12.31.21
Posted in New Year at 11:08 pm by Thomas
It is ironic we are at the end of 2021 and their is a sense of deja vue with what 2022 will bring. I heard the news today that Betty White had died and I think that just puts the punctuation on this year and certainly not in a good way. I certainly send condolences to her friends and family but really she always came across as though she was everyone’s friend and I know I certainly feel a deep sense of loss with her passing.
Our thoughts and prayers also continue to be with our breathern in Kentucky who lost so much earlier in the month to the freak tornadoes and we will continue to provide support any way we can. As I write this storms are moving back into Kentucky that have the potential to spin up tornadoes and cause flash flooding that will persist into the start of 2022 so I hope and pray that everyone will stay safe.
I do want to wish everyone a Happy New Year. I do believe that 2022 will be a better year, not because I think the craziness of this decade will suddenly stop. As my son pointed out if you say 2022, it sounds like Twenty Twenty Two, like the second coming of 2020. The reason I think it will be better is because as human beings we are very adaptable and we will never stop fighting and we will never stop caring about our follow humans even when some days the news makes you think otherwise, in that regard, turn off the news and go talk to your neighbors and that alone will make for a better year.
Happy New Year!!!
Kentucky Colonel
Thomas P. Demond
KyWEGO®
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12.31.19
Posted in Kentucky Horse Park, KyWEGO, My Thoughts, New Year, World Equestrian Games at 7:40 pm by Thomas
A decade ago at the close of 2009, the plans were well underway for the 2010 World Equestrian Games here in Lexington, Kentucky. The Aachen Games of 2006, four years prior had been considered a success and so there was much optimism for the success of our Games. Almost ten years later I would say our optimism was well placed in that the investments that were made ten plus years ago continue to pay off and certainly strengthened Lexington’s Horse Capital of the World mantra and so the future for Lexington continues to look bright. The Games in 2014 and 2018 were fraught with a number of issues with the Games at Tryon even being besieged by the remnants of a Hurricane.
Now as we close out 2019 though, the future for the World Equestrian Games is not so bright. For all practical purposes, the Games no longer exist in their single venue form. Now the individual championships are held in separate locations at different times which is simpler to do but takes away some of the grandness of the World Equestrian Games format. This tends to diminish the level of general media attention Equestrian sports get overall but is probably healthier for the individual sports because WEG was starting to suffer from the same sort of bloat that the Olympics are known for.
My hope is that one day, probably 20 years in the future we will bring back the full World Equestrian Games to the Kentucky Horse Park for at least one more go because I do think it is a worthwhile endeavor.
In the near term, I want to wish everyone a Very Happy New Year for 2020, may this new decade bring you great happiness and joy in all your endeavors, equestrian and otherwise.
Kentucky Colonel
Thomas P. Demond
KyWEGO®
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12.31.18
Posted in New Year, World Events at 10:02 pm by Thomas
I know its not quite the New Year here in Kentucky but in reality more than half the World has celebrated the New Year at this point. It’s amazing to think another year has went by and maybe the last World Equestrian Games has been played. I am one to look forward more then back, not with the intent of forgetting the past but learning from it and building something better.
So we here in Central Kentucky wish everyone World Wide a Very Happy New Year, may it bring you much joy and prosperity.
Kentucky Colonel
Thomas Paul Demond
KyWEGO®
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