This post courtesy of guest blogger K. Whitaker, travel enthusiast, marketer and business woman extraordinaire.
The Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington will proudly host the World Equestrian Games (WEG) this fall from September 25 through October 10. This competition is the World Championships of the equine sports industry and occurs every four years.
Like the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, this is one of the biggest sporting events worldwide in 2010. Now, America has the honor of hosting the WEG for the first time ever.
The WEG represent the world’s best riders and most-skilled horses, competing in eight different disciplines for the gold. According to the Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI), which administers the WEG, there will be 57 countries represented by 800 athletes and thousands of horses.
The venue for the WEG is The Kentucky Horse Park (KHP)—the first horse park in the world. “We are the prototype for all other horse parks,” says Lisa Jackson, Director of Marketing at KHP. Before the WEG began in 1990, each discipline had its own championship, paving the way for the KHP’s construction in 1978 to host the Eventing World Championship.
The park is a working 1,200-acre horse farm, educational theme park and competition facility. All previous venues to host the WEG were located in Europe and much smaller. “We will have way more things to do than the previous WEGs because our park is so large,” says Jackson.
The eight disciplines of the competition are dressage, driving, endurance, eventing, jumping, para dressage, reining and vaulting. Here is a brief description of each discipline.
Dressage, which means “training” in French, is the judging of how well a horse and trainer understand each other. They perform choreographed routines of required movements and gaits to music. Reminds me of pairs figure skating.
Driving is the test of how well a rider drives a team of four horses through three separate competitions. Endurance is just that—testing the speed and endurance ability of the horse through 100 miles of trails. The fastest horse wins.
Eventing is a triathlon of sorts for horse and rider. It consists of three distinct tests, all on the same horse. It’s a four-day competition, comprised of dressage, cross-country racing and jumping. This is also the World Championship competition that KHP hosted in 1978. It’s their specialty, so to speak.
Jackson predicts the cross-country leg of the Eventing discipline will be the most-watched competition. “The race is in the country, where the public can get in the middle of the course and up close to the horses,” she says. It’s a real-life 3-D experience, where the public can get a true feeling of what the horse and rider experience.
Further events include: Jumping, where the horse and rider are tested over a course of obstacles and Para Dressage, the newest discipline added to the WEG. This discipline provides riders with physical disabilities the opportunity to compete.
Reining is a test of how well the horse follows patterns in small circles, spins and slides. (Think: Dance routine for horses.) The design of this discipline is to show the athletic ability of the horse. Vaulting is a test also performed to music, but on a cantering horse. Rhythm and balance are keys to success in this competition.
Other events besides the eight disciplines include: The Alltech experience tent, the Kentucky tent (an immersive experience about Kentucky food and culture), a John Deere World Tent and many others. There will also be an Equine Village tent and an educational hands-on display for children called “Equimania.”
How long you spend at the Games depends on your budget and your interest in horses. If you are like the thousands who will be coming just to get a taste of this first-time-ever-in America event, you’ll want to save time to explore the other attractions in and around Lexington.
Lexington couldn’t be a more appropriate city to host this event as it is considered the center of the world’s Thoroughbred horse industry. Top racehorses are bred, born, trained, registered, bought, sold, retired and buried here in the heart of Kentucky’s Bluegrass Country. A horse lover’s dream city….
Lexington is within a day’s drive for 70% of the country, and it sits at the intersection of I-64 and I-75. The Cincinnati-Lexington airport provides an array of flight options. You can also fly directly into Lexington at the smaller Blue Grass Airport.
A favorite stop along the way for many is one of the bourbon distilleries in the area. Kentucky produces nearly 100% of the world’s bourbon. The two distilleries closest to KHP are Woodford Reserve in Versaille and Buffalo Trace in Frankfurt. (Buffalo Trace was one of four distilleries given a permit to continue production through Prohibition for medicinal purposes.)
A short drive through the picturesque Bluegrass countryside will bring you to Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill. Explore the nation’s largest restored Shaker community with 3000 acres of preserved farmland and 40 miles of trails.
Just an hour south of Lexington is the gorgeous campus of little Berea College with its famous Boone Tavern Hotel. Travel about 80 miles west on I-64, and you’ll be in lively Louisville with the absolute centerpiece of the sport of kings, Churchill Downs.
Ticketmaster will handle tickets for the Games online. Or you can call 1-800-745-3000. Be forewarned: This is not a cheap date. Each event requires its own ticket.
Prices range from $25-$150. But don’t worry as the WEG are still looking for volunteers. A great way to rub shoulders with the likes of Michael Bloomberg and Saudi Arabian princes….
General Admission tickets ($25 for adults) went on sale April 16. (Kids 12 and under are admitted free if accompanied by an adult.) These will get you onto the physical grounds and give you access to all the special tents. However, the GA ticket does not include entry into the competitions.
During the Games, the KHP will also be hosting a one-of-a-kind international blockbuster exhibit: A Gift from the Desert: The Art, History, and Culture of the Arabian Horse (May 29-October 15). This is a top art exhibit and a world exclusive (not a traveling event).
The exhibit will display 402 pieces dating from pre-Egyptian times. The art will come from private collections and museums from the Middle East, Europe and the United States. A separate ticket will be necessary for entry during the WEG.
Lexington is a relatively small city so accommodations will go quickly! Make sure to book them soon with Short’s Sports and Events. These people will set you up with group rates at hotels, private homes, B &Bs or RV/campgrounds. Don’t miss out on this historic international event in our own backyard, which heads to Normandy, France in 2014.
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