Wanted to post some quick information about another organization that I am a founding member of called the Fort Harrod Back Country Horsemen. This is a group of horse trail enthusiasts in Central Kentucky that recently formed this non-profit organization as a 501(c)3 corporation. The founding of this organization is largely the brain child of Emily Dennis of Big Red Stables, who is also now our President by unanimous vote. We held our first trail ride/maintenance out at Eagles Nest in Mercer county this past Saturday and had some two dozen members turn out for it. Members of this group have also been involved in GPS mapping of trail areas in Central Kentucky which most likely be part of the trail system across that State that hopefully will be useable in time for the Games. Emily actually testified before the State Legislature on SB 196 (Kentucky Adventure Toruism Initiative) which was the bill that provided the mechanism for the State to negotiate with land owners to create this trail system.
I will provide more information here soon on joining this group, if you want information quicker then that jut drop me an email, thomas at kentuckyworldequestriangames dot org (spam bot shielding).
It hit the airwaves late today that Jack Kelly, CEO of the World Games 2010 Foundation has submitted his resignation effective July 31, 2008. Little explanation beyond personal reasons was given for what appears to us on the outside to be out of the blue but I am one that believes that people do not have to give detailed reasons when they resign such a position. Jack Kelly will be missed, no doubt about that but with a little more then two years to go until the Games there is enough time for the board to appoint someone else with hopefully little negative impact to the course of the Games success. In truth I believe Mr. Kelly did the honorable thing in that he had some questions about his ability to stay with this through its completion and so chose to resign now in order to minimize his loss in such a key role. So I give my thanks and appreciation to Mr. Kelly for all that he has done for the Games and wish him all the best in the rest of his life.
I wanted to wish everyone a Happy 4th of July. Because of what the 4th of July celebrates, our Independence, I am able to post these words for everyone to read without fear of censor by the Government. I am also able to pursue the success of the Kentucky World Equestrian Games in an environment that not only supports but natures the ideas of free people to be successful. So on this and everyday I am happy and proud to be an American.
The Kentucky Horse Park hosted the 1st Annual John Henry Memorial Equine Adoption Fair today. This was a wonderful event that I got to be a part of as a Kentucky Horse Park volunteer. Originally it was going to be held in the Breeds Barn where I normally volunteer but because of weather concerns it was moved to the indoor arena. The event got a wonderful response with probably nearly all the volunteers at the Horse Park showing up as well a good number of the public for the first ever event. There was also a great turnout from the rescue/adoption agencies themselves and they all provided a lot of information to all of us on the great work they are doing and their needs. I look forward to being a part of the 2nd Annual John Henry Memorial Equine Adoption Fair next year.
To close I have to quote something John Nicholson said, “We believe the responsibility for the welfare of horses falls squarely on the shoulders of every Kentuckian, because every Kentuckian benefits from the horse industry,” and “It is clearly within our power to fix this. It should be within our hearts as well.” Those are bold statements but I applaud Mr. Nicholson for those bold words and for his bold actions.
We are very excited to report that it was announced today in Athens, Greece by the IOC that Chicago made the short list for the 2016 Summer Olympic Games. The three(3) other cites that made the short list are Tokyo, Rio de Janeiro and Madrid. All indications are that Chicago holds a slight lead over Tokyo but Rio and Madrid are not far behind. The final announcement will be made October 2, 2009 in Copenhagen, Denmark roughly a year before the World Equestrian Games come to Kentucky.
Today marks the 14th anniversary of Mr. Jones coming into my life and had Mr. Jones survived he would of turned 18 yesterday. Thinking about his loss has got me to thinking a lot about the tragedies of recent and the agenda a certain organization is pushing. Mr. Jones was a Thoroughbred and when his life began that was going to be his life’s work but that was not to be and he found his way to me. Ultimately the agenda that this unnamed organization is pushing would basicly remove horses from our lifes, of course they may try to argue that, but ultimately that is what their agenda would lead to.
For me, it comes down to a simple question, is it better to have loved and lost then to have never loved at all. For non horse people the point I am going to make next probably will be hard to understand, but if the world had been different when I was born and horses had been removed from our lives so Mr. Jones never came into my life would I or he been better off. Losing him was very hard and I still feel that loss to this day and I believe that he fought the fight to survive as long as he did because he was happy in this life. So would he or I been better off if he had never existed, I think you can guess my answer? So for those of you who think that horses do what they do because we mear humans command them to, you are sadly mistaken.
I will end on a more upbeat note. I heard that Laine Ashker was released from the hospital on Tuesday and by now should be home sleeping in her own bed which is great news though she still has much in front of her both physically and emotionally. I wish you all the best and look forward to seeing you ride at another Rolex in the future.
More then 100,000 people attended the 4 days of the 2008 Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event. This of course is a great sign for the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games Kentucky 2010 which will be 8 disciplines over 16 days. With the expectation that the economy will be back on the upswing by the 2010 Games it all suggests that the Games have the possibility of being more successful then most people are expecting. I still believe the success of the Games is going to be more then just economic, I believe these Games will forge a bond between the people of Kentucky and people from all over the world that will influence the future of Kentucky for Generations to come.
Bill Keightley who was affectionately known as Mr. Wildcat as many now know passed last night at the age of 81. I never had the honor of meeting Mr. Keightley in person but of course knew who he was and had met people over the years who had met him. Certainly with all that is being remembered of him today and what I had heard of him over the years I have to think ultimately he is much more then just Mr. Wildcat he may be our greatest ambassador since Henry Clay. My meaning is that where ever he went he seems to have made an impact and it was always good for Kentucky because he had such an open and warm personality. He is the kind of Kentuckian we all should strive to be even though I know it may not be possible for any of us to ever achieve that pure level of friendship that he possessed but it is a noble goal. My deepest sympathies go out to his family and friends but my sympathies also go out to those of us who didn’t have a chance to meet him for the loss of a friend we will never get to know.
Kentucky Senate Bill 196 (Kentucky Recreational Trails Authority) passed both houses of the Kentucky Legislature and is headed to Governor Beshear’s desk where he has said he would sign it. This bill was referred to as the “Adventure Tourism Bill” was sponsored by Sen. Brandon Smith (R-Hazard). In simple terms this bill is going to allow the State to enter into agreements with public land owners to provide trails and access points to connect public lands while protecting private land owners from undo liability risk. First Lady Jane Beshear’s idea is to connect all 12o Kentucky counties with horse trails so that you could ride from one end of the state to the other. We of course think this is a great idea and are in total support.
On a side-note, I had the honor of meeting Emily Dennis at my CTA class and getting to ride out at her family’s Big Red Stables today. Emily testified in both the House and Senate on behalf of this bill and had significant input in the crafting of the liability portion of this bill. So I give thanks to Emily for her involvement in this bill and for the wonderful ride I had at her place today which I know I will feel in the morning, but that’s a good thing.
I completed my Bluegrass Tourism Ambassador Program on Thursday and am waiting the results of my test to see if I have earned the designation of Certified Tourism Ambassador™ (CTA). Lexington is among 5 cities so far to participate in the program and classes here in Lexington just started at the end of last year. This program is designed; “To increase regional tourism by inspiring-front-line hospitality employees and volunteers to turn every visitor encounter into a positive experience”.
The class is 4 hours long but there is reading material and exercises to be completed before the class that took me about 10 hours over a weeks time to complete. The reading material is provided in a well put together manual that goes into great depth on everything one would need to know to provide a better experience for tourists to our area.
There are keeping the class size to 20 or so and it was an incredible learning experience and I came away with much. The cost of the total program was only $20 and that is certainly very inexpensive for all that I got out of it. I would certainly recommend it to pretty much everybody who has some interaction with the tourism public or simply wants to get a greater appreciation of all the wonderful things that our area has to offer.
For the first time since its conception in 1990, the FEI World Equestrian Games will be held at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky.Not only will this be the first time this international event will be held in Kentucky, but also for the first time in the United States, or even in North America.Never before have games been held outside of Europe, making 2010 the first time that the World Equestrian Games will be held inside this hemisphere.
Do I have your attention now?
Lexington, Kentucky will be hosting the world championships for eight very different equestrian sports.Three of these disciplines, eventing, show jumping, and dressage, are recognized as Olympic sports.Also included will be endurance riding, driving, reining, and vaulting.And, for the first time, para-equestrian (riders with disabilities) championships will be held.
While the average person may not know exactly what is involved in these competitions, at the very least everyone needs to know that equestrian sports are the *only* Olympic sport where men and woman compete together and are judged equally.In this sport, there are competitors spanning from teenagers to retirees and grandparents in their fifties and sixties.
Now, would you like to know more?
In a little over two years, the world will literally be on Lexington’s doorstep.Well, not the entire world, but the international equestrian community will be here.The 2006 World Equestrian Games in Aachen, Germany boasted of having 773 athletes and 852 horses from 61 different countries. And they competed with over 570,000 spectators watching.That’s more than a half-a-million people!
Sooner than you realize, Lexington will be filled with top-notch international trainers, riders, and their world-class horse counterparts.And, coming along for the ride (pun intended) will be many hundreds of thousands of people from all over the world!
And you are not excited yet!?You should be!
This is an incredible achievement for our small city which proudly claims the title of “Horse Capitol of the World.”And in 2010, we will be given the chance to prove, once and for all, that as Lexingtonians, as Kentuckians, and Americans, we truly are world-class.
Re-Posted with permission.
Jessica, thanks for the use of your wonderful article.
Charlie Pearl had a good article in the Frankfort State Journal last week talking about how Frankfort was gearing up for the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games. He pointed out that Joe Jeffries, executive director of the Frankfort/Franklin County Tourist Commission said, “I am not sure Kentucky fully realizes yet that the world is coming here,” and “We are all going to look really or we’re going to blow it, and Frankfort is not going to blow it.” These are of course key statements that I couldn’t agree with more, and another statement that he made was that this was a regional effort and that Lexington couldn’t shoulder the effort on its own.
Now of course I have been saying this for more then 2 years but of course I don’t yet have the stage from which to get that message out the way politicians and those in City Governments and Tourism do, mine is still a grass roots effort. So when I see someone getting the importance of the Games and putting it out there for everyone to read I am going to let everyone know.
Now of course everyone at the World Games Foundation gets it and they are beating the drums to get the word out but many people in the state do not feel a connection to the Foundation the way they do with their City governments and organizations. So I keep working to get the word out to people to talk to their elected leaders and City/County management to see let them know how important this is.
The World Games Foundation has activated the Volunteer Recruitment website. I was able to register the first day it was up, not sure the reason, but was able to register today. I signed up as a General Volunteer for now, but you have the ability to pick the specific discipline(s) you would like to work with. They do ask for your background in each of the disciplines in order to judge your suitability for those positions. The link to the registration site is provide below and as always I recommend volunteering out at the Horse Park now prior to the Games. I will have further updates on my own volunteering and the needs of our organization.
I wanted to post a quick update because there is lots of news and we are busy putting together some meetings of our own.
I have as I suspect many of you have been keeping up with all the news on the State’s finances and the current wrangling over the State Budget. I need to sit down and go back through all of it and talk to some of my sources before I comment. At the moment I am not too worried because all the powers in Frankfort know the importance of the Games and I see them making the hard decisions to see that these Games are a success.
As far as our little organization it is being to come together and we are working on having some public meetings and getting out more in the public to get more people involved. I will get more news and analysis up over the next couple of days.
Happy New Year to everyone. 2007 was a good year for us and 2008 is going to be a GREAT year. With less then a 1000 days to go until the start of the Games the excitement continues to build. We are working on some initiatives to continue to educate the public about the importance of their input and efforts in making these Games successful.
