More than Horses at the Kentucky Horse Park

In just a few short months, many of you will be coming to Lexington, Ky. for the 2010 AHP 40th Anniversary Seminar. There will be much to do at the event itself, but there will also be some down time for exploring the countryside surrounding the city.

While driving around the area, you will get to see some beautiful sights, including historic buildings, large thoroughbred farms that seem to go on forever and, of course, lots of horses grazing on the sweet Kentucky bluegrass.

One of the places you will most likely want to see is the Kentucky Horse Park, which showcases the beauty and grace of horses from around the world. There are many exhibits to see in the Horse Park, such as the Parade of Breeds and the Hall of Champions. In addition, you will also get to see some of the new buildings created for the upcoming 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, which will be taking place in the park this autumn. And, of course, you will get to see the many horses that call the Horse Park home.

While horses are the main attraction at the Horse Park, there are some other things to look out for as you walk around, especially the beautiful horse statues.

There are currently 15 horse statues standing throughout the park. Some are life size, while others are smaller in stature. Three of the top fan favorites are located right at the entry of the park – Man O'War, Secretariat and Promise and Frisky.

The Man O'War statue first stood over the great stallion's grave on the grounds of Sam Riddle's Faraway Farm where he died in 1948. Arguably the greatest thoroughbred in horse racing history, "Big Red" won 20 of 21 races before retiring to stud at that farm, which is only a few miles away from the park. In 1997, both the statue, which was created by Herbert Haseltine, and Man O'War's grave were moved to the Horse Park where they now stand. Buried along with Man O'War are a few of his offspring, including his Triple Crown winning son, War Admiral.

Standing a short distance away from Man O'War is the statue of Secretariat, the other horse some consider the greatest thoroughbred in history. Secretariat captured the hearts of America when he won the Triple Crown in 1973, clinching his championship run with an incredible 31-length victory in the Belmont Stakes. The statue was created by Edwin Boguki, and shows the other "Big Red" entering a winner's circle with his jockey, Ron Turcotte, riding him, while his groom Eddie Sweat leads the way.

Promise and Frisky is one of the "fun" statues in the Horse Park. It stands between Man O'War and Secretariat, and is actually two separate statues that were showcased together. Created by Gwen Reardon, the two playful young horses are located in the flower garden in front of the Visitor's Information Center at the park's entrance.

So, as you walk around the Kentucky Horse Park and admire the horses, the beautiful landscape and all the other exhibits, keep your eye out for the horse statues. They are some of the park's hidden gems that you won't want to miss.

Photos by Rick Capone