"The convergence of certain unique factors to create unprecedented results is a concept explored concurrently in both the 2000 movie The Perfect Storm and the 2000 book The Tipping Point, but the phenomenon is also evident in the emergence of the Kentucky Horse Park as a national equine center. Specifically, the Kentucky Horse Park (KHP) is home to the National Horse Center (NHC), a collection of roughly 30 equine organizations and events that trace their origins to various cultures from different eras and diverse environments, but share one intense trait: A love of horses. That these organizations now derive symbiotic support from being in close proximity to each other is a development that probably was not widely anticipated when the KHP was founded in 1978. The factors that brought them together all share some common themes in addition to a love of horses.
Although Kentucky - and specifically Central Kentucky - has officially billed itself as the "Horse Capital of the World" for more than a decade, at least four states have higher equine populations, and others are the birthplaces or nurturing grounds for some uniquely American breeds. The American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) is headquartered in Amarillo, Texas, the National Steeplechase Association in Elkton, Md., and the American Morgan Horse Association (AMHA) calls Shelburne, Vt. home. But among the equine organizations headquartered at the KHP - in addition to such expected ones as the Kentucky Horse Council, the Kentucky Thoroughbred Association, and the Central Kentucky Riding for Hope - are the Friesian Horse Association of North America, the American Hanoverian Society, and the Carriage Association of America.
The Friesian breed originated in what is now the Netherlands during the Middle Ages and followed Dutch immigrants to Michigan and California; the Hanoverian originated in the former kingdom of Hannover in Saxony, Germany, during the 18th century and followed German immigrants to Pennsylvania and the upper Midwest. Carriage driving is an activity typically associated with the big eastern seaboard cities and perhaps Hollywood. How did these organizations come to be at KHP?
"This (the KHP) is 'the center' for anything equine," explained Jill Ryder, executive director of the Carriage Association of America, which for years had been headquartered in Salem, N.J., but moved to the KHP in March of 2005. The Carriage Association was founded in 1961 on Long Island, N.Y., and most of its members are located along the East Coast, but the more central location of the KHP, along with cross-over benefits from being in close proximity with other breed organizations, offered obvious advantages. The fact that 10 to 15 different breeds are popular for driving makes the KHP an ideal location for the Carriage Association, which is an educational association primarily involved in the use of carriages. The American Driving Society, Ryder pointed out, is more involved in actual driving competition and is headquartered in Cross Plains, Wis.
"High visibility and central location" were the primary factors that lured the Friesian Horse Association of North America to the KHP in May 2006 from Oregon, where it had been for 12 years following a previous move from California. Bryan Quinsey, executive director of the Friesian Horse Association, emphasized the importance of accessibility for aficionados of the almost other-worldly-looking Friesian breed, which is exceptionally popular for fanciful films with medieval themes, like the 1985 movie Ladyhawke. The stunning black steed that Captain Etienne Navarre (played by Rutger Hauer) rode into the cathedral of the evil bishop was a Friesian, which usually are totally black with long manes and are more finely-conformed than draft-type horses, even though they possess exceptional strength and power.
To Mary Pierson, communications director for the United States Pony Clubs, Inc., the KHP is "the perfect place for horses" and is centrally located, which is essential for a youth riding organization that has approximately 12,000 members in 625 individual clubs in 48 states (including Alaska and Hawaii). "We've always had our largest national championships at the KHP," pointed out Pierson, who emphasized the importance of maintaining relationships with other equine centers. The Pony Club is perhaps the closest approximation of an Olympic youth development organization for equine three-day-eventing, show jumping, and dressage, as well as a "tetrathlon" (running, riding, pistol shooting and swimming) which is an Olympic modern pentathlon prep. It was based in West Chester, Penn., before moving to the KHP in 1992. The next Pony Club Festival and National Championships will be held at the KHP in July of 2007 and is expected to draw about 4,000 people to Central Kentucky.
The United States Dressage Federation began campaigning four years ago to move from Nebraska, where it was founded in 1973, to the KHP, because it provided "greater exposure" and was "literally next door to the United States Equestrian Federation" according to the Dressage Federation's director of marketing, Linda Schultz. The U.S. Equestrian Federation is the national governing body for most non-racing equine competitions in the U.S. The Dressage Federation, which staffs a 35-person office at the KHP and has grown commensurately with the sport's popularity, maintains membership rolls and promotes education about dressage, an equine discipline that originated with cavalry battlefield and parade ground movements, from beginning levels through elite Grand Prix competitions.
A relatively long-time member of the KHP's growing collection of equine-related organizations is the American Academy of Equine Art, which was founded in 1980 in Middleburg, Va., but started holding its first workshops at the KHP in the 1990s and eventually rented office space at the park. "There is no better horse facility in the world," asserted Shelley Hunter, the Academy's executive director, who added that the KHP "has been very good to us - plus, it's centrally located." Last year, the Academy set up its first library, first permanent workshop space, and first permanent offices. From September 23 through October 31, it is hosting its 2006 Fall Open Juried Exhibition of equine art, covering a wide variety of subjects from foxhunting and horseracing to cattle driving and trail riding and preceded by a reception and award presentations on Friday evening, September 22.
In addition to the equine organizations already mentioned in introductory detail, other members of the National Horse Center and the Kentucky Horse Park include:
American Association of Equine Practitioners
American Farriers Association
American Hackney Horse Society
American Hanoverian Society
American Saddlebred Horse Association
American Saddlebred Museum
Central Kentucky Riding for Hope
Communication for Agricultural Exchange Program
Equestrian Events, Inc.
High Hope Steeplechase
Kentucky Equine Education Project (KEEP)
Kentucky Horse Council, Inc.
Kentucky Horse Park
Kentucky Horse Park Foundation
Kentucky Horse Racing Authority
Kentucky Thoroughbred Association/Owners and Breeders
Maker's Mark Secretariat Center
National Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association/Groom Elite Program
North American Racing Academy
Pyramid Society (Egyptian Arabian horses)
Race for Education
United Professional Horsemen's Assoc.
United States Equestrian Federation, Inc.
United States Hunter Jumper Assoc.
World Games 2010 Foundation, Inc."