Equestrian World at Kentucky Horse Park

The Kentucky Horse Park is one of Lexington, Kentucky's largest tourist attractions. The park offers many things including camping, horse shows, educational programs and more.

The Kentucky Horse Park sits on 1200 acres in Lexington and allows visitors to get up close and personal with horses. Home to 50 different breeds, the park encourages visitors to explore all that goes on at a working horse farm or attend live shows, presentations or special events. Competitions are also held at the Kentucky Horse Park. They have been named the official site of the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in 2010.

Visitors can stay at local hotels or can utilize the Kentucky Horse Park campground with water and electric hookups. The campground also offers unlimited primitive camping, a trading post, swimming pool, lighted courts, playground, bath house, and laundry facilities.

While at the Kentucky Horse Park, visitors have many options for learning about horses. They can visit the Hall of Champions to see horses well known in the equestrian world that reside at the park, such as Cigar or CH Gypsy Supreme. Another option is to stroll through the two museums. The American Saddlebred Museum is all about Saddlebred horses, which are Kentucky's first native breed of horse. The International Museum of the Horse displays trophies, carriages, art and more that covers the 50 million year history of the horse. Other educational programs include workshops, presentations and are geared toward both novice and experienced horsepeople.

Breeding and foaling are a big part of the education department at the Kentucky Horse Park. The staff show Mares and Foals daily Memorial Day through July 31. The draft horses are known as gentle giants and are always crowd favorites. They can be seen during their show or in their standing stalls at the horse barn. Visitors can also take a horse farm tour, go on a trail ride, or enjoy a ride in a horse drawn trolley, and children can enjoy pony rides for $5.

The Kentucky Horse Park is open year round. From March 15 to October 31, the park is open 7 days a week from 9 am to 5 pm. From November 1 to March 14, the park is open 5 days a week during the same hours. The Kentucky Horse Park is closed Thanksgiving Eve and Day, Christmas Eve and Day, and New Years Eve and Day. One day admission to the Park includes entry to the Saddlebred Museum, and the cost varies by season.

More information is available at www.kyhorsepark.com or you can call 1-800-678-8813.