The World Equestrian Games are held every four years and are made up of the world championships for eight different equestrian sports – show jumping, dressage, eventing, driving, reining, vaulting, endurance and para-equestrian.

The Games are held between the summer Olympics.  The next games are the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in Lexington, KY.  That is what this site and radio show are all about.

The games are governed by the Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) and will be held at The Kentucky Horse Park.  The FEI is the international governing body of equestrian sport recognized by the International Olympic Committee. It is the organization which establishes rules and regulations for the conduct of international equestrian events. Today the FEI has over 130 member countries. Visit the official FEI website at http://www.horsesport.org/. For information regarding The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF), the national governing body for equestrian sport in the USA, visit www.usef.org.

The games will be held September 25 thru October 10, 2010.  You can get a complete schedule of the 2010 Games by clicking here.  Listen to the weekly 2010 Radio Show and stay informed of all the preparations for the games and the host Glenn the Geek gives a local outlook on all the happenings in Lexington.

Keep up to date on all the construction at The Kentucky Horse Park in preparation for the games in our Construction Update section.

Here is a little more about each of the sports represented at the games:

Show jumping
Jump a course of 10-13 jumps within a specific time budget. Riders receive penalties for knocking down rails, refusing a fence, or falling. All riders with clear rounds under the time limit compete in a jump-off with fewer jumps on a more difficult course.

Dressage
Derived from the French term “training,” dressage is often described as horse ballet. Horses are judged on a series of required movements including piaffe (trotting in place), passage (slow-motion trot), collected and extended gaits, and one and two tempi changes (a skipping motion as the horse changes lead every canter stride or every other canter stride).

Eventing
The triathlon of equestrian sports, eventing includes a show jumping phase, a dressage phase, and an endurance or cross-country phase. In cross-country, riders compete over a outdoor course in a specific time frame in which they are judged at each obstacle.

Driving
Held for teams of four horses, this event includes two days of dressage tests, a marathon, and an intricate course marked by cones. Individual and team winners are determined by fewest faults throughout the events.

Endurance
A 160-mile race run in the fastest-time possible. Awards are given for individuals and teams as well as a veterinary recognition for best-conditioned horse.

Vaulting
Gymnastic on horseback–moving horseback that is (I call them crazy people). Vaulters are judged on a required moves and a freestyle test and compete as individuals, pairs, or teams.

Reining
This judged event shows off the athleticism and training of a ranch-type horse. They are known for their impressive sliding stops from a dead gallop, and flying turns on the haunches. Contestants perform one of 10 required patterns.

Para-Equestrian
Near and dear to my heart, riders with disabilities compete in dressage. This is the first time this event will be held at the World Equestrian Games.

See the official FEI 2010 Games website at feigames2010.org.