FEI World Equestrian Games 2010 Coming To Kentucky

January 30, 2008

The FEI World Equestrian Games, featuring top riders from around the world in eight equestrian disciplines, are being held outside Europe for the first time since their inception in 1990. These world championships of equestrian sports will be held at our very own Kentucky Horse Park September 25-October 10, 2010. The WEG comes around every four years in between the summer Olympics.

Sponsored by Kentucky-based Alltech, a global leader among health companies for providing all-natural nutritional solutions, the organizational committee is currently promoting the games for volunteers, sponsors, and ticket sales.

World Championships For Equestrian Disciplines
Show jumping
Jump a course of 10-13 jumps within a specific time budget. Riders receive penalties for knocking down rails, refusing a fence, or falling. All riders with clear rounds under the time limit compete in a jump-off with fewer jumps on a more difficult course.

Dressage
Derived from the French term “training,” dressage is often described as horse ballet. Horses are judged on a series of required movements including piaffe (trotting in place), passage (slow-motion trot), collected and extended gaits, and one and two tempi changes (a skipping motion as the horse changes lead every canter stride or every other canter stride).

Eventing
The triathalon of equestrian sports, eventing includes a show jumping phase, a dressage phase, and an endurance or cross-country phase. In cross-country, riders compete over a outdoor course in a specific time frame in which they are judged at each obstacle.

Driving
Held for teams of four horses, this event includes two days of dressage tests, a marathon, and an intricate course marked by cones. Individual and team winners are determined by fewest faults throughout the events.

Endurance
A 160-mile race run in the fastest-time possible. Awards are given for individuals and teams as well as a veterinary recognition for best-conditioned horse.

Vaulting
Gymnastic on horseback–moving horseback that is (I call them crazy people). Vaulters are judged on a required moves and a freestyle test and compete as inviduals, pairs, or teams.

Reining
This judged event shows off the athleticism and training of a ranch-type horse. They are known for their impressive sliding stops from a dead gallop, and flying turns on the haunches. Contestants perform one of 10 required patterns.

Para-Equestrian
Near and dear to my heart, riders with disabilities compete in dressage. This is the first time this event will be held at the World Equestrian Games.

Kentucky Horse Park Preparations
Currently, the Kentucky Horse Park has 1,084 stalls, 7 warm-up rings, 3 outdoor stadiums, cross-country/marathon course, 3 outdoor show rings, 1 indoor arena, 5 dressage rings, 4 polo fields, a quarter-mile training track, and a steeple-chase track.

There are millions of dollars going into improvements on the Park for the World Equestrian Games, which will also expand the park into more large horse events in the future. Improvements include

• a new 6,000 seat, climate-controlled indoor arena
• a new 8-10,000 seat outdoor stadium (with room for 20,000 temporary seats)
• a resort hotel and conference center
• other park-wide improvements.

Anticipated Impact
Event coordinators are anticipating

• attendance: 600-700,000
• economic impact: $150 million
• participating nations: 60 plus
• athletes: 800 riders and 900 horses
• media attendance: 2,000
• TV viewers: 500 million
• Tradeshow booths: 400 plus

Tickets and Volunteering
Tickets are not yet available for events at the World Equestrian Games. They recently selected a vendor to handle the ticketing. General admission tickets as well as individual event tickets will eventually be made available to the general public. (I’ll post more information as soon as I hear that tickets are actually available. Check my 2010 World Equestrian Games category for most recent news.)

The organizers are now accepting registrations from those who are interested in volunteering before and at the event. Benefits of volunteering include:

• exclusive 2010 WEG apparrel
• customized credentials for volunteer identification for access to assignment areas
• volunteer hospitality with food and drinks while on duty
• recognition in media forums
• post event volunteer reception

Volunteers must sign a waiver; parent/guardian signature required if under 18. Volunteers also must speak fluent English and are required to attend a volunteer training and orientation. You must provide your own lodging and transportation.

My husband hasn’t heard this yet, but I’m really hoping to volunteer at the 2010 World Equestrian Games. I think I could handle taking a two-week vacation to hang out at this historic event. I’m also really really hoping to get tickets to the show jumping and para-equestrian events. Hopefully they will be in my price range. I figure I’ve got two and half years, so there’s a chance I can make this a reality.

For more information about the event in general, visit the official 2010 FEI Alltech World Equestrian Games website. Visit the following pages for more information on volunteering, to sign-up to receive ticket information as it becomes available and for the e-newsletter, or to view a PDF of the media kit with park, historic, and overview information.

Check back periodically as I will continue to post updates about the FEI World Equestrian Games 2010 as I receive them. Maybe I’ll see some of you there?

Posted in 2010 World Equestrian Games, Horse Events, Recommendations