2012 American Saddlebred Convention and Youth Conference in Lexington KY

: 2012-02-22

On February 18, Mitch and Tracey had the honor of pouring our wine for ASHA (American Saddlebred Horse Association) at their Annual Gala and Youth Conference in Lexington KY as a benefit for youth scholarships. We also participated in their fundraising auction by donating a weekend at Hawk and Horse Vineyards - we look forward to welcoming the winning bidder! Thank you Kentucky - for your warm welcome, beautiful weather and endless hospitality! Please read about our adventures below:

Part One: Lexington Horse Park

As we approached the tarmac at the Bluegrass Airport in Lexington, I said to Mitch “Can we send for the dogs and horses? - I don’t think I’ll ever want to leave!” And this even before I stepped off the plane! The view from the air was of large southern estates, miles of horse pasture, classic colonial style mansions, homes and beautiful barns. We were also delighted with the airport - there is no cleaner or friendlier airport that I have ever been to than Bluegrass. People are kind, efficient and cordial. We had our rental car with absolute ease and were soon at the Griffin Gate Marriott - one of Lexington’s premier hotel resorts. We were very tired after traveling across the country with kids, bags and through time zones - we had to get up at “O-Dark-Thirty” as the kids like to say to begin this trek.

We were met at the doors of the Marriott with friendly, staff who delivered our bags to our room promptly. Check in was a breeze. Soon we were staring out picture windows at the rolling hills, estates and pastures of Lexington - just gorgeous. We went straight to the pool and hot-tub to unwind from the flight and then to bed for an early night in comfortable surroundings.

Next day we began with a visit to the Kentucky Horse Park and the American Saddlebred Museum. Few things in life outstrip your expectations - yet it seemed that each thing we saw and experienced in Lexington resonated with Southern charm just off the charts! At the Saddlebred Museum we laughed our heads off interacting with the exhibits and learned about American Saddlebreds from their origins to present day. We could hardly pull the kids away. The exhibits were very thoughtfully planned out and were interactive so that the girls had fun while learning (Photo: Frankie and Nina at The Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington).

The horse park was phenomenal. Acres of rolling hills, horse pastures, museums and a friendly eatery. We took a horse-drawn trolley tour of the grounds, saw horses of many breeds including a couple of famed retired race horses, and a collection of carriages(photo below). (Photo right: Nina in the virtual show ring - American Saddlebred Museum).

carriage1

We met resident horse professionals and regular working folks - each and every one as kind as the next. Here I’ll digress and share with you a little family humor from the Hawkins household. The girls sometimes refer jokingly to their dad as “the ‘Hi Guy’” because he is so friendly and out going. The people at the horse park were as exuberantly friendly as Mitch - so imagine our mirth when our own “Hi Guy” just fit right in!!!

For those of you who may not have heard of the Kentucky Horse Park - it is part living horse museum, part breed showplace, part equine event venue. They have a number of arenas - both indoor and outdoor, barns and displays, museums and thousands of acres of land. We spent an entire day and one half exploring and reveling in this truly one-of-a kind place. See their web site for more info: http://kyhorsepark.com/