Horse Illustrated Magazine

As the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky makes final preparations for the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, the host city of Lexington is hoping to drum up some local enthusiasm for the event.

In July of 2010, Horse Mania, a public art installation incorporating more than 80 life-sized fiberglass horses decorated by area artists, hit the streets of Lexington. The project was coordinated by  LexArts, a local arts advocacy organization. The project is a sequel to the original Horse Mania installation that took place in Lexington in 2000. The 2010 edition was timed to run concurrently with the World Equestrian Games.

In addition to the horses decorated by local artists, there are four horses that were done by international artists, one from each of Lexington’s sister cities: Deauville, France; County Kildare, Ireland; Shinhidaka, Japan; and Newmarket, England. The international artists were each brought to Lexington to paint and decorate their horses which are now on display in downtown Lexington’s Dudley Square.

A companion project, Horse Play, showcases the work of elementary, middle and high school students from the area. Students decorated fiberglass foals, which are now on display at Lexington’s public libraries.

The horses will remain on display through October. In December, the horses will be sold at auction at Keeneland Race Course with the proceeds going to local charities.

For more information on the project and an interactive map of horse locations, visit horsemania2010.com