by When it comes to American equestrian, we have to mention Kentucky, which is famous for producing famous horses, where the American horse is home, not only the annual Kentucky Horse racing, but also the world’s largest equestrian museum. Kentucky is also called the blue grass state because the soil is rich in a natural calcium and produces the bluish blue grass grass that is so popular with horses.
Kentucky Derby
Since 1875, the Kentucky Derby has been held on the first Saturday in May at Churchill Racecourse. The festival is one of the most prestigious international races in the United States and has been held for more than 100 years. Due to the strict conditions of the competition, only the best three-year-old thoroughbreds can compete each year, and riders regard winning the Kentucky Derby as their highest honor.
The Kentucky Derby is the most important equestrian event in the United States, attracting not only countless horse lovers, but also stars and dignitaries from all over the world. Although the most exciting part of the race is the final “two minutes”, the locals have two weeks to celebrate their favorite horse racing event. During these two weeks, in addition to the spontaneous parties held in schools and streets, there are also the largest fireworks display and hot air balloon race in the United States. Not only that, the Kentucky Derby is also called the “Run for the Roses” because each year the winning horses and riders are covered with a rose blanket made of 564 red roses. The day before the race, there is also the Kentucky Oaks, also born in 1875, which is the top stage for three-year-old mares, and the winning horse and rider will be draped in their own pink lily wreath. This shows the enthusiasm and romance of American horse lovers for horse racing.
The Kentucky Horse Park
Officially opened in 1978, the Kentucky Horse Park covers an area of 4.85 square kilometers, with dozens of horse breeds from around the world, is an important base for Kentucky to display its unique horse culture, and is the only park in the world that is entirely horse culture. In 1999, the USAA moved from New York City to the Kentucky Horse Park, after which the USEF changed its name to the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF). In 2010, the FIMA quadrennial World Equestrian Games were held here, the first time the World Equestrian Games were held outside Europe and the first time all events were held in the same location.
The park covers a vast area, including the International Horse Museum, the Champion Hall of Fame and many stables and equestrian show venues, in addition to simple fences and large areas of blue grass. The ranch in the horse park offers visitors a riding experience, there is also the option of horse-drawn carriage Tours in the park, and even the police patrol on horseback. In addition, the horse park will have two stable shows every day, these show horses are mostly retired racehorses, some are champions in the past horse race, jockey after the show will also allow visitors to interact with these rare horses up close.
Kentucky Horse Park in addition to leisurely live horses, there are everywhere horse statues, most of them are very influential stars of various periods. In the Hall of Champions, you can see the figure and brilliant achievements of the past racing champions, such as the eye masks they have worn, horse rings, saddles, trophies, MEDALS and some video information on the field.
The International Horse Museum is a beacon that leads visitors to explore the history of the world’s horse culture. The museum has a large collection of historical artworks and artifacts of horse culture from all over the world, and the main exhibition hall uses four skeletons to show visitors the evolution of the horse. From the photos of wild horses in the primitive period to the bronze statues of the Terracotta warriors and horses, they tell the beginning of the story between people and horses, and the history of human relying on horses for warfare and production has opened up.
In Kentucky, whether you know equestrian or not, you can understand the life style and long history and culture of this magical animal from a different Angle. Horse culture, as one of the important labels of Kentucky, has been interpreted incisively and vividly, and has therefore received worldwide attention and yearning.
