KENTUCKY HORSE PARK EXPEDITION!

I have driven by the sign indicating the entrance to the Kentucky Horse Park (www.KyHorsePark.com) on previous cross-country trips, but was only able to actually enter the park, and see its many attractions, on a recent 2025 visit in the area.  

 

As soon as I entered the park, my attention was drawn to an area near the entrance, where a young person was doing some training with a beautiful black horse.  

The Visitor Center was easy to find, and well marked with large signs.  

It is appropriate that there are iron gates at the entrance to the Visitor Center, because their address is 4089 IRON Works Pike, in Lexington, Kentucky.  

The gift shop inside the Visitor Center has everything a horse lover might want to purchase, to remember their visit to this remarkable place.  

While at the Visitor Center Gift shop, I learned that framing a portion of your horse's mane, along with its bit and bridal, is apparently a common thing to do.  The shadow box display brought to mind one of my First Place 4 Health (www.FirstPlace4Health.com) memory verses from James 3:3 that says, "When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal".  Just  as a bit guides a horse, the way one uses their tongue, can direct one's life and actions.

People my age may remember when the famous Barbie Doll went beyond simply looking pretty in her specialty clothes, to dressing in all manner of professional attire to promote women as more than just "a pretty face".  So I was not surprised to see a doll in the gift shop, designed to be a female veterinarian, complete with a top horse to medicate.  

In the Visitor Center lobby, there was a gigantic, gold  picture frame, with a life size horse photo inside it, so that visitors can have their photo made with this (pretend) prize-winning horse!

Also in the lobby was this model, based on the famous "Trojan Horse" story, where an invading army hid inside a colossal model of a horse.  Notice in this exhibit, there is a door on the side of the horse, where a soldier, who is ascending the ladder, could be hidden.  Although I did not have time on this visit to go through the International Museum of the Horse, that is located within the Visitor Center, I know from what I read on their website, there are numerous other art pieces and historical artifacts at the museum, that will fascinate the viewer.

Numerous locations I have visited across the USA have chosen an iconic symbol of their area, and then assigned talented artisans to paint messages on the icon.  I have seen bears, airplanes, pelicans, and shoes.  Therefore, it is not surprising that Kentucky, which is famous for its bourbon production, would have a wooden bourbon barrel, artistically decorated with scenes from the state.  

Another item in the Visitor Center lobby, was this horse sculpture with the autographs of people significant in  equestrian history.   Even though I received my "Horsemanship" badge in Girl Scouts, and made the round trip to the bottom of the Grand Canyon and back via sitting in the saddle of a four-legged creature, I did not feel worthy to ask for a Sharpie pen to add my name.  

Since this area is known for its historic "dry stack" stone fences, there is a display of one just outside the Visitor Center.  The park sits on 1,200 acres of Kentucky bluegrass farmland, so there were doubtless some of the stone fences of the acreage from hundreds of years of past farming, before the area was converted to public usage in 1978.  The house in the background is a significant landmark of the property.  It was built in 1866.  The property has been through numerous owners, but in 1972, Mary Edwards sold her property to the Commonwealth of Kentucky for $2.7 million, and in 1978, the Kentucky Horse Park, opened to the public, and  became the world's only park dedicated to man's relationship with the horse.  

I was fascinated with the information on the length of thoroughbred strides, that was explained and illustrated, in a public area outside the Visitor Center.  The placard suggested the visitor count the number of steps it takes them to walk a designated distance, then compare their numbers, to the stride length of some famous horses.  Since I am an avid step counter, aiming for at least 10,000 steps per day, I learned that 10,000 strides by a thoroughbred would go miles farther than 10,000 of my steps!

It is not surprising that the horse statue in front of the Visitor Center, is painted a bright blue (as in Kentucky being the BLUEgrass state), and showed the number of jobs that the equestrian industry provides in the state.  Remember that the Kentucky Horse Park is owned by the state government, so job numbers is a statistic they track.  Recent estimates indicate there are over 60,000 jobs in Kentucky that are related to the equestrian field.  The data also shows that the annual economic impact of the equestrian industry in Kentucky is about $6.5 billion. 

Horse racing aficionados are quite familiar with the name Secretariat, but for those who cannot remember, a plaque on the way to the Secretariat memorial will refresh their memory.   

Another plaque tells who the sculptor is, of the legendary thoroughbred champion, Secretariat.

The landscaping of the sidewalk leading to the Man O War statue, magnifies the importance of this steed in equestrian history.  

For those who many have forgotten, Man O War was a dominant competitor in the early 20th century, who won most of his races, including setting a record at the Belmont Stakes  

Another plaque in this area honors Isaac Burns Murphy, who was born into slavery in Clark County, Kentucky, in  1861.  He went on to become one of the greatest riders in American Thoroughbred horse racing history.  He won three runnings of the Kentucky Derby, and was the first jockey to be inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, at its creation in 1955.

Memorial plaque at burial site of famous horse.  

Very close to the Visitor Center, one will see this building for the U.S. Equestrian Association.

Since the building is open to the public, I took the opportunity to see what was inside:

Glass-covered trophy cases line the entire side of one wall in the spacious lobby.

I found out I am not the only one that has a horse harness hanging on the wall!  The difference in mine and those behind glass at this location, is that mine was just worn by a favorite farm horse, whereas these were worn by famous competition horses! 

 

My husband and I attended some equestrian events at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia.  Our event was called "dressage", which is a French word, with the emphasis on the second syllable.  The word evolved from the French verb dresseur, meaning "to train".  Dressage is a discipline that showcases the horse's flexibility and balance, by executing a series of intricate, precise movements.  Upon our return, my husband had a special art piece made, containing a 1996 Equestrian Olympic poster, along with our two Olympic tickets, dated  8 am, July 26, 1996,  Because of that early 8 am start time, we had left our motel about 4 am, because it was an hour away from where we would catch the shuttle at a location in Atlanta, that would take us to the actual venue, at the Georgia International Horse Park, in Conyers, Georgia.  After being on the Interstate towards Atlanta for about 45 minutes, we turned on the radio to find out the weather forecast.  The radio was warning people to STAY AWAY from Atlanta, because there had been a bombing at an Olympic event the night before, and the perpetrator of the bomb was still on the loose.  Since we were almost to our shuttle stop, we continued on, and found out that the events scheduled for that day were still going to be held, but their starting times had been pushed back by several hours, because of greatly increased security screening.  Keep in mind, this was before we were using cell phones, texting, or Internet communication of any kind.  So we stood in line at the only pay telephone booth available, for a very long time, so we could call our family members back in Arkansas, to let them know we were okay, and had not been at the location where the bomb went off.  It was a most memorable experience!

Having actually attended the 1996 Olympic equestrian event, I was delighted to see that one of the items on display behind glass, was the clothing worn by one of the winning participants, as well as medals from the event.

According to wikipedia, the tradition of wearing white trousers in the dressage competition, dates back to a time when only aristocrats could participate in the sport, and they did not have to be concerned about doing any kind of manual labor that would get their trousers soiled.  

This facility also had a gift shop, and I enjoyed perusing the items available for purchase there.

Seeing these medals in their shadowbox display cases, reminded me of a church youth retreat I attended in the 1960's in Bentonville, Arkansas.  Walmart founders, Sam and Helen Walton, opened up their expansive home for the girls in the group, to spend the night in their home.  I remember Mrs. Walton showing us the room of their daughter, Alice Walton, and the room being full of ribbons and medals that Alice Walton had won at equestrian events.  

Look at this lovely souvenir available in the gift shop:

If one wanted sweet dreams of being horseback riding, perhaps this souvenir pillow, painted with all the symbols of the sport, would cause one to "gallop off" into dream land!

One of the sales staff at the gift shop offered to take my photo with one of the little black hats, like the competitors wear.  What do you think?

USEF (www.usef.org) is the abbreviation for the United States Equestrian Federation, which serves as the National Governing Body for Equestrian Sport.  The federation trains, selects, and funds the US Equestrian Team, which includes the team at the Olympic Games.  When I was visiting the Kentucky Horse Park, the USEF Pony Finals were being held, and I had the opportunity to observe young people who had their sights set on Olympic glory.

Folks are familiar with "crossing guards" near elementary schools to protect children, and here at Kentucky Horse Park, there are dozens of "crossing guards" to protect horses that are crossing roads in front of cars and/or golf carts.

Rolex is a major sponsor at the USEF Pony Finals, and the Rolex stadium was buzzing with activity, in preparation for the day's events.  

Now you know one reason that Rolex watches are so expensive---they have to help pay for this fancy equestrian stadium!  When one considers the cost of having a horse, boarding a horse, and traveling to equestrian events around the country, it is easy to understand why this is such an elite sport!  The year I got to visit the Olympic village in Calgary, Canada, I remember my guide pointing out some members of the royal family of a European country, who were also in the Olympic village, because they had competed in Olympic Equestrian events.  

If you are a person who enjoys seeing, riding, or learning about horses, you will enjoy a visit to the Kentucky Horse Park.  My visit there gave me "MILES OF SMILES!" Tricia

 

GOING ON FAITH EXPEDITION!

Television Sitcom aficionados may recognize this view, if they recall the popular show "WKRP in Cincinnati", and this area is where the Going on Faith tourism conference (www.gofconference.com)  was held a while back.   

 

The conference hotel goes by the moniker "Cincinnati Airport Marriott" (www.marriott.com), even though its location is actually in Hebron, which is just across the Ohio River, in Kentucky.  

Besides having beautifully manicured grounds and spotless interiors, I was pleased to see that my room included a copy of a Gideon Bible.  These Bibles are available free of charge to lodging properties, with the expenses involved in putting them there, being paid by memorials of donors and volunteer members of the organization (www.gideons.org).  It is only logical that the Going on Faith organizers would want a hotel that supplied Gideon Bibles in each room, considering the conference promotes travel to attractions of interest, to faith-based travelers, across the USA, and around the globe.  

At a Going on Faith conference, dozens of tables are set up in a large ball room, and on one side of the table, sit representatives (called "buyers")of an organization interested in faith-based travel (such as churches, youth groups, mission organizations, affinity travel groups, etc.)  On the other side of the table sits representatives from CVB's (Convention and Visitor Bureaus) of cities that want to attract faith-based travelers, as well as representatives from hotels, restaurants, and obviously faith-based tourist attractions (called sellers or vendors).  When these people visit, it is called "The Marketplace", and the visits last only six minutes, at which time the "sellers" move to their next appointment with a "buyer".  It is sometimes compared to "speed dating" social events, and accomplishes the goal of getting out the message of a business to a niche market, in a very efficient manner.  

The vendor for the IMAX Entertainment Complex in Branson (www.bransonimax.com), had a modern version of a photo booth, where the person stood in front of a camera, which would count down to a flash photograph.  Then you put your email address into the machine, and your photo would be sent to you, along with the date and name of the conference.  Of course, I wanted a souvenir photo!

The registration fee for the conference includes an evening meal, and for the 2025 conference, that evening meal was aboard BB Riverboats, during a cruise on the Ohio River.  Being on the water is always a highlight for me on any travel excursion, and this was no exception!

While we were on the cruise, the Cinci Region tourism bureau had cloth bags available for us as souvenirs, and we could write down our name for the artist, and she would spray paints our name onto one side of the bag.  When I asked the artist if I could take her picture with the bag, I did not realize I was also inadvertently capturing a photo of me, in the mirror behind her!

Planning a conference with so many moving parts, with such a variety of activities, a variety of attendees, is a major logistical challenge.  However, the staff members of the Group Travel Family (www.GroupTravelFamily.com) pictured below (Janine, Ben, Jennifer, and Cassandra), have honed their skills, so that the conference runs amazingly well.  They deserve a standing ovation of praise and thanks!

The breakfast meal is also included in the registration fee, and various vendors sponsor a meal, to help keep the cost down for attendees.  I was delighted with the choices available at the breakfast meal sponsored by The Great Passion Play (www.greatpassionplay.org), which takes place in my home state of Arkansas.  Besides having very nutritious choices, each place setting had an individual packet of hand sanitizer, which I very much appreciated.  

One of the days of the conference included a bus trip to Williamstown, Kentucky, which is the site a very popular attraction called The Ark Encounter (www.arkencounter.com).  The photo of me standing in front of the water feature of The Ark, would not have been possible when I visited this attraction over almost a decade ago (see my blog dated April 6, 2017, titled "Ark Encounter Expedition").  Since that time, numerous upgrades and additions have been made to the Ark Encounter attraction.  One of those additions is called "Forty Days of Christian Music", which we were able to attend on the evening our group was there.  

 

The photo below of me at the bottom of the ark with silhouettes of Biblical characters was also not possible in 2017, because this photo prop had not yet been created!

After the conference was over (thanks to the efforts of the staff and membership of www.visitcincy.com and www.meetnky.com), those attendees who were available, also had the opportunity to visit another educational attraction, also built by the Answers in Genesis group (www.answersingenesis.org).  We visited The Creation Museum, in Petersburg, Kentucky.  A quilt on display there illustrated the 7 C's of history, as outlined in the Bible.  The events are Creation, Corruption, Catastrophe, Confusion, Christ, Cross, and Consummation.  It is appropriate that these would be illustrated via an amazing quilt art piece, since Kentucky is the home of the American Quilt Museum, in Paducah.  These C's trace a timeline from a perfect beginning to the fulfillment of God's plan, providing a way to understand biblical history and the foundation of the Christian message.  

Below is one of many displays of prehistoric creatures at the museum.  

This skeleton was behind glass, and took up a huge area of the museum.  The placards tell where the skeleton was found, and how it was preserved, so that it could be displayed at the museum.  

The interior of the museum is in a "walk through" format, beginning with creation, and proceeding through the other six "C's" of history, described in the previous paragraphs.  

Besides examples of land animals, the museum also has a large aquarium, enjoyed especially by little children. 

A large water feature has been added to the original! Creation Museum complex, which provides opportunities to learn the names of various plants in this habitat, as well as the possibility of an enjoyable stroll, with numerous photo opportunities.  
 

 

Our group also went to The American Sign Museum (www.americansignmuseum.com), in Cincinnati.  We had a very entertaining and knowledgeable guide there, named Alex, that told us the history of signs, going back over one hundred years, all the way up through the electric light bulb, neon, and now LED signs.  

 

I really enjoyed a walk down "memory lane", as I saw signs recalling my childhood, and the trip my family took on Route 66 decades ago, traveling to see relatives in Southern California.

If you google famous eateries in Cincinnati, the three pictured below will consistently be the result.  So when they are all located together, it is called a "Trifecta", which accounts for the three horse statues at their entrance.  Our group had the blessing of sampling all three, when we took our seats inside LaRosa's Pizzeria, because our hostesses also carried in the famous Skyline Chili for us to sample. For those unfamiliar with a dish called "Cincinnati Chili", be advised that it has spices in it that are not normally associated with chili, such as nutmeg, cinnamon, and cocoa.  For dessert, we had ice cream from the famous regional ice cream chain based in Cincinnati, Ohio, called Graeter's.  

 

 The following day, we had the joy of touring the  amazing Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption in Covington, Kentucky (www.covcathedral.com).  The project began in 1894, and is a monument that add to the art and architecture of the community it serves.  Many visitors recognize similarities between this cathedral, and Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.  

On the other side of the Ohio River, we toured The Cathedral Basilica of St. Peter in Chains.  It is completely different style of architecture.

 

This cathedral has a replica of The Pieta, by Michelangelo.  I was delighted to get to study this replica up close, because when I saw the original at the Vatican in Rome, decades ago, on a tour of Italy with my father, I did not fully appreciate the masterpiece that was in front of me. 

  

After the cathedral tours, we had a delightful dining experience in Newport, Kentucky, at the Hofbrauhaus Restaurant, complete with live accordion music and vocals, Bavarian-themed decor, and German food menu items.  

Earlier in the day, our FAM tour host, Lori Hall (lhall@meetnky.com),  mentioned that there was on-going maintenance always occurring at the cathedral, which reminded me of one of my First Place 4 Health (www.FirstPlace4Health.com) memory verses that says, "He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."  Philippians 1:6   Just as a cathedral requires upkeep, so our spiritual temples (aka, our bodies) require constant preventive maintenance and cleaning!  

This trip to "Cincy Region" gave me "Miles of Smiles"!  Tricia