World Equestrian Games

I first learned of the impending World Equestrian Games several years ago traveling from Ohio to Kentucky via I-75. The sign advertising the event has been in place since at least the late 2000s and, as an equestrian on hiatus, I always took note of it, though I scarcely expected to attend.

As fate would have it, come 2010 and I am living in nearby Louisville, KY. When an old friend decided to visit Lexington for it I made the trip and a mere hour-and-a-half and $45 later I found myself meeting her there.


I badly miss riding and horses in general. I grew up working with them, but horses are expensive and poverty is my lot, so I've drifted away. Horses are an escape, especially when there is wilderness to escape to with them. Classical dressage is an art. I am fond of both. Along these lines, dressage in some form or another occurs at the WEG so I was hoping to attend. As it were, ticket prices ranged from $42 - $140 for that event and with the "affordable" dressage events all scheduled for weekdays, I elected for a $25 grounds pass only (note: ticket only actually $25 if purchased at gate to avoid nearly $10 in ticketmaster fees). I expect major events to be pricey, but this was rather more than expected, particularly with the $20 parking fee (note: carpool). I figure that the this is probably the only time the WEG will be in my vicinity so I dismissed my normal frugal misgivings and allowed myself to be filtered into the trade show.

The grounds pass does get you into more than the trade show. I'll be fair, there are some enjoyable events and clinics. I was unfortunate to be there on an unseasonably chilly day, but I still enjoyed an Andalusian exhibition and a nice demo by Tommie Turley. Many if not all of the things normally available at the Kentucky Horse Park are available for the event. We tried to visit Alysheba in the Hall of Champions only to learn that he died in 2009 (oops), discovered Molly the Three-Legged pony and an odd reining ride which I did not ride due to lack of operator. Also, the equine statues at the park all appear to be anatomically correct. This is notable only because nearly every other equine statue I have encountered in America is not. The Kentucky Horse Park expresses it's brand of rebellion in the form of testicles.

The trade show left me feeling like a different species. In my world, one does not pay $300 for breeches, $1000 for jackets or (gasp!) $65,000 for a saddle, no matter how nicely tooled it is.



Eegads...

Also, check out this silly mannequin.


In the end, I'm pretty sure I would have enjoyed spending three hours shoveling horse shit more than this event, especially if I could trade some riding time for it. I'm a pretty reasonable rider. Anyone need a shit shoveler?




PS: Info on the move to Louisville to come later. Thus far, I rather like it here.