Kentucky to Host Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games
07.13.10
Excitement Builds in Kentucky for Hosting the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games
By Kim MacMillan
North American horse enthusiasts have the opportunity of a lifetime to watch world-class equestrian competition at the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games to be held on their home continent in Kentucky this fall. Fewer than 100 days remain before the World Equestrian Games (WEG) open in Lexington, the host city for the Games.
The 2010 World Games will be the first to be held outside of Europe, the first to have all eight disciplines (dressage, driving, endurance, eventing, jumping, para dressage, reining and vaulting) held at one site and the first to have a title sponsor, Alltech, an international company headquartered in the Lexington area that makes yeast-based animal feed supplements. Sixty-one countries will be sending horses and riders to the Games and tickets are still available.
Eventing - Becky Holder of the U.S.A. and Courageous Comet. -Photo by Kim MacMillan.
The WEG will run from September 25 through October 10, at the Kentucky Horse Park (KHP), located just north of Lexington along Interstate 75. Nestled in the heart of the Bluegrass Region, Lexington and the KHP are surrounded by thousands of acres of green fields bordered by miles upon miles of white or black board fencing with horses and cattle grazing everywhere you look.
During the 16 days of the WEG, the foliage in the area should begin to display the reds, golds and yellows that signal the coming of fall.
The WEG Venue
The Kentucky Horse Park, which is owned by the state of Kentucky, is a 1,200-acre facility that features a four-star international eventing course, as well as an international combined driving course, a new outdoor stadium, a new $40-million indoor arena, an older indoor arena, a number of other outdoor arenas, an exercise race track and over 1,300 stalls. In addition, the main part of the park is home to the International Museum of the Horse, the Hall of Champions, the Breeds Barn, the Big Barn, working blacksmith and harness making shops, antique carriages, a number of breed and discipline organization national headquarters and more. For more information about the KHP go to www.kyhorsepark.com.
Reining - Tom McCutcheon and Darlins Not Painted from the U.S.A. -Photo by Shannon Brearton.
The outdoor stadium grandstand has approximately 7,300 seats including spaces for disabled seating and terrace tables, lighting for night-time competition, concession stands and restrooms. The stadium features state-of-the-art artificial surface footing installed by OTTO Sport und Reitplatz GMBH of Germany. The footing was selected because it is safe and provides good drainage. The same surface was used at the 2006 Aachen WEG. Hugh Kincannon, Co-Chair of Show Jumping for the 2010 World Games, commented on this new surface, “The OTTO Sport footing is secure, yet forgiving. The mats provide a significant cushioning effect as horses gallop and jump, and the drainage system makes wet weather a non-issue. Their design absorbs concussion, prevents horses from slipping and retains water to minimize dust,” said Kincannon in an article in the Spring 2009 issue of Equine International magazine.
Dressage - Tina Konyot and Calecto V from the U.S.A. -Photo by Kim MacMillan.
The new indoor arena is air-conditioned and heated and has 6,000 seats and approximately 21,000 square feet of commercial exhibit space. The footing was designed by Bob Kaiser, who is renowned as a guru of natural footing, and was chosen with reining and western riding in mind, as these disciplines require a different kind of footing than those using the outdoor stadium. The indoor arena has an enclosed warm-up arena and three stable blocks (each with 104 stalls) that are also climate controlled and connected to the arena by a walkway. Eventually a fourth stable building will be added.
Pick up the July issue of Saddle Up Nebraska to read the rest of the story. To subscribe, call 1-800-888-1380.
Tags: Alltech, FEI, Kentucky, World Equestrian Games
