July 1, 2013 — Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital and its fellow sponsors announced the 10th Annual Hats Off Day will be held on Saturday, July 27, 2013, beginning at 4 p.m. at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky.
Hats Off Day provides a full afternoon and evening of free, custom events and activities designed to celebrate the horse and acknowledge the cultural and economic contributions made by the Equine Industry to Kentucky. Admission and all activities are free, including the Kentucky Horse Park’s regular features, plus a variety of special activities for children, an evening show jumping competition in Rolex Stadium, and the first-ever equine book fair, featuring well-known authors available for book signing. Featured authors include Elizabeth Letts, author of the New York Times bestseller The Eighty Dollar Champion.
Last year more than 13,000 people attended Hats Off Day. Tom Riddle, DVM, of Rood and Riddle and an event founder, said, “Our goal is to have even more people come out and celebrate what Kentucky is known for around the world. Kentucky means horses, and we offer the only day all year when the Kentucky Horse Park has free admission. We hold this special event because it’s important for Kentuckians to recognize the equine industry in Kentucky not only for its multi-billion-dollar contribution to our economy, but also for its role as the Horse Capital of the World.”
The afternoon begins with a free horse farm hat giveaway followed by family activities, including arts and crafts, free pony rides, interactive educational booths, a chance to ride a mechanical race horse, and spectacular equine demonstrations in the Rolex Stadium. The evening activities include the Rood and Riddle Kentucky Grand Prix, a $50,000 show jumping competition. The Grand Prix also serves as a charity fundraiser for the Kentucky Equine Humane Center (www.kyehc.org) and the Kentucky Horse Park Foundation (www.khpfoundation.org).
Title sponsor Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital is a full-service equine hospital established in 1986 as a referral center for horses requiring specialized medical and surgical care. Today Rood and Riddle is known and respected throughout the world for innovative and highly skilled treatment of horses.
Other major sponsors are Spy Coast Farm (Official Partner), Central Bank (Gold Sponsor), and Zoetis Animal Health (Gold Sponsor).
Below is the full schedule of this year’s event:
4 p.m. Arrive for free horse farm souvenir hats while supplies last at the north entrance gate.
4-8 p.m. Free pony rides, picture on a pony, inflatables, games, arts and crafts, music, contests, prizes and more.
5–7 p.m. Meet the authors of best-selling, horse enthusiast books at the “Exclusively Equine Book Fair.”
7 p.m. Spectacular equine exhibitions and opening ceremonies for the $50,000 Rood and Riddle Kentucky Grand Prix.
7:30 p.m. $50,000 Rood and Riddle Kentucky Grand Prix Show Jumping Competition begins.
The Kentucky Horse Park is located at 4089 Iron Works Pike, Lexington, KY, 0.5 miles east of I-75 off Iron Works Pike (1973) at Exit 120. Driving directions from various regional cities can be found here http://kyhorsepark.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=610&Itemid=336
For more information on Hats Off Day, go to www.hatsoffky.com, visit our Facebook page, or contact LaTonna Wilson at lwilson@roodandriddle.com or 859-233-0371.
