WEG Stadium Shapes Up at Kentucky Horse Park

The main stadium for the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games is under construction at the Kentucky Horse Park outside Lexington, with an opening scheduled for this April's Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event.

A firm (but not too firm) foundation is being laid with mat-based footing from German consultants OTTO Sportund Reitplatz GmbH.

News today from Kentucky tells us that work is progressing on the main outdoor stadium at the Kentucky Horse Park, which will be the center stage for the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games (WEG) next year in Lexington.

The almost 130,000 square-foot arena and an attached warm-up area of 40,000 square feet are the focus of construction for the German firm of OTTO Sportund Reitplatz GmbH. The work is likely to be finished this month, and the official inauguration will be during the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day-Event at the end of April 2008.

The arena design is based on OTTO Riding Arena Mats which were also used in the arena at Aachen, Germany for the 2006 WEG. The mats are covered by 2,800 tons of a special riding sand mixture. The combination of silica sand, synthetic fiber and mats is designed to give horses a more secure and less stressful stride, and the mix even has a moisture control system to prevent dust. Proper drainage is another aspect that has been researched by the consultants.

Once the OTTO group finishes the main arena, they won't be able to relax; there are more arenas to be built in time for WEG at the Horse Park, but having the main arena available for Rolex is a schedule priority.

Badminton Cross-Country Footing Will Be Safe, Course Designer Says

Zara Phillips, above, has decided to remain in contention at the Badminton Horse Trials. The weather in Britain this spring has been exceptionally hot and dry, apparently, and the normally forgiving footing on tomorrow's cross-country course is very hard. Zara hopes to qualify for the British eventing team for the 2008 Olympics in Hong Kong...but not at the expense of her horse, Toytown. Photo by Kit Houghton, courtesy of Mitsubishi Motors and Badminton Horse Trials.

From the world-famous Badminton Horse Trials in Gloucestershire, England:

Over the last two days concerns about the condition of the ground and firmness of the going have caused riders to worry about the possible effects on their horses.

“We could not begin to do the remedial work until we were sure it was not going to rain and we have started this morning,” said Director and Course Designer Hugh Thomas yesterday. “It won’t be perfect but I think we will produce ground that is acceptable.”

While the team of groundsmen have been working on the course they are presently setting to work to make the conditions the best they can.

“There was a riders meeting at lunchtime and they requested that every part of the course was treated and the management is happy to implement their requests,” said Press Officer Julian Seaman. "Every part of the rideable course – where any horse might go, is currently being treated and the team of groundsmen will work though the night if that is what it takes. Riders will be walking the course late tonight and early tomorrow morning. The riders at this evening’s press conference were very positive about their intentions to run their horses tomorrow.”

Blogger's note: Leading rider William Fox-Pitt withdrew his horse from competition because he feared that the hard ground would be detrimental to his horse's soundness or that he might risk injury. Many of the riders entered in order to qualify for the 2008 Olympics in Hong Kong. However, too-hard or too-soft footing means that the risk of injury is increased, so riders were forced to make a choice between qualifying and possibly shortening their horses' careers.