Because of the craziness surounding the World Equestrian Games, yesterday was my one day off in three weeks (two weeks down, one to go). And where did I spend it? Why, here at the Horse Park, enjoying the WEG all day with my husband, instead of working!

In case you weren’t one of the nearly 51,000 people here at the park yesterday for the Eventing cross country, here’s how our day of playing tourists unfolded, in snapshots:

before heading out to the park, we stopped for breakfast at one of our fave local restaurants; two women sitting next to us (one from New York) praised the bagels and lox and they both said what a wonderful time they’ve been having at WEG all week

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Welcome to the WEG! these posts at the main spectator entrance have information on each of the eight world championships being contested

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a closer look at the Driving information and the crowds beginning to form at the entrance

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to get to the cross country course, we walked toward the Main Stadium and were met with hordes of people everywhere we looked

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taking a peek in the Main Stadium, we saw jumpers warming up and some clever people, way up in the stands, watching the Head of the Lake jump from above

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a jumper crossing the road in front of us

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our first stop was the Head of the Lake, which was packed with spectators

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everywhere we looked and walked: more people

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the Prairie Schooner at marathon obstacle #7, with a cross-country jump on the left …

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… and that same jump (a fallen tree with its roots still visible on the right) from the vantage point where we tried to take a few photos with our “little” cameras

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a rider approaching the tree jump …

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… and A.J.’s attempt with the camera on his phone (I don’t think its shutter speed is quite fast enough!)

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While walking the course and watching the eventers, we also stopped to admire several of the marathon obstacles (they will be decorated this week):

a portion of marathon obstacle #3

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a portion of obstacle #4

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a portion of obstacle #5

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and a portion of obstacle #8, with the largemouth bass in its new home in the water

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We also had to stop to watch part of the Land Rover “cross country course,” which had a long line of people waiting for the chance to drive through mud, over hills, along the side of a slope, and over this contraption:

approaching the log teeter totter thingy …

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… and inching up, up, up …

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… and over

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One of our favorite things to do at equestrian world championships is to admire the fans and their enthusiasm for their riders/drivers and for their national colors …

Canadian fans

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Japanese fans

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a lone demonstrative U.S. fan held up the flag as Buck Davidson passed by

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But in my opinion, no other group of fans can beat the always-inventive (and colorful) Dutch:

… whether on the course …

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… or even while eating lunch

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Speaking of lunch, we stopped for a late one ourselves, before venturing into the Kentucky Experience, trade fair, Alltech Experience, etc. On our way back to the Main Stadium area from the cross-country course, we saw drivers out hand-walking their horses, jumpers lunging their horses, and para-equestrians training under the watchful eyes of their coaches … this mix of horse people has got to be one of the most enjoyable and fascinating aspects of a WEG.

near the pizza, and around the corner from the burgers and burritos and salads, there’s a beer garden where one can get, well, beer … and bourbon

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if you’re feeling flush, or need to do some celebrating, there’s also a champagne bar

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on our way from lunch to the trade fair area, we stopped in the booth hosted by the French city of Normandy (site of the 2014 WEG), where they offer free cooking classes every hour (which apparently involves wearing a tall chef’s hat!)

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near the John Deere exhibit is a small arena where spectators can become participants; these two women and one other were about to get a reining lesson

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Our second stop in the trade fair area was the Kentucky Experience pavilion, which offers a look at various tourism areas in the state and aspects of life in Kentucky:

various displays show the beauty and variety of Kentucky, including our own Bluegrass region’s horses …

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… Shaker Village at Pleasant Hill …

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… and Keeneland race track

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photo opportunities abound … here: A.J. chatting with Colonel Sanders

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in another section of the Kentucky Experience, you can sample a multitude of bourbons or buy a commemorative bottle of Makers Mark and dip the top in the signature red wax

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on we went, into the trade fair … passing the Breyer tent, which had models of the world-championship sports on display, including this one

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how about some fancy cowboy boots?

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… or some equally fancy custom English riding boots?

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… or an enormous mosaic for your (very large) wall?

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… or perhaps just a pretty commemorative WEG scarf?

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we stopped to say hello to two CAA members with trade fair booths: Hats by Katie …

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… and Freedman Harness (which also has beautiful bags, belts, etc.)

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After finishing our tour through the trade fair, we decided to go back to my office to pick up our jackets, as the weather had turned quite windy and chilly all of a sudden, after having been warm and sunny all day. To get there, we walked through the Alltech Experience and part of the Horse Park’s main visitor area.

people on the Alltech Experience’s promenade, and rain clouds gathering in the distance

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in an Alltech Experience garden: a bit of sunshine on what had by now become a blustery, gray afternoon

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one of the KY Horse Park’s permanent statues: Secretariat; the new movie about him has its world premiere today, at our own downtown Kentucky Theater