The Budweiser Clydesdales are visiting the Kentucky Horse Park!

Now through Wednesday, October 24, park guests may see the magnificent Budweiser Clydesdales up close and personal, along with their ever-present Dalmatian buddies and human crew in the historic Big Barn. 

On Sunday, October 21, these horses will make an appearance in full hitch at the Horses of the World Show at 2:00 pm. 

Don’t miss this rare opportunity to see the Budweiser Clydesdales during their short layover in Lexington.

Photo courtesy of Steve Faust, www.pixbysteve.smugmug.com

LEXINGTON, KY (October 17, 2012)  It’s not just area children who dress up in costumes for Halloween.  In Kentucky, horses do, too!  On Sunday, October 28, at 2:00 pm, the Kentucky Horse Park will present its annual Halloween Show where park horses and their riders are likely to show up in just about anything – from a scary headless horseman, cranky wicked witch, hip 60’s chick, swashbuckling pirates, genie with a bottle, Phantom of the Opera – it’s different every year.

Throughout the day, the park will offer discounted admission to guests who arrive in costume: adult admission will be $12.00 (normally $16.00) and children 12 and under will get in free (normally $8.00) (no full-head masks, please).  Treats will be given out to children and dogs upon arrival at the park, and prizes will be awarded for best adult costume, best child costume and best dog costume (dogs required to be on a leash at all times).

Not to be left out, the KHP Campground produces the annual Halloween Campout over two weekends, October 19-21 and 26-28.  Campers have a frightfully good time with costume contests, trick or treating, kid’s crafts, golf cart parade, entertainment and more.  The event is sponsored in part by Northside RVs, Halloween Express and the KHP Foundation.  Full service sites are full for 2012, but the campground has unlimited primitive camping still available at $19/night.  For information or reservations, contact (859)259-4257, (800)370-6416 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

For more information about the Halloween Show, the public may contact the Kentucky Horse Park at (859)233-4303 or (800)678-8813 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

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The Kentucky Horse Park is a working horse farm/theme park and equine competition facility dedicated to man's relationship with the horse. The park is an agency of the Kentucky Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet and hosted more than 825,000 visitors and campers, as well as 15,000 competition horses in more than 200 special events and horse shows in 2011. The park is home to the National Horse Center which comprises more than 30 national and regional equine organizations.  Located at Exit 120, Interstate 75, just north of Lexington, the Kentucky Horse Park is The place to get close to horses.  Open daily March 15 to Nov. 4, and Wednesday through Sunday, Nov. 5 to March 15.

The Southern Lights holiday festival, presented by Toyota, is returning for the 19th year to the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky, from November 16 to December 31. In September, the American Bus Association (ABA) selected Southern Lights a Top 100 event for 2013, which is an annual compendium of the best events for group travel in the United States and Canada.  Winners are chosen from hundreds of celebrations, festivals, fairs, commemorative events, and more that have been nominated by ABA members.

With all the family-friendly activities offered annually, Southern Lights has been a well-known Bluegrass tradition for almost twenty years now.  Kids of all ages delight in the holiday driving tour.  Visitors take in displays of the Christmas Village, the 12 Days of Christmas, Keeneland Race Track, Show Jumping, Steeplechase and the Spires of Churchill Downs—each composed of thousands of twinkling lights.  New this year will be several basketball themed light displays celebrating our 2012 National NCAA Champion UK Wildcats.

Southern Lights’ indoor attractions prove to be just as popular as the driving tour with its holiday craft merchants, the KHP Gift Shop full of gifts for under the tree, seasonal entertainment and children’s activities, the International Museum of the Horse, an exotic petting zoo, pony and camel rides, the Mini Train Express, model train displays and photos with Santa.  In recent years, more than 27,000 cars and 114,000 people have attended.

Southern Lights is open from 5:30 pm to 10 pm nightly. Indoor attractions will be open every night except November 22 and December 24 - 31. The cost is $15.00 per car Sunday through Thursday and $20.00 per car on Friday and Saturday.  In addition, the cost for an extended van or limousine is $30.00, a mini-bus is $50.00, a school bus is $75.00 and a motorcoach is $125.00.  Group admission is available by contacting Chris Nentwick in the KHP Foundation at 859/255-5727 or at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

All proceeds support the Kentucky Horse Park Foundation.  The 2012 Shining Star Presenting Sponsor is Toyota and the Holly and Ivy Sponsors are Kerr Brothers and Café Press.

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The Kentucky Horse Park Foundation, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, fulfills its mission to enhance, expand and improve the Kentucky Horse Park by fundraising within the private sector.  This partnership between private donors and the support of the Commonwealth of Kentucky is what has enabled the incredible success of the Kentucky Horse Park.  Since its inception in 1985, the KHP Foundation has raised more than $25 million, which has funded critical improvements such as new facilities, research projects, new horses, landscaping ventures, and much more.

 Come Join Us on the Legacy Trail

WHO:  All Fayette citizens are challenged to come out in support

WHAT:  2^nd Sunday on the Legacy Trail – an afternoon to walk, run, bike, rollerblade, skateboard, push a stroller or walk a pet

WHEN:  Sunday, October 14, 2012 – 2-6 p.m.

WHERE:  Legacy Trail located along the Newtown Pike corridor

WHY:  Since 2008, the University of Kentucky Extension Service has coordinated community wide 2^nd Sunday events by closing downtown streets, airport runways, etc.

In 5 short years 2^nd Sunday has exploded into hundreds of communities across the state.  In Fayette County, permanent infrastructure of trails is becoming assets the community now owns and utilizes. The Legacy Trail is the crown jewel. 

Kentucky is one of the least healthy states in the US.   2^nd Sunday is a prime opportunity for local citizens to display their resolve in remedying this status.  Be there.  Be healthy. 

COMMUNITY HOSTS:  Fayette County Cooperative Extension; Kentucky Horse Park; Lexington-Fayette County Health Dept.; Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government; Lexmark; Spindletop Hall, YMCA of Central Kentucky

ACTIVITIES:

Kentucky Horse Park:

2-5pm: $5.00 adults admission and free for kids under 12 and under along with Free parking. Must present 2nd Sunday sticker for parking and admission (each individual), so be sure to hit the Legacy Trail first. Note: For the safety of our guests, equestrians and horses, BICYCLES ARE NOT PERMITTED on park grounds beyond the main visitor parking lot or campground (without permission of the KHP Mounted Police.)

Spindletop Hall: 

Drinks and Snacks

Coldstream Trailhead:

2-6pm: Fayette County Extension, Chiro One Wellness Center
2-4pm: Cane Run Water Shed Display
3-5pm: Capoeira Volta Ao Mundo

North Lexington YMCA:

2-6pm: Lexington-Fayette County Health Department, Hydration Station, Maximized Living, Community Action Council

2-4pm: Kids Bike Races

2-5pm: Rollerblading, Better Bites

2:30-3:30pm: Zumba

For more information and updates visit:

Our website: www.2ndsundaylexington.com

Like us on Facebook:  www.facebook.com/2ndSundayLexington

Follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/2ndsundaylex

The Paso Fino Horse Association is proud to present the 40th Annual Grand National Championship Show to the Horse Capital of the World, Lexington, KY. “Brio in the Bluegrass” is the theme for this year’s event, which will bring close to 600 horses to Kentucky October 7-13, 2012. Brio is a Spanish word referring to the energy and lively spirit displayed in this breed. The event is included with Kentucky Horse Park admission during the hours of 9-5, and open to the public without charge in the evenings. The public is also welcome to participate in the “Ride a Paso Fino” program on Friday and Saturday to experience the naturally smooth ride for which the Paso Fino is known.

Audiences can view these remarkable horses competing all seven days of the event. Traditional lead line and under-saddle classes will be complimented by several recreational competitions, speed events, and exhibitions. Watch the Classic Fino type horses display their quick-stepping gait and cheer with the crowd as they move down the sounding board. Come see the 2nd Annual Paso Fino Cowboy Mounted Shooting Competition – one of the fastest growing equine sports in the nation. Watch Paso Fino Horse Soccer, a growing interest among equestrians for both competitive and rehabilitative purposes. Watch Paso Finos barrel race and pole bend, showing off their agility and quickness. Watch the horses navigate natural hurdles in the Obstacle Trail Challenge and display their all-around versatility in the Freestyle Competition and a Freestyle Exhibition by Camilla Willings and her stallion ‘Mercy,’ the 2010 North American Wind Rider Challenge Champions. After all this, ride one for yourself in the Ride a Paso Fino program!

The Paso Fino horse is a gaited breed that is gaining popularity in the US due to their sweet temperaments and spirited nature under saddle – not to mention the smoothest ride in the world. Perfect for all riders, especially youth, these horses range in size from 13-15 hands and have the versatility required for any number of disciplines. Their size, smooth gait, and sweet demeanors also make them the choice mount for those with back injuries or limited mobility. Paso Finos come in every equine color, with long manes and tails. They naturally prefer their unique, smooth gait, but can also walk, canter, and even gallop like non-gaited breeds.

The Executive Director of the Kentucky Horse Park, John Nicholson, says, “We are honored that the Paso Fino Horse Association has selected the Kentucky Horse Park to host their Grand National in 2012, which will be a wonderful asset to our park and the surrounding communities.  It will also be an exciting introduction for Kentuckians who will quickly be dazzled and enamored by this very old and elegant Spanish breed. Their beauty and brilliant style will win countless hearts, and many local businesses will benefit from the Paso Fino Grand National moving to our state.”

The show is included with park admission during the day and free at night. The PFHA will be welcoming our US Veterans and Active Military with free admission on Friday of the show week. We invite any and all to come out and learn about this fabulous, gaited breed. For more information, visit www.pfha.org or watch online at www.PFHAlive.com. Sponsorship opportunities are available.

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High resolution photos available.

Contact:
Catherine King
859-825-6006
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.   

Standardbred pacer Won The West will be welcomed to the Kentucky Horse Park’s Hall of Champions on Saturday, October 6.  This Two-Time Divisional and Breeders Crown Champion was retired in September as a leader in Standardbred racing with lifetime earnings of $3,939,836.

In honor of the horse’s arrival at the park, Mayor Jim Gray has declared October 6 “Won The West Day” in Lexington, KY, and his office has prepared a certificate that will be presented to the owners on Saturday.

Won The West made 109 lifetime starts in his career with 36 firsts, 24 seconds and 15 thirds.  In 2009, he won the Breeders Crown in a stakes-record time of 1:47, and he won the same race again in 2010.  This 8-year-old gelding was voted Older Pacer of the Year in 2009 and 2010 by the U.S. Harness Writers, and was twice awarded the Dan Patch trophy as top older pacing horse.

“The Kentucky Horse Park is honored to have Won The West join our Hall of Champions,” said John Nicholson, Executive Director of the Kentucky Horse Park.  “This exceptional horse is a star for the Standardbred industry, and we look forward to sharing him and his story with the throngs of visitors who enjoy the park each year.  He will be a welcome addition to our champion line-up, and we thank his connections for entrusting his care to our team.”

Won The West was bred in New Jersey by Fair Winds Farm by Western Hanover out of Gabrielle by Dragon’s Lair, he was foaled in 2004.  Won The West was purchased for $35,000 by trainer Brian Brown at the Harrisburg Yearling Sale.  Brown purchased the colt for James Koehler’s Country Club Acres, Inc. of Findlay, Ohio; the Kantzer family’s Strollin Stable of Marion, Ohio; and, William Robinson of Findlay, Ohio.

With trainer Ron Burke added to the team in 2007, Won The West went on to be one of the highest-earning horses on the Standardbred racing circuit, beating some of the biggest names in racing such as Mister Big and winning the Canadian Pacing Derby, the Indiana Pacing Derby, the Bobby Quillin Memorial and the Dan Patch Invitational, as well as three American national stakes titles.

Won The West joins fellow Standardbred pacing champions Staying Together and Western Dreamer, and Standardbred trotting champion Mr. Muscleman, at the Hall of Champions.

The public is invited to welcome him to Kentucky at the Hall of Champions at the Won The West Welcome Ceremony at 10:00 am on Saturday, October 6.  The welcome ceremony is open to the public, or guests may choose to stay and visit the rest of the park with regular visitor admission ($16 for adults, $8 for children 7-12, no charge for children 6 and under in the party).

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The Kentucky Horse Park is a working horse farm/theme park and equine competition facility dedicated to man's relationship with the horse. The park is an agency of the Kentucky Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet and hosted more than 825,000 visitors and campers, as well as 15,000 competition horses in more than 200 special events and horse shows in 2011. The park is home to the National Horse Center which comprises more than 30 national and regional equine organizations.  Located at Exit 120, Interstate 75, just north of Lexington, the Kentucky Horse Park is The place to get close to horses.  Open daily March 15 to Nov. 4, and Wednesday through Sunday, Nov. 5 to March 15.

Horse Park regularly hosts Olympic-caliber athletes

FRANKFORT, Ky. (Aug. 13, 2012) – As the 2012 Olympic Games in London close, Gov. Beshear today recognized the Kentucky Horse Park as an elite international equestrian facility for consistently hosting world-class and Olympic-caliber athletes.   

The Horse Park is also a significant economic contributor to the Commonwealth, with an estimated economic impact of approximately $180 million each year.  

“The Kentucky Horse Park is the only place in our state—and one of the few places in the world—where visitors can see world-class equestrian competitions on a regular basis,” said Gov. Beshear.  “We are not only the Horse Capital of the World, but Kentucky is also one of the premier homes for high-level equestrian sports.  I encourage Kentuckians and visitors to attend one of the many top-rated shows held at the Kentucky Horse Park and witness elite competition firsthand.”

More than 115 athletes who participated in equestrian events in the 2012 Olympics have competed at the Kentucky Horse Park.  Seventeen of those athletes earned a medal in the London Olympics.  

Athletes frequently travel from Australia, France, Great Britain and many other countries to the Lexington facility to contend for top honors in equestrian sports such as dressage, jumping and eventing.  

The Horse Park also hosted the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, which marked the first time the elite competition was held outside of Europe.  That event placed Kentucky in the international spotlight and generated more than $200 million in economic impact, and also built on the park’s international reputation as a signature event site.  The new facilities added to the Horse Park for WEG continue to attract competitors and tourists to Kentucky from across the country and around the world.  
    
"We appreciate the continued support from the Governor and First Lady.  We are exceedingly proud of our facility and the competitions that bring in visitors and athletes from around the globe,” said John Nicholson, executive director of the Kentucky Horse Park.  “The Kentucky Horse Park is clearly one of the leading equestrian competition facilities not just in North America, but anywhere in the world.  We expect the tremendous growth of the sport horse industry in Kentucky will accelerate in the years ahead."  

The Kentucky Horse Park is a 1,200 acre competition facility and tourist attraction recognized as the epicenter of equestrian life, sports and business.  Most notably, the park annually hosts the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event.  The event is ranked at four stars, which is the highest level in international competition.    

The Horse Park hosts a number of other award-winning shows as well.  The Alltech National Horse Show won the National Show Hunter Hall of Fame’s Show of the year. They were also named the top U.S. show by the North American Riders Group. North American Junior and Young Rider Championships and the two weeks of Kentucky Spring Hunter Jumper were named among the top 25 events in North America.

This year, the facility will host 21 grand prix jumper classes as well as seven national or international hunter derbies, with more than $1 million offered in prize money.

The Park will host three upper-level dressage events in 2013, including the U.S. Dressage Finals.  

For more information on the Kentucky Horse Park and its world-class events, please visit http://kyhorsepark.com/.

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Photo above from Rolex Kentucky, by www.PixBySteve.com.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Ross Creech (859) 971-7038

USDF Approves National Dressage Championships

Lexington, KY (December 4, 2011) – The United States Dressage Federation (USDF) is pleased to announce approval by its Board of Governors of a US national dressage championship beginning in 2013.  This championship will be a head to head competition showcasing Adult Amateur and Open riders at Training Level through Grand Prix. 

With invitations to be extended to competitors who have qualified through the Great American Insurance Group/USDF Regional Dressage Championships, the inaugural championship (exact name TBD) will take place in the fall of 2013 at the Kentucky Horse Park (KHP) in Lexington, KY.  The KHP was the site of the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games.  It also hosts the annual Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event and the FEI North American Junior and Young Rider Championships. 

According to USDF President George Williams, the first formal discussions within the USDF, regarding a US national championship, started almost 20 years ago.  Williams also states, “This is indeed an exciting day for American dressage and in particular, our adult amateur competitors.”

Founded in 1973, the United States Dressage Federation is a nonprofit membership organization dedicated to education, recognition of achievement and promotion of dressage.  For more information about USDF membership or programs, visit www.usdf.org, e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. "> This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , or call 859-971-2277.

Join us for our annual

KHP Gift Shop
Christmas
Open House

December 2-3, 2011
9am-5pm

Storewide discounts

Refreshments

Free parking

Gifts, home decor, accessories, books, artwork, videos, toys, apparel, jewelry, kids' clothing, Breyer model horses, holiday decorations, and much more!

Call 859-259-4234 for more information.

Take a video tour of the KHP Gift Shop!

We're also conducting a Christmas toy drive for the Blue Grass Farms Charities, so please consider purchasing a toy at the Gift Shop to drop in the bin while you're here.  Thanks!

WHO:  Eight teams of working oxen from Maine

WHAT:  Demonstrations using oxen for a variety of activities for the public and RFD-TV

WHEN:  History Heritage Days, Nov 9-12

WHERE:  Kentucky Horse Park

WHY:  The oxen are expected to arrive from Maine on Monday.  On Tuesday, Nov 8 at 1pm, there will be good photo/video/media ops as the oxen will be hitched and going through some practice exercises in preparation for the History Heritage Days events. 

During History Heritage Days, the oxen will be showcased pulling trolleys, plowing, pulling carts and log haulers. It's a unique opportunity to see the oxen up close, speak to the handlers and learn how farming and logging was accomplished before the days of mechanization.  The highlight of the event will be the hitching of all eight teams to the antique log hauler from the early 1900s. There will activities to interest every age group and plenty of time to visit with the oxen as they perform and as they are stabled in the Big Barn alongside the horses.

HOW:  Media should park in the main Visitor Parking Lot and come through the Visitor Center to the Dressage Complex in back.  For more information, see the press release. Questions from the media should be directed to Cindy Rullman, 859-259-4209. 

Watch a video of their arrival at the park Nov 7: http://youtu.be/KacgGAXg5mU

Thank you!