Kentucky Horse Park – The Good and the not so much

First of all, let me qualify by saying that I’m a huge fan, and that bar maybe John Nicholson and Mick Costello, I’d venture to guess that Leo and I spend as much time at the Horse Park as anyone. 

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Last weekend was a particularly long one for my kids, and after even the rodeo was beginning to lose some of it’s attraction, we resorted to good, old-fashioned fun. Last year, this was a muddy creek, and now it’s a natural beauty spot, and a great play area for kids and labs, probably unintentionally! 
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This is right outside the old indoor arena, running alongside the stadium warm up. It’s a Streamside Buffer Zone, and you can pick up a pamphlet right there on site to find out more about stream management for horse owners, courtesy of the UK College of Agriculture, or online.
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Last year, the Horse Park also used grants from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, and collaborated with the EPA and the Kentucky Infrastructure Authority to install a manure bioenergy management facility – yes, horse pooh recycling! You can read more about it here.
 
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So far, so terrific. One of the things I really don’t like about the Horse Park, and really most US Horse Trials in general,  –  and you can write in to tell me about all the one’s I haven’t been to that are fantastic, please do! – but the FOOD is abominable, and expensive up the wazooo! I thought that that when they tore down that hovel that was the Grill on the Hill that was infested with rats and God knows what, we might have a shot at something decent, but it’s been replaced with basically…exactly the same thing, in the same place, but out of a caravan.  It’s crap that costs a fortune, and I’m surprised everyone puts up with it.  I think there’s some bureaucracy at the Horse Park about not letting too many vendors in, but the more the merrier, and the better for the consumer – you and me!  I’m not going to turn this into a rant about US v UK Horse Trials, but almost any sporting event has better food than most of the Horse Trials I’ve been to over the past year, have I really been that unlucky? 
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Also, while I’m stirring the pot today; what about dogs at Horse Trials? 
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I can’t even pretend to be on the fence here, of course I think you should you be able to bring your dog with you, absolutely anywhere, IF they’re well behaved! I am one of those absolutely infuriating people who treats Leo better than my own children, and think he’s above the law. Consequently, when I’m walking along in the Park, far away from any action, with Leo AT MY SIDE, I don’t always have him on a lead, which was pointed out to me by a rider last weekend in no uncertain terms, many times, at increasing volume levels! Yeah, yeah, I get it, I’m not in Kindergarten, I hope I released some of her stress level that manifested itself in yelling at me as if I was in elementary school. I feel much better myself now for venting, and I look forward to lots of irate emails correcting me on both food and dogs, bring it on! 
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