10.19.11
Posted in International Museum of the Horse, Kentucky Horse Park, News Release at 9:51 pm by EPR
THE HORSE
Acclaimed Exhibition Opens This Week
Prestigious American Museum of Natural History Sends its Blockbuster Exhibition to the International Museum of the Horse
LEXINGTON, Ky. (October 17, 2011)-The Kentucky Horse Park’s International Museum of the Horse (IMH), in collaboration with the American Museum of Natural History, is set to open its newest exhibition, The Horse, from October 22, 2011, through April 6, 2012.
The eternal bond between horses and humans is explored in the largest equestrian traveling exhibition ever assembled. The Horse graphically portrays the horse’s impact on trade, transportation, labor, warfare, culture, and sports. It showcases spectacular fossils, models, dioramas, and cultural objects from around the world, including many from the American Museum of Natural History’s world famous collections.
Bill Cooke, director of the Kentucky Horse Park’s International Museum of the Horse, stated, “The American Museum of Natural History is truly one of the world’s great natural history museums, and they did a masterful job in developing an exhibition that not only illuminates the timeless union between humans and horses, but does so in an amazingly entertaining way.
“We are also excited that this will be our first blockbuster-level exhibition while schools are in session. I have no doubt that both teachers and their students will love The Horse.”
The New York Times called this exhibition “charming and illuminating” and “an uplifting example of how horses enrich our lives.” The New York Post said, “You absolutely must see it.”
More than 140 artifacts and cultural objects from around the world will be on view, including a complete Samurai saddle from Japan, a full suit of 15th-century German horse armor, and Native American horse accoutrements. Bringing the exhibit to life are a stunning 220-square foot diorama that depicts the horse’s ancestors, a high-definition video that captures in slow motion the rippling muscles of a Thoroughbred race horse, and an interactive video of a life-size horse where visitors can investigate a horse’s pulmonary and digestive systems and other biological traits.
The Horse is organized by the American Museum of Natural History, New York, in collaboration with the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage, United Arab Emirates; the Canadian Museum of Civilization, Gatineau-Ottawa; The Field Museum, Chicago; and the San Diego Natural History Museum. Curator of the exhibition is Ross MacPhee.
For more information on The Horse, go to www.amnh.org/exhibitions/horse/, www.imh.org, or www.kyhorsepark.com.
Admission to The Horse is included with park admission, or a “museums only” ticket may be purchased for $8 for adults or $4 for children ages 7-12, which also includes admission to the entire International Museum of the Horse, the Al-Marah Arabian Horse Galleries and the American Saddlebred Museum.
Park Hours and Rates: Through November 6 (and March 15-April 6, 2012), the park is open seven days a week. Admission is $16 for adults, $8 for children 7-12. From November 7 to March 14, the park is open Wednesdays through Sundays. Winter admission is $10 for adults and $5 for children ages 7-12. Children age 6 and under are always admitted free of charge. Admission includes the International Museum of the Horse – a Smithsonian Affiliate, and the American Saddlebred Museum.
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09.15.11
Posted in Kentucky Horse Park, News Release at 11:58 am by EPR
“History Heritage Days”
at the Kentucky Horse Park will Include Demonstrations with Teams of Oxen from Maine
LEXINGTON, KY (September 16, 2011) The Kentucky Horse Park will host the first History Heritage Days, Nov 9-12, which will include eight teams of special oxen shipping in from Maine.
The four-day schedule will include demonstrations of various uses of oxen such as plowing, log hauling, use of a stone boat, maneuvering an ox cart through an obstacle course, driving a single ox, driving a team from behind with reins and yoking-up a team.
John Nicholson, executive director of the park observed, “Teams of horses and oxen have worked side-by-side throughout history, and certainly both have played a huge role in the development of our country. So we are pleased to welcome these fine animals to the Kentucky Horse Park to demonstrate their skills and remind us of the invaluable contributions that oxen have made to opening up the west, farming, the successful outcome of the Revolutionary and Civil Wars, and so much more.”
One of the highlights of the exhibit will be the eight teams representing different breeds, all hitched together maneuvering a Big Wheel Log Hauler around the spacious Dressage Complex (Big Wheels were used in the early 1900s by loggers working in the Midwest and west coast woods). The oxen will also be hitched to the park’s three trolleys for visitors to ride around the park.
The coordinator of the event, Dan Midkiff, purchased his first team of oxen in 2007 and has found them to be very special and interesting animals. He wanted to share this fascination and appreciation with the public, and particularly children. He has been working with the Kentucky Horse Park to make this oxen exhibition a wonderful, educational experience, so schools, 4-H and FFA groups are encouraged to attend.
Dottie Bell, who will participate with her flashy team of Ayrshire cattle, stated, “History shows oxen have been used in agriculture all over the world for centuries. Maine oxen in particular are still hauling from the pine woods of Maine to the Midwest. They helped build New England and move us west, so now we’ll enjoy showing Kentucky Horse Park visitors what our Maine oxen can do.”
Demonstrations will take place daily beginning at 9am and ending at 4pm.
The History Heritage Days are included with park admission. Through November 6, the park is open seven days a week, 9am to 5pm. Regular admission is $16/adults, $9/children ages 7-12. From November 7 to March 14, the park is open Wednesdays through Sundays. Admission is then $9/adults, $6/children ages 7-12. Children ages 6 and under are always admitted free of charge. Special group rates are available for schools and other groups by contacting the Group Sales Department, 859-259-4225 or groupsales@kyhorsepark.com.
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10.25.09
Posted in Kentucky Horse Park, News Release at 6:58 am by Thomas
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LEXINGTON, KY (October 23, 2009)
The Kentucky Horse Park and the
Kentucky Equine Humane Center
are partnering in a new project
to assist Kentucky’s
unwanted horses.
Last week the Kentucky Horse Park became aware that some unwanted, pregnant Thoroughbred mares were in need of a home. The owner of the mares no longer wanted them, and sent them to the Kentucky Equine Humane Center (KyEHC), a 72-acre facility located in central Kentucky. The KyEHC is a model shelter for equines from across the state. No horse in need of shelter is ever turned away, regardless of breed or mix of breed. The number of horses they have taken in has swelled recently, including the pregnant mares, so they contacted the Kentucky Horse Park for assistance.
“We are ever mindful of the responsibilities that march in tandem with the privileges of being the Horse Capital of the World,” stated John Nicholson, Executive Director of the Kentucky Horse Park. “So we had to make an important decision. The easy choice would have been to make excuses not to get involved, or to look the other way and hope that someone else would help these mares. The more difficult choice would entail taking on several new, high-maintenance horses, thus significantly increasing the work load for our already-overworked staff.” He continued, “We made the right decision.”
Kathy Hopkins, Equine Director for the Kentucky Horse Park, visited KyEHC with several staff members to make arrangements to take some of the pregnant mares. “While we were there, we saw a number of horses of other breeds that we thought we could help,” stated Hopkins. “So we formed a partnership that will allow some of their horses to come to the park each year for foster care, to receive rehabilitation and training, which will also ease the overcrowded situation at their shelter a bit.”
Lori Neagle, Executive Director of KyEHC observed, “Horses that have training are much more adoptable. This partnership will allow the horses to be more useful, and therefore, find homes easier, allowing KyEHC to place more horses into adoptive homes. Not only will these horses be easier to adopt, but when properly trained, horses continue to be more marketable throughout their lifetime, reducing their risk of ending up in a crisis situation. This helps the horse long term as well as KyEHC by not having the horse return to us later in life.”
Care for the horses will be provided by park staff and by students enrolled in the park’s new four-month Professional Horseman’s Course which starts in January.
In the Professional Horseman’s Course , students will have the rare opportunity to study and work with up to 40 breeds of horses at the park and gain hands-on knowledge and experience regarding handling, feeding, grooming, foal-watching, rehabilitation of injured horses, and training techniques utilized in today’s equine industry. The goal of the program is to provide information and skills necessary for the graduates to enter many facets of the horse business.
Through the partnership with KyEHC, students will have the opportunity to truly make a difference in the lives of horses who, due to no fault of their own, have found themselves in need of new homes. The students will also assist in the subsequent adoption process.
Nicholson concluded, “This might be a perfect example of ‘what goes around comes around’. As we step up to the plate to help these horses, the horses will, in turn, help our students to become more qualified and conscientious caretakers, who will accordingly discover ways to make their own valuable contributions to the horse industry.”
For more information on the new partnership or the Kentucky Horse Park’s Professional Horseman’s Course, contact Laurie Brown at 859-259-4290 or lbrown@kyhorsepark.com, or Ellen Hamilton at 859-321-6982 or ehamilton@kyhorsepark.com. For information on the Kentucky Equine Humane Center, go to www.KyEHC.org or contact Lori Neagle at 859-881-5849 or LNeagle@KyEHC.org. |
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