Your Old Kentucky Horse Park Home!

OK. It's almost July, and now you're all REALLY getting excited about Festival, right? In my next few posts, I will be providing you with some tips about how to pack and prepare for Festival to ensure a safe and successful trip to Kentucky. Since many of you may have never been to the Horse Park, I thought I would tell you a little bit about your horses' amenities while at Festival.

The stabling at the Kentucky Horse Park consists of shed row style barns with solid 2"x8" board walls, sliding doors, and vertical bar fronts. The floors are blacktop paving (just like the roads and walkways), and for the most part are flat. The stalls are approximately 10'x10', and they always seem to take more bedding than you would predict to make a horse comfortable (I know MY feet hurt after an extended weekend of pounding around the KHP during Rolex - I can only imagine how the horses feel!)

As for amenities, there are several spigots on each side of the shed row, and let me warn you, the water pressure has a tendency to be INSANE! There are also designated wash areas, so I recommend bringing a hose (the hoses that are left at the Horse Park have a tendency to be...uh...leaky--hence why they were left at the Horse Park!) The manure pits are centrally located between the shed rows, so depending on where you're stabled, it could be a bit of a hike. If you're trying to decide between a muck bucket and a wheelbarrow, this is one instance in which I would strongly suggest the wheelbarrow!

Here are some pictures of the stabling areas to help you prepare:

(Top Row: Two views of the shed row; Stall Entrance. Middle Row: The wash rack; Looking down the shed row; The Muck Pit. Bottom Row: Looking out of a stallLooking up towards the ceilings of the stall - some bars for attaching/hanging things, but not much!; Solid stall wall)

19 days 'til Festival!!!