1998 World Cup, and the 2006 World Equestrian Games.

Christian Bauer, the International Sales Director for Otto Sport, was excited to see the new footing’s debut in the Walnut Arena today. “It carries two different drainage layers. The first is course rock, with a little finer rock on top. Then it caries our recycled PVC mat. It is the only product specifically engineered for horse riding arenas,” described Bauer. “It holds water in it and at the same time it drains perfectly. It has different type knobs installed so you can control the shifting of the material on top. It reduces the risk of slipping. It has an impressive 40% shock absorption. The top layer is about four inches of a pure silica sand mixed with synthetic fibers made of poly-propylene.”

Otto Sport was founded 43 years ago and has been in the equestrian business for over 23 years. Bauer believes that Otto Riding Arena Mat System’s proven record speaks for itself. He claimed, “It’s reliable; organizer and competitors know it works.”

Hugh Kincannon, manager of the Kentucky Horse Shows, LLC, is thrilled that the new footing was completed in time for the Kentucky Summer Horse Shows. He said, “I’m very happy with it. I think for the first day that we’ve used it that it has been exceptional. I think it’s going to make a big difference.”

“We at Kentucky Horse Shows, LLC are truly grateful to the Kentucky Horse Park Foundation for stepping in and getting this done for us in such short order,” Kincannon continued. “We hadn’t even talked about it until June 9th. It was a real effort between the Kentucky Horse Park Foundation, the Kentucky Horse Park, Kentucky Horse Shows, LLC, and Otto Sport to get it done.” The project was completed just 4 short days ago.

Angel Karolyi and his mount Galant were one of the first pairs to compete on the new surface. “It feels wonderful,” exclaimed Karolyi. “It really feels good for the horses. The horses like it, and I think they’ve done an excellent job.”

Tomorrow riders will have another chance to compete on the new footing in the Walnut Arena during the $25,000 Hagyard Lexington Classic, beginning at 6 p.m. The Kentucky Summer Horse Show will conclude on Sunday, August 3, 2008. The Kentucky Summer Classic will begin Wednesday, August 6, and come to close on Sunday, August 10, 2008.

Gifts to the Kentucky Horse Park Foundation from the private sector – both individual and corporate – help the park build and maintain show facilities, conduct special research initiatives, complete landscaping projects, and host special art exhibits such as Imperial China and All the Queen’s Horses. For more information on the Kentucky Horse Park Foundation, please visit http://www.khpfoundation.com.

For more information on the Kentucky Summer Horse Shows, please go to http://www.kentuckyhorseshows.com.

Photo Credit: Christian Bauer and Krystian Wodarz of Otto Sport Photo By: Kenneth Kraus/PhelpsSports.com This photo may be used free of charge only in relation to this press release.

The Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials are here again!  We just got done with the Olympics and off to Burghley we go!  I thought before we got serious about covering who the favorites are and all that serious stuff, we would look at some fun stats I came across.

Burghley begins September 4, 2008 and do I wish I was there.  Could you get any more beautiful setting for any kind of show?

Burghley has been doing the horse trials since 1961 and it has become one of the highest attended sporting events in the horse world.

Let’s take a look at some of the fun stats of Burghley:

• More than 5875 man-hours are involved in setting everything up and taking it all down.
• There is nearly one mile of booths and stands.
• In 2007 approximately 600 dogs participated in the Pedigree Fun Dog Agility Challenge held at Burghley.  (I do like when they have dog shows at horse trials.  It just adds another dimension to an already fun day.)
• Approximately 70,000 photocopies are made over the four days of the Event.
• Annually Stamford XT provide over 350 volunteer stewards for the cross country crossing points.
• Over 80 hours are spent mowing the cross country and grounds getting ready for the horse trials
• Over three miles of rope and over 1,000 metal pins are used to mark the parking lot.
• On Saturday of the Event over 140 acres of land are parked with visitor vehicles.
• On Saturday, over 150 staff are involved with handling parking alone.
• They use 26 generators at Burghley with a capacity equal to 2.5 megawatts of power, enough to supply a small town.

And because food is one of my favorite things, here is just some of the food consumed during the event:

• 11000 Baguettes
• 1.5 tons of Pork
• 7000 Glasses of Pimms  (Never heard of Pimms?  Check this out.)
• 40,000 cups of tea and coffee
• 50,000 bottles of drink

If you are going to Burghley, we would love to hear from you.  Drop us a note here.

Great big thanks and kudos go out to Rob and Todd from the The Rob and Todd Show for our new theme song.  Without any guidance they came up with one fantastic song.  If you ever need any custom music done – get ahold of these two!

Thanks again guys!

Play:  stablescoopthemesong

Who doesn’t love seeing the Budweiser Clydesdales in a parade!  I don’t care how jaded you are, that is some spectacular site!

I came across some interesting facts about the big guys that I thought you would find as fascinating as I did:

• The clydesdales were introduced to August A. Busch Sr. and Anheuser-Busch on April 7, 1933, to celebrate the repeal of Prohibition.  It was a way to parade the fact that the beer was back.
• There are six hitches in the United Sates.  Five of them travel and one of them is stationed in St. Louis.
• There is a strict  set of rules to become a Budweiser Clydesdale.  He must be a gelding at least four years of age. He must stand 18 hands when fully mature, weigh between 1,800 and 2,300 pounds, be bay in color, have four white stocking feet, a blaze of white on the face, and a black mane and tail.
• Each hitch horse will eat as much as 20 to 25 quarts of whole grains, minerals and vitamins, 50 to 60 pounds of hay and 30 gallons of water per day.
• Five traveling Budweiser Clydesdale hitches are based in St. Louis, Missouri; Menifee, California; San Diego, California; Merrimack, New Hampshire; and San Antonio, Texas.
• Twelve horses, the famous red, white and gold beer wagon and other essential equipment are transported in three 50-foot tractor trailers. Cameras in the trailers allow the drivers to keep an eye on their precious cargo during transport.
• Driving the 12 tons of wagon and horses requires quite a bit of strength and skill. The 40 pounds of reins the driver holds, plus the tension of the reins, equals 75 pounds.
• Each harness and collar weighs about 130 pounds. The harness is handcrafted from brass and leather. Pure linen thread is used for the stitching. The harness is made to fit any horse, but the collars come in different sizes and must be individually fitted like a suit of clothes.

I hope that you learned something new today about these amazing hitches!

Huggie and Me, Spring Roading

Recently, I had to really dive into that question when I was faced the dilemma of having to choose one of two horses for myself. I cannot afford to keep two horses, and I had to choose between a 4 1/2 year old Appy who likes to foxhunt, and a 13 year old trail horse who likes to do everything else.
 

The baby is a challenging ride no matter what we’re doing. He’s 4 1/2 and while an eager student and good one, too, he does act his age. Some days I’m a little afraid of “what he might do.” Of course, I have only been riding him since April, so we still have some history to create together before that dreaded thought disappears from my mind. 

On the other hand, we have Soon-Not-To-Be-Barney. He’s a free lease. I can send him back anytime I want to. I rode him in a ring for about 30 minutes last weekend. Seems like a good egg. I have no idea what he’s done in the past except worked as a camp horse. He could have prosthetic knee for all I know. My only risks are: he doesn’t hack out alone (but we can work on that), he hates hunting, the cost to ship him to Boston and get him setup (vaccines, teeth, feet, etc.). 

I’m a mother with a job, a 5 year old daughter, and a gazillion things going on. Sometimes I like to just hop on and go. No training rides, no schooling, no fear of “what will he do.” 

So why do I ride? To relax? For the adrenaline rush? To have an uncomplicated relationship? Maybe all of the above. Since the baby isn’t my horse – and he’s certainly not stabled in a place I would keep my own horse (practially no turnout), it’s challenging to hop on and ride without having to take into account what’s lacking in his overall care and training. I’m pretty much all he’s got and he’s a pretty big project! To take on this horse’s education is a little beyond my abilities at the moment. The kicker is, he really does a good job out in the hunt field. He just goes along and behaves himself for the most part. No easy task, that.

So back to the original question. Why do it? Why ride? When I answer that, I’ll know which horse should be mine.

The WEG are the world championships for seven equestrian sports – eventing, show jumping, dressage, driving, endurance, vaulting and reining. They are held every four years, right between the Olympics. The 2002 World Equestrian Games in Spain drew close to 300,000 spectators, 800 equestrians from 45 countries, and 1000 media representatives.  Organizers here in Lexington, KY expect more than 600,000 visitors representing 60 countries, more than 2,000 journalists and television viewership of at least 500 million during the 16-day event.

I went out yesterday and took some pictures at the Kentucky Horse Park to give you an idea of the scope of the construction.  Needless to say there are almost more construction vehicles in the park than horses.

The Kentucky Horse Park New Indoor Arena

The new indoor arena is being built on the far side of the park, over by Route 75.  It will be a 6,000-seat, climate-controlled arena that includes a competition space of 45,000 square-feet, and 300 new stalls.  It will be great for competitions in the winter as horses will not have to go outside to get to the competition. 

Here are some of the construction pictures as of 8-10-2008.  The pictures certainly don”t give you an appreciation for how large a building it is.

Here is what it is going to look like when done:

The Kentucky Horse Park New Outdoor Arena:

For those of you familiar with the Kentucky Horse Park the new outdoor arena is replacing the old one.  Yes, the old outdoor arena is gone.  As you see below it has been replaced by construction equipment and dirt.  The stadium will feature 8,000 to10,000 permanent seats, with 20,000-22,000 temporary seats added for the games. There will be more than 91,000 square-feet of competition space.

Here are some renderings of what it will look like after it is done.

Kentuckygiant posted this video a couple days ago showing the construction:

Learn more about the Kentucky Horse Park and the 2010 WEG at these links:

Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games
Kentucky Horse Park
Ticket Information

Did you read that? In case you skimmed over it, it says, “JUST – DOWN – THE – STREET from the Kentucky Horse Park.” How cool is that?

When not working 9-5, Jenn volunteers her time at the Maker’s Mark Secretariat Center on weekends. She helps train ex-racing thoroughbreds so they may be adopted out to happy new homes.

Hopefully Jenn will post here every now and again about new horses coming into the program, as well as the joys and challenges of working with the complexities of ex-racers.

Read more about the Maker’s Mark Secretariat Center…

Television Coverage of the Equestrian Events at the 2008 Olympics Announced
 
NBC Universal will be airing 3,600 hours of coverage of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, including the equestrian events, which will be taking place in Hong Kong. This total amount of coverage will be more than the hours of coverage for all the Olympic Games since 1960 Rome combined. All Broadcasts will also be in HD.

The equestrian television coverage schedule is as follows:

Date: Program-Time (EST) on Channel
Aug. 9: Eventing: Dressage-2:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. on USA
Aug. 11: Eventing: Cross- Country- 6:00pm-8:00pm OXYGEN
Aug. 12: Eventing: Jumping Team Gold Medal Final-6:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m. on OXYGEN
Aug. 13: Dressage-6:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m. on OXYGEN
Aug. 14: Dressage Team Gold Medal Final-6:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m. on OXYGEN
Aug. 15: Show Jumping-6:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m. on OXYGEN
Aug. 16: Dressage Individual – 5:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. MSNBC
Aug. 17: Show Jumping Team Gold Medal Final 1st Round-10:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m on NBC
Aug. 18: Show Jumping Team Gold Medal Final Round- 6:00pm-8:00 p.m. OXYGEN
Aug. 19: Dressage Individual Gold Medal Final – 6:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m. on OXYGEN
Aug. 21: Show Jumping Individual Gold Medal Final- 10:00am- 1:00 pm on NBC