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Two Lane Livin' Your Horse
Country Column archives...
October
2010 - World Equestrian Games & International Equestrian Festival – SIXTEEN days of pure horse candy!
Written by Dawna B. Smith,
Journalist and Reporter, writer of the monthly "Your Horse Country" column for
Two Lane Livin' Magazine
The BIG question is ….will YOU be attending the World Equestrian Games (WEG) or the International Equestrian Festival (IEF), which are both being held in Lexington, Kentucky, from September 25th through October 10th, 2010? Whether you’re exhibiting, competing, or a horse enthusiast, we’d like your opinion of either of these historic events. You can provide us your comments by visiting www.YourHorseCountry.com and submitting your information and op-ed articles. Items that we feel would have a public interest, time permitting, we will contact you to schedule an interview.
We do know that people from 65 countries will be attending the games, and the WEG website states “Approximately 600,000 tickets will be available with prices starting as low as $25.” So, 600,000 attendees (plus the six of us – 4 journalists and 2 photographers) will be converging for this wondrous sixteen day event.
For the first time in the history of the World Equestrian Games, World Championship Reigning now has FEI-recognized status as a new international discipline and will be a judged event. We’re glad that it’s finally getting the recognition it so deserves.
As strong advocates for the elderly and physically challenged, of special interest to us are the Para-Equestrian athletes. Para-Equestrian is the eighth discipline within the United States Equestrian Federation. So far, the only Para-Equestrian sport that is recognized at the Paralympic level is Para Dressage, which will also be a judged event for the first time at the Games.
The United States Equestrian Federation states, “Para-Equestrian sport includes all equestrian disciplines practiced by people with physical disabilities. "Para" means, parallel to able-bodied equestrian sports. Many disabled athletes are able to hold their ground in competitions designed for the able-bodied, but Para-Equestrian opens the world of competition to riders and drivers with severe disabilities as well, allowing them to compete in a serious, focused environment. Many athletes who participate in Para-Equestrian are quite talented, and some are considered to be among the elite equestrians of the world, regardless of their physical condition.”
If you plan on attending, learn what you cannot bring, such as Segways and other items that may have the potential for startling or injuring the equine athletes. To learn more about policy on restricted items and ticket pricing and availability at the World Equestrian Games, be sure to visit
http://www.alltechfeigames.com.
If the World Equestrian Games are not within your family’s budget, then you might want to consider attending the International Equestrian Festival for only $5 a day, which will be held in downtown Lexington in over 100,000 square feet of exhibition and convention space.
Right after the competitors finish for the day at the Games, the Festival will be held daily from 1:00 pm until 9:00 pm. Filled with entertainment, shopping, educational seminars, horse demonstrations and special guests Monty Roberts, Julie Goodnight, Mark Peterson and Dusty (America’s Smartest Horse), Rider Biomechanics Expert COLLEEN KELLY, and Hollywood Horse Trainer REX PETERSON with Harbor Mist and RJ Masterbug, Hollywood horses from the movies “Secretariat” and “Hidalgo” it’s something you don’t want to miss. Talk about VALUE! I can’t go to a two hour movie for just $5.
Plan your trip by downloading the International Equestrian Festival’s complete daily event schedule at
http://www.internationalequestrianfestival.com. I wonder if they’ll have pony cart rentals available at these events to help us pack our gear back and forth?
If you can’t join us in Kentucky, be sure to follow us on The On-line Trail where the Hoofbeat of
AmericaTM will work hard to make sure your hoofbeat is heard.
Bio:
Dawna Smith,
Journalist and Reporter, writes the monthly column "Your Horse
Country" for Two Lane
Livin' Magazine, based in West Virginia, as well as numerous articles regarding pain related medical issues for
LivePainFreeNow.com. A photographer and free lance writer, her op-ed articles have been published regarding a variety of subjects.
She and her husband have been strong advocates for the elderly and disabled since 1998,
and formed the non-profit HEADINGS (helping elderly and disabled in need gain support) to help ensure that legislature, Department of Health and Human Resources, and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid heard their voices.
She can be reached at dawna @ yourhorsecountry.com
304-765-0490.
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