Thursday July 12, 2012
7:45AM – 4:00PM
$55.00 (includes breakfast, lunch & transportation)
NOTE: workshop separate from main conference registration and not supported by any public funds.
The following order of visits is tentative, but we will be stopping at all of the sites listed.
This will be an all day tour starting a 7:45 and ending at 4:00. It includes a number of both equine and historical highlights of Lexington, Kentucky. We will be visiting the following sites, and also be accompanied by a knowledgeable local tour guide (who is also on the KY Horse Council board)
We will head out of downtown Lexington on an air-conditioned bus, and ride past the famous Calumet Farm, known for its white fences (most horse fences in Kentucky are now black), and its signature red and white gates and buildings. Just past Calumet is the Keeneland Race Course, our first stop. Madelyn Millard, our tour guide, will entertain you with stories from the past involving some of Kentucky’s largest and most famous horse farms.
Keeneland Race Course
Keeneland is one of the most beautiful racetrack facilities in the world. Built in 1933, Keeneland’s passion has always been to blend the traditions of the past with the technology of the future. This commitment has made Keeneland one of the safest tracks in the world, while keeping racing the way it was meant to be.
We will first visit Keeneland’s Track Kitchen. As their website points out, “You don’t have to be a horseman to enjoy the food at Keeneland’s track kitchen–but you might end up sitting near a famous jockey, trainer or owner when you do. “ It is a favorite with track staff from owners to trainers to jockeys to grooms. The kitchen offers home-cooked food food, in a small, basic diner-like atmosphere. Your breakfast is not covered by the tour price.
We will then travel to the racetrack and grandstands, where we can stand by the rail and watch thoroughbreds have their morning “breeze”. We will discuss the synthetic surface and how synthetic surfaces are designed to reduce leg injuries. We’ll see the paddock where the horses are saddled before the race, and end with a quick stop at the Keeneland gift shop.
Kentucky Equine Sports Medicine & Rehabilitation Center
We will next travel just a few miles down the road to KESMARC, a state of the art facility for equine athletes. Here, horses that are healing from an injury or just need muscling up will come to use the facilities: an indoor swimming pool, aquatred, solarium, indoor track and a hyperbaric machine.
The next part of the journey is a visual treat as we travel through Versailles (pronounced VER-SAILS), Kentucky and onto Route 60, traveling past some of the largest horse farms in the area.
We will continue on to Midway, a small town so named because it is ‘midway’ between Lexington and Frankfort, the state capitol. Midway is a railroad town with a tiny but charming one street downtown, and the rail tracks run right down the middle of the downtown. While there, we will have lunch either at one of the downtown restaurants, or perhaps at Midway College, a college established in 1847 offering six degree programs with and equine focus (http://www.midway.edu/academic-programs/equine), as well as other degrees.
Three Chimneys Farm
Our next stop will be at the world-famous Three Chimneys Farm, where a number of well known Thoroughbred stallions stand at stud, including Dynaformer (whose stud fee is $150,000). We will tour the stallion complex and see where the stallions live, how they are handled, and where breeding takes place. Three Chimneys is a lovely property located between Midway and Lexington.
Mary Todd Lincoln House
Our trip back to Lexington will conclude with a visit to the Mary Todd Lincoln House. This is Mary Todd Lincoln’s childhood home, and where she was living when she and Abraham Lincoln met and courted. Fully restored and only three blocks from our conference hotel, we will have a guided tour of the home, including a stop at their small gift shop.
Back to the Hilton
We will end the day after the Mary Todd Lincoln home at approximately 4:00pm. From the Mary Todd Lincoln home, you may either ride the bus or walk the three blocks to the Hilton. If you walk, you will pass the Lexington Center, our convention facility, and Triangle Park, a centerpiece of downtown. The Hilton is right across the street from Triangle Park.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES FOR WORKSHOP
Learn about artificial surfaces at racetracks and how they lower horse injuries.
Be introduced to equine rehabilitation services including hyperbarics, swimming pool, solarium, AquaTred, etc.
Hear about the unique geographical conditions which make the Bluegrass an excellent location for raising healthy horses.
Visit one of the area’s oldest colleges and its equine programs.
Learn about the management of stallions for maximum health and productivity.
Learn how Mary Todd Lincoln lived in her youth and made her acquaintance with Abraham Lincoln.
See the Kentucky Horse Park’s world renown equine show facilities.
