The Lexington Junior League Horse Show is an annual
horse show
A horse show is a judged exhibition of horses and ponies. Many different horse breeds and equestrian disciplines hold competitions worldwide, from local to the international levels. Most horse shows run from one to three days, sometimes longer fo ...
held in
Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington is a city in Kentucky, United States that is the county seat of Fayette County, Kentucky, Fayette County. By population, it is the List of cities in Kentucky, second-largest city in Kentucky and List of United States cities by popul ...
. It was founded in 1937.
History
The Lexington Junior League Horse Show was begun in 1937 by Marie Kittrell as a way to make money for
charity
Charity may refer to:
Giving
* Charitable organization or charity, a non-profit organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being of persons
* Charity (practice), the practice of being benevolent, giving and sharing
* Ch ...
. The first show was held at
The Red Mile
The Red Mile is a horse racing track located in Lexington, Kentucky, United States. The track hosts harness racing, a type of horse racing in which the horses must pull two-wheeled carts called sulkies while racing. It is one of harness racing' ...
, a
harness racing
Harness racing is a form of horse racing in which the horses race at a specific gait (a trot or a pace). They usually pull a two-wheeled cart called a sulky, or spider, or chariot occupied by a driver. In Europe, and less frequently in Australi ...
track, because it only cost a dollar to rent the venue. It attracted 216 horses and 24,000 spectators.
The show was held at The Red Mile through 2017. In 2018, it moved to Rolex Stadium at the
Kentucky Horse Park
Kentucky Horse Park is a working horse farm, international equestrian competition venue, and an educational theme park opened in 1978 in Lexington, Kentucky. It is located off Kentucky State Highway 1973 (Iron Works Pike) and Interstate 75, at Exi ...
, also located in Lexington.
Competition
The show is the first of the three jewels of the Saddlebred Triple Crown.
It is held annually at The Red Mile Harness Track, and has been every year since its inception. It is the largest outdoor Saddlebred show in the world and draws approximately 1,000 exhibitors. The total prize money offered exceeds $70,000.
References
{{Reflist
Equestrian sports competitions in the United States
Saddlebreds
Horse showing and exhibition