ALL THINGS HORSES!

HATS OFF DAY – SALUTES KENTUCKY’S HORSE INDUSTRY 

Kentucky is the horse capital of the world  generating 80,000 – 100,000  direct and indirect jobs with huge impacts on the Kentucky economy.  In celebration of the horse, Hats Off Day is a free day of family fun and an opportunity to learn about horses.  Events for children activities are throughout the afternoon and the Rood and Riddle Kentucky Grand Prix, a challenging show jumping competition between top international horses and riders, was held at the outdoor Rolex Stadium.

  

ROOD & RIDDLE KENTUCKY GRAND PRIX

Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital sponsors a $50,000 Kentucky Grand Prix Jumping Competition.  This is an international competition between top international horses and riders has  been held annually here for 26 years. 

Show jumping originated with fox hunting with the first formal competition taking place in 1864 at the Horse Show of the Royal Dublin Society.  It became an Olympic sport in 1900 at the Paris Olympic Games.  Initially it was restricted to military athletes, commissioned officers but in 1952 the restrictions were lifted and both men and women compete in this sport.

Competing horses and riders came from Argentina, Venezuela, Ireland, Germany, New Zeland and US. Some riders and horses based in Wellington, FL during the winter and Lexington KY the rest of the season. Others came from Texas, Ohio, California.  It was truly an international competition.

COMBINED DRIVING

Prior to the start of the event, we were treated to a demonstration of Combined Driving.  Together drivers and horses of any breed or size form a partnership.  Horses in singles, pairs, tandems, unicorns and four-in-hands may compete in Combined Driving. 

Just as essential to these partnerships are the grooms or navigators, the second or third persons on the carriage who, though they never touch the reins or whip, provide support as well as balance and ballast.  It is intended to showcase the versatility, training and talent of the horse(s) and driver. 

STORY OF SNOWMAN

The $80 Horse

Snowman pulled a plow and suffered neglect for the first 8 years of life.  He had been given up for dog meat when he was adopted by Harry de Leyers, a trainer who nursed him back to health and turned him into a lesson horse.  He became the horse Harry De Leyer dreamed of – the horse with markings of a champion.

Harry was a Dutch immigrant who worked for the Resistance in Holland during the Nazi occupation by smuggling food across lines in a horse and wagon.  He immigrated to the US after the war with very little money and was an itinerate worker.  His ability to train horses was evident and went on to be a trainer giving lessons at the private girls school on Long Island. 

In February 1956, Harry attended an auction looking for inexpensive lesson horses but was late.  By the time he got there, the auction ended and only the unwanted horses were boarded onto trailers for slaughter.    A dirty, gray plow horse caught his eye and Harry paid $80 for this horse.

Snowman became a lesson horse at a private girls’ school but was sold to a farmer down the street.  Snowman kept jumping his paddock to return to Harry. 

Snowman easily cleared five-foot fences.  Harry reclaimed Snowman and began training him as a show jumper.  In two years Snowman cleared every hurdle he faced out jumping the top Thoroughbred show horses.

Two years after his rescue, Snowman won the 1958 horse show Triple Crown – The American Horse Shows Association Horse Champion and Champion of Madison Square Garden’s Diamond Jubilee.  The following year he was again the Horse of the Year and Professional Horseman’s Association Champion.  After each win, he and Harry returned home to their day jobs of lesson horse and riding instructor.

He appeared on popular game show “To Tell The Truth”, on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson climbing up a stepladder to get on Snowman’s back and was profiled by Life Magazine, subject of two books, had his own fan club and became a Breyer horse model.  Snowman retired from competition in 1962 and 1969 he and Harry were invited to Madison Square Garden for a belated triumphant retirement ceremony.  Snowman died at home in 1974 with Harry by his side.  He was inducted into the Show Jumping Hall of Fame in 1992.  Harry de Leyer was guest of honor in the Rood & Riddle Grand Prix.

KENTUCKY EQUINE HUMANE CENTER

Kentucky Equine Humane Center was established with the specific goal of providing owners with a humane option when they need to give up their horses.  It is a tranquil 72-acre horse farm giving horses of any breed safe refuge.  Since 2007 650 horses have been given refuge.  Proceeds from the Rood & Riddle Grand Prix go to help KyEHC to shelter and care for any Kentucky horse in need.