| Name | Kentucky Horse Park |
| Brief Description | The Kentucky Horse Park is dedicated to man's love of horses |
| Type | Attraction |
| Category | Lexington Kentucky Scenic |
| Description | Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, KY
The Kentucky Horse Park is Kentucky’s largest state-owned tourist attraction, and is an agency of the Kentucky Tourism, Arts & Heritage Cabinet. Also the largest attraction in Central Kentucky, the park is dedicated to sharing Kentucky’s love of the horse with the world. Based in Lexington, the park hosted nearly 1 million visitors each year.
The only park of its kind in the world, the Kentucky Horse Park is a working horse farm, educational theme park and equine competition facility dedicated to man’s relationship with the horse. THE place to get close to horses, the park is set on more than 1,200 acres in the heart of Kentucky’s famous Bluegrass Region.
Featuring dozens of different breeds of horse at work and at play, the park showcases the horse in daily equine presentations, horse drawn tours, horseback riding and pony rides, video presentations, and an exciting array of horse shows and special events throughout the year.
The park presents several live shows daily throughout the summer. The Horses of the World Presentation captures the sound and excitement of the show ring in presenting different unique breeds of horses with authentically costumed riders.
The excitement of both the racetrack and show ring are brought to life by the elite group of horses in the Hall of Champions, which is home to “America’s horse,” Cigar. Champions from Thoroughbred and Standardbred racing are presented to visitors in the daily Hall of Champions Show, including Kentucky Derby-winners Funny Cide and Go for Gin.
Spring brings foals to the Bluegrass Region. Visit with mares and foals, through July, in their paddock or see them in the Mare and Foal Show from Memorial Day to July 31.
With representatives from all major draft horse breeds, the park's draft horses, or “gentle giants,” provides one of the most popular attractions in the park — the Horse-Drawn Trolley Tour.
Guided trail rides throughout the park’s beautiful countryside are offered throughout the summer season, and pony rides are available for the youngest park visitors. Horse farm tours to area Thoroughbred farms are also available.
Park visitors have the opportunity to learn more about the history of the horse in the world’s largest equestrian museum, the International Museum of the Horse, a Smithsonian Affiliate, which includes a permanent collection of the dazzling trophies acquired by the famous Calumet Farm in its long history leading modern Thoroughbred racing.
The park is also home to the American Saddlebred Museum & Gift Shop, the Showplace for Saddlebreds, which honors and chronicles the history of Kentucky’s first native breed of horse.
The Kentucky Horse Park is the home of the National Horse Center, a collection of more than 30 national, state and regional equine organizations, that truly helps to fulfill the Bluegrass region’s status as the “Horse Capital of the World.”
The Kentucky Horse Park’s preeminent collection of competition facilities gives the park the capability to host some of the world’s most prestigious equine sporting events. Home to the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event, where Olympic hopefuls compete to earn a seat on the US Equestrian Team, the park hosts more than 100 horse shows and special events annually.
The Kentucky Horse Park Gift Shop and Tack Shop offer a superb variety of equine related merchandise.
The Kentucky Horse Park is located in the heart of the state at the crossroads of Interstates 75 and 64 on Iron Works Pike just north of Lexington. Situated in prime horse farm country, and in easy driving distance to downtown Lexington.
For information: www.KyHorsePark.com or 859-233-4303. |
| Address | 4089 Iron Works Parkway |
| CSZ | Lexington, KY 40511 |
| Phone 1 | (800) 678-8813 |
| Email | info@kyhorsepark.com |
| Handicapped Accessible | Yes |
| Time Allowance | 4 to 8 hours |
| Website | www.kyhorsepark.com |
| Last Updated | 7/2/2013 |
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