Articles & Stories of Interest
Thank you Shelley Simpson for building & donating the new coop!
For more information about volunteering and/or donating items & equipment for the use at Masterson Station Park equestrian facilities, please send info to mastersonequestrian@gmail.com
(Click on the links below to expand the stories.)
After working the previous week at a feverish pace to ensure the course was in order, MET board member Chris Newton waited with eager anticipation to see how many participants would show up for MET’s first cross-country schooling day on September 28.
Dr. Newton had nothing to worry about. Trailers started arriving early and continued throughout the day, delivering horses and riders. All totaled, there were 76 paid participants who took advantage of the perfect weather and a filled water jump. There were even some folks who normally compete in trail competitions who came out and walked over crossrails and through water.
Chris stationed himself at the water complex and schooled many, some for the first time, through the grids. It was a perfect experience for young and seasoned horses and for riders of all types.
Our thanks go to Steve Johnson of Margaux Stud who graciously loaned his bobcat for moving jumps. Thank also go to Chris Newton’s assistants who did their share of heavy lifting to make it all happen.
Proceeds from the schooling day have been earmarked for the continued construction on the revamped Prelim/Training water complex
Mother Nature looked favorably on the organizers of the MET Horse Show held at the park on April 19 & 20. The weather threatened rain early but held off and the next two days were perfect for horse showing. The new two-day format this year proved successful. Hunters were scheduled for Saturday and jumpers were featured on Sunday. There was a good turn-out for both disciplines.
Recognized by the Kentucky Hunter Jumper Association, the small show format was the perfect place for beginners, young horses, and riders looking for early season experience.
The Board members are grateful to all the exhibitors and especially the volunteers who made the show a hit. Around $3,500 was raised over the two day period.
See photos of the event here.
Located in the heart of horse country, Masterson Station Park in Lexington, Ky., represents one of few public parks in the United States to allow horseback riders unlimited access, year round to multiple riding facilities.
“I have used the park for about 10 years and ride between two and four horses daily,” said Kathy Sweazy, a neighbor to the park.
Sweazy manages a farm in Lexingt on and acquires thoroughbred racehorses that cannot race, using them for other equestrian purposes. It makes the park a perfect match for her.
“I fox hunt, event and show and this gives me space to practice and work the horses,” she said.
But during the past 10 years, the park’s growth mirrored the areas residential growth, so now it houses 19 soccer fields, dog parks, an in-line hockey arena, picnic and playground space — and a lot more vehicles.
“Traffic is a nightmare,” Sweazy said. “I can’t even think of coming to the park during peak soccer hours.”
The park, originally part of the Federal Corrections Institute, came into the hands of Lexington Fayette Urban County Government (LFUGG). It acquired 640 acres of land in 1971. The federal government donated the land based on an understanding it would maintain an agricultural signature, said Georgia Ockerman, LFUGG Equestrian Park Program supervisor.
But time and growth pushed the park in another direction, and Dr. Dede MeGee, a veterinarian and board member of the Masterson Equestrian Trust, says the trust now fights to maintain the agricultural intent. The MET, a nonprofit, was founded to protect and enhance Masterson Station Park for horse-related activities and events.
“The city owns the park and we, as a concerned group of citizens, want to rally and show the city what a good resource this is for its equestrian purposes,” McGee said.
Ginny Howard, a trust board member, said the land originally was connected to the jail and used for agricultural.
“The jail used the land to sustain the people in prison by growing crops and livestock,” she said. “Eventually this wasn’t economical, thus the donation.”
Howard said that a master plan drafted in 1973 emphasized farm-based, agrarian, passive-use activities for the land.
The park currently operates primarily for equestrian uses.
“You can get on a horse and do a mad gallop for over a mile,” said Howard.
Masterson’s is unique in that anyone can bring horses out and use the facilities at no cost any day of the year without reservations. The facility offers for public use and rental stadium jumps, a lighted, outdoor show ring, four sand dressage rings, four cross-country courses and an indoor arena with 32 stalls. All of these facilities are available for public use, provided no events are taking place.
The city also maintains 30 school horses on the premises, used for lessons. The program for age 10 through adult operates year round through use of the indoor arena.
“The prices are unbelievably affordable, and what a splendid opportunity for people in the community to have,” said Howard.
Both the Lexington Parks and Recreation and MET agree that the park should be used for horses, but how much of the 650 acres is the question.
Howard said the city received federal money to add a walking path, but federal grants require the paths to accommodate the disabled.
“The path will be blacktop and as an equestrian, my horse shouldn’t work on blacktop and is scared of things that will use the path: in-line skates, strollers, running, skateboarding and things of the like,” said Howard.
Meanwhile, the trust invests in the park, too.
The trust was formed by a group of concerned citizens and wants to make a positive impact on the park, should its voice be heard by LFUGG. Through their funding and fundraising, the trust added sand to the dressage rings, renovated portions of the hunter-jumper ring, replaced the ceiling in the indoor riding arena, added a stone pillar entrance to the park and raised awareness of the park.
The trust is in the process of repairing and replacing fencing, adding clear signage through the park and hosting horse shows to help pay for its projects. The trust priorities include adding stalls, which will in turn generate revenue for the park through rental and meet utilization expectations.
“We need to raise about $300,000 to construct a 50-stall barn, which we are trying to get city money allotted to,” said Howard.
The barns will be first constructed as a shell and stalls sold, then added individually to donors for $1,000. Adding barns that will allow for overnight stabling and space for clinics and competitions will be the largest project the trust has undertaken.
“What is comes down to is this is a great public, free space for anyone to use and we want to see it not get eaten up by soccer fields and subdivisions, but used for its intended purpose,” said McGee.
For more on the issue, log on to:
• http://www.lfucg.com/parks/equestrian.asp
• http://www.mastersonequestrian.org
Elizabeth Lauer is a photojournalism student at Western Kentucky University (WKU), where she will be a senior in the fall. A class-wide project with the theme of public land use prompted Ms. Lauer to write the article for a public affairs reporting class at WKU.
Ms. Lauer’s interest in horses and public land use lies in her background: her father trains racehorses and she has ridden since she was young. Naturally the park and horses were something of interest to Ms. Lauer. The writer has visited MSP to ride and meet friends. She is keen on seeing MSP being around for her children to enjoy.
