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 ...

held in Lexington, Kentucky. 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 * C ...

. 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's m ...

, a harness racing 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 Ex ...

, 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