Kentucky Horse Park facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Kentucky Horse Park |
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| Location | Fayette County, Kentucky, United States |
| Nearest city | Lexington, Kentucky |
| Area | 1,224 acres (4.95 km2) |
| Established | 1978 |
| Visitors | 800,000 (in 2013) |
| Governing body | Kentucky Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet |
The Kentucky Horse Park is a special place in Lexington, Kentucky. It's a working horse farm, a huge place for horse competitions, and an educational theme park. It first opened in 1978.
This amazing park is about 1,224 acres big. That's like 925 football fields! It's all about showing how humans and horses have worked together for ages. You can visit the park and see the "Horses of the World Show" twice a day. This show features many different kinds of horses from all over the world. The riders even wear special costumes from each horse's home country. The park also hosts many exciting events and horse shows every year.
Inside the park, you'll find the International Museum of the Horse. It's connected to the famous Smithsonian museums! This museum has a huge collection of horse history and cool items. It also has special exhibits that change often. These exhibits have explored themes like horses from Arabia, Imperial China, and even the horses of the British Queen.
Since 1979, the Kentucky Horse Park has been home to some of the most famous competition horses in the world. One of the first was Forego, a top racehorse from the 1970s. Another was John Henry, who was named Horse of the Decade for the 1980s. He won more money than any other Thoroughbred gelding in racing history! John Henry lived at the park from 1985 until he passed away in 2007.
Other famous horses who lived here include:
- Bold Forbes, another champion from the 1970s.
- Cigar, who was Horse of the Decade for the 1990s.
- Da Hoss, who won two Breeders' Cup races in different years.
- Alysheba and Funny Cide, both champions who arrived in 2008. Alysheba passed away at the park in 2009.
- Go For Gin, a Kentucky Derby winner from 1994, moved to the barn in 2011. Cigar also passed away at the park in 2014.
It's not just Thoroughbreds! Other famous horses from different types of racing have lived here too. These include Standardbred pacing stars like Staying Together and Western Dreamer. Also, Standardbred trotting champion Mr. Muscleman called the park home. Even 5-gaited American Saddlebred geldings like CH Gypsy Supreme, CH Imperator, and CH Sky Watch lived here.
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Park Sculptures: Famous Horses in Stone
You'll see many amazing horse sculptures around the Kentucky Horse Park. Near the entrance, there's a large statue of Man o' War on a pedestal. This famous horse is actually buried right there! His grave was moved to the park when it was built in the 1970s.
There's also a life-size statue of Secretariat. He was the incredible horse who won the U.S. Triple Crown in 1973. The statue shows him with his jockey, Ron Turcotte, and his groom, Eddie Sweat. It was created by artist Jim Reno. If you like harness racing, you can also see a statue of the famous horse Bret Hanover.
National Horse Center: A Hub for Horse Lovers
The Kentucky Horse Park is also home to the National Horse Center. This is where the main offices for over 30 national, regional, and state horse groups are located. Think of it as a central place where many different horse organizations work together.
Some of these important groups include:
- American Association of Equine Practitioners (for horse vets)
- American Farrier's Association (for horseshoe makers)
- American Hackney Horse Society
- American Hanoverian Society
- American Saddlebred Horse Association
- Carriage Association of America
- Kentucky Horse Racing Authority
- Equestrian Events, Inc.
- United States Hunter/Jumper Association
- United States Dressage Federation
- United States Equestrian Federation
- United States Pony Clubs, Inc.
You can find a full list of all these organizations and their contact information on the Kentucky Horse Park website.
Rolex Stadium: The Big Outdoor Arena
The Rolex Stadium is the main outdoor event area at the park. It has seats for 7,338 people in its main section. But for really big events, like huge horse shows or concerts, it can hold up to 37,338 people by adding more seats!
The show ring inside the stadium is very large, measuring 306 feet by 406 feet. It has a special sand and fiber floor. Sometimes, they even bring in artificial turf for games like soccer or football. It's the biggest outdoor concert spot in Central Kentucky, able to hold almost 52,000 people! The stadium also has a huge 18-by-33-foot LED video screen to help everyone see the action.
Alltech Arena: The Indoor Action Spot
Alltech Arena is the Kentucky Horse Park's large indoor arena. It has 5,520 seats, but it can expand to 8,500 seats for concerts. The main floor is 135 feet by 300 feet.
Besides indoor horse shows, Alltech Arena can be used for many other events. These include indoor football, ice hockey, basketball, circuses, boxing, wrestling, and other special shows. The arena has nine fancy suites and 222 VIP box seats. There's also a large club lounge where up to 80 people can relax. The main floor of the arena is actually below street level. The concourse, which is like a wide walkway, is above the floor and has six places to get food and drinks.
Exciting Events at the Park
The Kentucky Horse Park hosts many different educational events and competitions throughout the year.
Some past and ongoing events include:
- The annual Kentucky Three-Day Event, a major horse competition held here since 1978.
- The annual High Hope Steeplechase, a horse race over fences, held since 1974.
- The annual Southern Lights holiday festival, a beautiful light display, held since 1993.
- The National Pony Club Championships, held every three years for young riders.
- The North American Junior and Young Rider Championships, a big event for talented horseback riders aged 14–21, held since 2009.
- The USEF Pony Finals, which are national championships for pony hunter/jumpers, held since 2008.
- The National Horse Show.
In 2015, the park also became the new home for the Ichthus Music Festival. This is a big Christian music festival that used to be held nearby.
For the most up-to-date list of all events, you can always check the Kentucky Horse Park website.
2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games: A Global Event
On December 6, 2005, it was announced that Lexington and the Kentucky Horse Park would host the 2010 FEI World Equestrian Games. These games took place in September and October of that year.
This was a very special event because it was the first time these games were held outside of Europe! Also, all eight Olympic-level world championships had never been held together in one place before.
To get ready for the games, the park made several big improvements:
- A new indoor stadium, the Alltech Arena, was approved in 2006. It cost $36 million.
- The sound system in the arena was made even better.
- Plans were made to build a resort hotel near the park.
In 2007, the governor announced even more improvements. These included:
- A new outdoor stadium with 10,075 permanent seats. It could be made even bigger for major events.
- More space for vendors and exhibits.
- Better roads inside the park, including a second entrance.
The new indoor stadium and extra exhibit space were paid for with special bonds. The road improvements were funded by the state highway fund. The resort hotel was built without state money.
How the Park is Managed
Even though the state government owns the Kentucky Horse Park, it is managed separately. It's not part of the regular state park system.
