The 2010 World Equestrian Games are coming to Lexington this fall
Por August Marshall
MEMPHIS (LPL) — Considerados por muchos jinetes como un evento más importante que los Olímpicos, los Juegos Ecuestres Mundiales 2010 llegan a Lexington, Kentucky, en la primera ocasión que salen de Europa, que ha sido la sede de los juegos desde siempre. Del 25 de septiembre hasta el 10 de octubre, Kentucky estará lleno de amantes de los caballos. Más de 50 naciones diferentes van a competir en doma clásica, doma clásica para personas con incapacidades, enganches, ‘raid’, concurso completo de equitación, salto de obstáculos, y otras suertes.
Por primera vez, todas de estas competiciones se desarrollan en la misma sede: el mundialmente famoso parque ecuestre de Kentucky. Para preparar los juegos, el parque ha experimentado una renovación drástica, con la adicción de una gran y novedosa zona cubierta y muchos otros proyectos para mejorar sus instalaciones.
La venta de entradas anticipada es cerca de 600,000 boletos. Asimismo, los juegos tendrán un gran impacto en la economía de Kentucky, con una recaudación calculada en $150 millones por la venta de entradas y por el negocio para los hoteles, restaurantes y tiendas.
Además de todas las emocionantes competencias, los juegos tendrán cientos de vendedores que mostrarán todo lo relativo para los caballos que uno se pueda imaginar. Igualmente, estarán disponibles muchas otras demostraciones; p.e., desde lecturas educacionales a equipos de entrenamiento. Para las personas que no puedan asistir, habrá cobertura cada fin de semana de los juegos por NBC. Un programa completo de los eventos, información sobre entradas y mucho más, está disponible en la pagina Web, http://www.alltechfeigames.com/.
ENGLISH
MEMPHIS (LPL) — Considered by many equestrians to be more important than the Olympics, the 2010 World Equestrian Games (WEG) will take place in Lexington, Kentucky, the first time the Games has ever been hosted by a country outside of Europe. From September 25th until October 10th, Kentucky will be flooded with horse-lovers from all over the world. More than 50 different nations will compete in dressage, para dressage, combined driving, endurance riding, eventing, showjumping, vaulting and reining. For the first time ever, all these different events will be held in one venue – the world-famous Kentucky Horse Park (KHP). In preparation for the Games, the KHP has undergone drastic renovation, adding a huge new indoor area as well as many other projects to improve the park. The anticipated ticket sales for the games is somewhere around 600,000. The Games are expected to have a huge impact on Kentucky’s economy, with a predicted impact of $150,000,000 from ticket sales as well as business for local hotels, restaurants and stores.
The eight events featured in WEG will test some very different skills. Dressage – a word that means “training” in French – is truly a dance between horse and rider. In the Grand Prix competitions, each competitor will perform the same test (a combination of certain movements and gaits) while the judges look at the movement of the horse, the precision of the movements, and the harmony between horse and rider. In the Musical Freestyle – one of the most anticipated events of the Games – each competitor will perform an independently choreographed routine set to music. Para dressage will test the same skills, except it will feature riders who have physical disabilities. This will be the first time that para dressage has ever been part of the WEG. In combined driving, the drivers have to compete with a team of four horses in driven dressage, marathon and obstacle course driving. Driven dressage will test many of the same qualities as ridden dressage, marathon tests the horse’s fitness, and obstacle course will test their obedience as the drivers have to manipulate their horses through a timed course of obstacles, such as through a twisting course of cones that are set close together with balls balanced on top of them, with penalties occurred for going too slow, knocking a ball off the cone, etc. Endurance riding will test the endurance abilities of the competitors, requiring them to ride 100 miles in the shortest time possible, with compulsory stops for fitness checks. Eventing is an all-around test of the competitors, requiring them to compete – over three days – a dressage test to test their training, a cross-country course (30 or so solid jumps) to test their fitness, and a showjumping course to show the horses willingness to continue after a hard day of cross-country the day before. Showjumping is a course of brightly colored, easily knocked down jumps – some at heights up to 5 or even 6 feet – which the competitors must complete as quickly as possible, with penalties given for knocking down a rail or going too slowly. Vaulting – which is often called “gymnastics on horseback” – requires the competitors perform many acrobatic feats, all while on the back of a moving horse. Reining – the only Western event in the WEG – requires the competitors to show their training by performing patterns that include such exciting movements as 360 degree spins and sliding stops. 
Besides all these exciting events, there will also be hundreds of vendors selling all kinds of horse wares. There will also be tons of demonstrations, ranging from educational lectures to drill teams. For those who cant make it, there will be coverage each weekend of the WEG by NBC. A full event schedule, ticket information and much more is available online at http://www.alltechfeigames.com/
