Model Horses Invade Kentucky in July

For the third week of July, Lexington, Kentucky, is “model horse central.”
National Model Horse Show, 2008

The 2008 North American Nationals (NAN), the largest model horse show in the world, is July 15-17 (Tuesday-Thursday) at Heritage Hall in the Lexington convention center, 250 W. Main St., downtown. NAN is produced by model horse hobbyists, and is not a sales event for model horse manufacturers. Model horse shows are judged meets, similar to real horse shows. The elaborate, organized hobby of model-horse showing is nearly  40 years old. Models qualify for NAN by winning first or second place at numerous designated shows around the country. By July 7, registration was closed. For more information, see www.namhsa.org/nan.htm.

Equilocity, 2008
Equilocity is the Peter Stone model horse company’s event. A pre-Equilocity sale of special run models  will be July 14-16, Monday through Wednesday evenings at the Lexington Holiday Inn—North, 1950 Newton Pike, Lexington.
     Equilocity, itself, is July 17-19 (Thursday-Saturday), and takes place at the Griffin Gate Marriott Resort & Spa, 1800 Newton Pike, Lexington.  Highlights for 2008 include the early-bird sale of Stone models on Friday from 6 a.m.-8 a.m., dinner Friday evening (with a mini model included) for $49.99, and model show on Saturday. The show’s entry fee is $40, and is open to all brands of models.  The dinner and show still have openings.
     During Equilocity, the Stone company will sell Equilocity special-run models in two locations. At the Marriott, the hours are: Thursday from noon-8 p.m., Friday from noon-6 p.m., and Saturday from 8 a.m.-5 p.m.  At the Holiday Inn—North, 1950 Newton Pike, the hours are:  Thursday from 4-10 p.m., Friday from 7 p.m.-midnight, and Saturday from 4 p.m.-midnight. For more on Equilocity, see www.stonehorses.com.

BreyerFest, 2008
BreyerFest 2008, held by Reeves International, manufacturer of Breyer models, will draw thousands of model horse collectors to its events July 18-20 (Friday-Sunday) at two Lexington locations: the Kentucky Horse Park, 4089 Iron Works Parkway, and the Lexington Holiday Inn—North, 1950 Newton Pike.
     Midnight on July 7 was the order deadline for a three-day ticket ($85 per adult, $55 per child). One-day tickets will be available at the gate ($20 per adult, $10 per child), but do not include the special BreyerFest model, whose mold will be broken afterward.
     BreyerFest tickets include admission to the Kentucky Horse Park and its museums and outdoor exhibits, including living horses and life-sized statues of horses. The KHP is an educational theme park operated by the state of Kentucky. It hosts many real-horse and dog events throughout the year. On BreyerFest weekend, model horse collectors will be sharing the grounds with the admission-paying general public, including people who are interested in horses, but don’t know what a “Breyer” is. Portions of the KHP grounds are rented for non-horse purposes, too. On the Saturday evening of BreyerFest 2004, a church-sized, grassy area near the Man O’ War statue was the site of a local wedding.
     Each morning and afternoon, the covered arena will feature real horse exhibitions, and side areas of the arena will be occupied by a model-horse and real-horse vendor’s trade fair, and the Breyer company store.
     At the Horse Park’s Grand Pavilion, the open model horse show is Friday, children’s and youth model horse show is Saturday, and benefit auction of Breyer models is Saturday evening, 6-8:30 p.m.  Participation in the shows requires pre-registration and an entry fee. Limited to 15 participants each, 31 of the 32 BreyerFest workshops on model horse painting, sculpting, and other topics had sold out by July 7. Each workshop was $30.
     BreyerFest activities at the Holiday Inn-North are: the Artisan’s Gallery sale Thursday through Saturday, 5:30-10 p.m. and the Swap Meet Friday only, 7-11 p.m. Collectors sell from their hotel rooms, also.
     Locations are Close Together
The Mariott Inn, site of Equilocity, is a block from the Holiday Inn-North, the site of some BreyerFest events, a Peter Stone sales room, and evening sales by collectors from their hotel rooms. Both hotels are in a commercial, suburban location less than a 15-minute drive from the Kentucky Horse Park, which is out in the countryside, and from the Lexington convention center, the NAN location, which is downtown.  Some model horse fans will visit all four locations for the three events.  Hotel rooms around Lexington fill up fast for the third week of July.

               Summary of NAN-Equilocity-BreyerFest Week in Lexington, July 14-20, 2008:

Monday                                  Stone sale at Holiday Inn (evening)

Tuesday & Wednesday   NAN show downtown; Stone sale at Holiday Inn (evenings)

Thursday                               NAN show downtown; Stone sale at Holiday Inn
                                                    Equilocity at Marriott
                                                    Artisan’s Gallery sale (5:30-10 pm) at Holiday Inn
 
Friday                                      Equilocity early-bird sale (6-8 am) and evening dinner  at Mariott;
                                                     BreyerFest at Horse Park, including open show, vendors, and Breyer store
                                                     Swap meet (7-11 pm) and Artisan’s Gallery sale (5:30-10 pm) at Holiday Inn

Saturday                                Equilocity model show at Mariott
                                                     B’Fest at Horse Park, incl. kids’ show, vendors, Breyer store, evening auction
                                                     Artisan’s Gallery sale (5:30-10 pm) at Holiday Inn

Sunday                                    BreyerFest including vendors and Breyer store

Check the Breyer web site and/or your Breyerfest tickets for details including:
• The time of a drawing at the covered arena Saturday (you must be present to win)
• Time span and location for picking up the BreyerFest model at KHP
• Your individual time slot to shop in the special models lane at the Breyer store.  
(Shopping for regular products in the Breyer store is unlimited.)       

While in Lexington, horse lovers may also want to visit Thoroughbred Park, an outdoor sculpture museum at Main & Midland in an older part of the city. A tribute to the Thoroughbred racing industry, Thoroughbred Park was featured in Hartland Model Equestrian News, Summer 2007.