Kentucky Horse Blog - Jennifer Karlen

Versailles Kentucky Sunrise Stables Riding Academy

The Versailles Kentucky newspaper, The Woodford Sun, spotlighted a new Kentucky horse farm riding and instruction facility that recently opened:  Sunrise Stables Riding Academy

Sunrise Stables Riding Academy is located on Troy Pike and Delaney Ferry Road, and caters to the American Saddlebred breed of horse.

Lead instructor is Sally Haydon who has stated that their main goal is to promote the American Saddlebred and allow children or adults learn how to ride a horse at an affordable price.

They’ve even begin talks with the Woodford County Parks & Recreation director Richard Pictor, about a possible summer camp for local children.

Haydon’s background comes from as professor of equine studies at Midway College for the past 18 years.  Some of her…

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Quarter Horse Track proposed near London Kentucky

There is 1 more racetrack license available for the state of Kentucky, and it may go to a proposed Quarter horse track to be located near London Kentucky.

The Kentucky Horse Racing Authority may decide as early as this year (so, some time in the next 5 weeks) to give the last license for Kentucky to Sprint Racing Partners’. Their members are as follows:

Chris Sullivan - co founder of Outback Steakhouse

Ed Allred - owner of Los Alamitos Race Course in California

R. D. Hubbard - owner of Ruidoso Downs in New Mexico, as well as former owner of Hollywood Park in California

John T.L. Jones, Jr - long time Kentucky horsemen

The applicants have stated that they want to build the quarter horse track regardless if casinos are approved for Kentucky or…

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Future Farmers of America Convention to be held in Lexington Kentucky

The Lexington Kentucky newspaper, the Lexington Herald-Leader, had an article today announcing that the Future Farmers of America Convention is to be held in Lexington Kentucky in June 2009, 2010, & 2011.

This convention has traditionally been held at the fairgrounds in Louisville Kentucky, but according to the state FFA representative Curt Lucas with the Kentucky Department of Education, has felt the squeeze and pressure from other conventions vying for the same time that the Future Farmers of America traditionally have desired to have its convention.

This convention brings approximately 2000 agriculture students as well as teachers to the convention each year.

The Lexington Kentucky Lexington Convention and Visitors Bureau representative Niki…

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Chinese Delegates visit Kentucky Farms

The Shelbyville Kentucky newspaper, The Sentinel-News reported today that Chinese delegates visited some local Kentucky farms during a recent visit.  These delegates are representatives of poultry farms in China, and came to Kentucky to exchange ideas on methods and productivity.

They spent some time with Jack & Gwyn Trumbo on their farm studying lots of things, including soybean production.  [Jack is the chairperson for the Kentucky Soybean Promotion Board.]

The big item that got their attention seemed to be the farm equipment as most of the farms in China have rather rudimentary means of growing and cultivating their crops compared to most United States and Kentucky farms.

Other topics of discussion including growing of tobacco.

Its always good to…

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Farms desire a distinction of Hemp from Marijuana

There is a growing movement among farms and farmers across the country.  The desire of a distinction between Hemp and Marijuana is growing.

Hemp, which lacks the potent hallucinogenic effects of its relative marijuana, can be used for many products including fabric for clothing, to automobile door panels, to even floor carpet backing.  Currently, it takes a federal approval for a farm to grow hemp.  Advocates for a distinction between the two claim that you can smoke a length of hemp as long as a telephone pole - and not get high from its use  (though a strong headache is far more likely).

The law as it is currently slated on the books, however is much more stringent.  It treats all forms of Cannabis sativa L. as being the same.

The active…

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Abundance of Draft Horses

The Lexington Kentucky newspaper, The Lexington Herald had an article today about the abundance of Draft horses and a resulting plummet in their prices to a 20 year low - with colts bringing as little as $250 at a recent sale in Topeka Indiana.

Other motivating factors include since there was a ban put in place in America on the slaughter of horses as well as a surge in high prices have coupled together to bring down their novelty to being a burden of cost for their owners. The drought in Kentucky and other states has caused a steep increase in the cost of hay, with many places costing in the $200 per ton range (which is up approximately 40% from their $140 per ton price range a year ago). Kentucky is still for the most part in the $165 per ton range for…

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2007 Shelby County Kentucky Farm City Banquet

      The Shelbyville Kentucky newspaper, The Sentinel-News announced the Shelby County Kentucky Farm City Banquet is going to be held on Tuesday November 20 2007 in Floral Hall at the Shelby County Fairgrounds, and will begin at 6:30 pm.

This banquet is long standing tradition for the past 50 years, and is held each week during Thanksgiving to honor the farms and their positive impact on businesses in Shelby County.  It is organized by the Shelbyville Kiwanis Club.

The 2006 Farm-City Banquet Farmer of the Year was Edward “Hoppy” Bennet, owner of Undulata Farms here in Shelbyville Kentucky.  His horse farm is home to many of the communities more talented (and expensive) horses, and has been one of the examples of a successfully run horse farm can truly…

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Farms Bill is put on hold

The Louisville KY newspaper, The Courier-Journal highlighted an interesting article today about the proposed farms bill that has been proposed and is under debate from top government lawmakers and politicians.

The most recent farm bill expired on September 30 2007, and farms have been operating under it on a temporary extension.

This new farm bill would broaden crop & dairy programs and subsidizing that includes features like nutrition programs.

A Republican filibuster on the bill by attaching unrelated amendments, and a threaten of a vote from President Bush - has stalled efforts to get the new farms bill passed, so it currently has been put on hold.

When the vote came, it failed to pass by 5 votes with voting coming in at 55 to 42.  So instead of…

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2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games Ticket Sales

The first phase of ticket sales for the 2010 FEI World Equestrian Games to be held at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington Kentucky ended on November 15 2007.

The first phase was opened up early to members of the United States Equestrian Federation. The sales were a big hit with one exception: North Dakota. 49 states including the District of Columbia, US Virgin Islands, Bermuda, and Canada all had members reserving tickets for the 2010 FEI World Equestrian Games - but no one in North Dakota had made reservations.

Part of the reasoning may be attributed to the fact that North Dakota ranks 48th in the US for population with a little over 640,000 persons.

As of November 9, a total of 8911 reservations had been made totaling $2.4 million in deposits that…

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Regulations on Horse Sales Proposed

The Lexington Kentucky newspaper, The Lexington Herald-Leader wrote an article yesterday about regulations on horse sales proposed.  Lawmakers in Frankfort KY have received requests for additional regulations, and had contemplated creating new laws to satisfy those requests, but the Kentucky horse industry has proposed regulations on policing itself which seems to have satisfied the lawmakers and many critics.

The proposed additional horse sales regulations include:

Including a code of conduct for agents into sales contracts

A voluntary confidential ownership registry

Ban on use of anabolic steroids and prohibition of cosmetic practices which include injections behind the knee (that may disguise a horse’s discomfort or problem to a potential…

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