Believe it or not, we’re down to fewer than 90 days till the World Equestrian Games begin here at the Kentucky Horse Park. It seems as though the park’s been under construction forever, with additions to the International Museum of the Horse, an addition to the Saddlebred Museum, new office buildings, the new indoor arena, new stabling, the new outdoor arena, new roads, new parking areas, and repaving of existing roads and parking lots. Well, there’s still more to come! Now that all the permanent construction is (mostly) finished, we have to actually get ready for WEG. The main parking lot is being repaved to accommodate the “Alltech Experience,” the “Kentucky Experience,” the Trade Fair, and who knows what else. Temporary grandstands are being built on three sides of the outdoor arena, entire temporary stadiums will be built for driving and endurance, and loads of temporary buildings must go up.

As of July 1, here’s where some of that stands:

not a "normal" view of the KY Horse Park, thank goodness! Where'd all the grass go?

another view of the same area, from a different angle; all of this ground is being prepped to house the VIP hospitality tents and the media center, across the street from the outdoor arena

the outdoor arena from the side; that's the permanent grandstand on the left, the announcer's stand in the middle (behind the tree), and the first of three temporary grandstands on the right

... and ... hooray! ... a few of the many new bushes, perennials, and trees that have recently been planted on either side of the creek that runs along Arena Road