The 2013 Carriage Association of America’s (CAA) Carriage Festival Weekend and Carriage Festival Pleasure-driving Show is being held at the Kentucky Horse Park on June 28–30.

The CAA Carriage Festival is more than just a pleasure-driving show! The CAA caters to those who love the memory of a historic age when horse-drawn vehicles fulfilled so many needs of mankind. The CAA strives to be historically accurate, currently informative, and helpful to all who share appreciation of things that were.

Founded in 1960, the CAA is the oldest and largest international organization devoted to the preservation and restoration of horse-drawn carriages and sleighs. Thousands of people have been introduced to the wonders of collecting these vehicles and the pleasures of driving them while discovering the beauty and charm of a lifestyle that has all but vanished from our modern world.

The event takes place mostly in the park’s Alltech Arena, consisting of part pleasure-driving show and part mini-conference. Participants and spectators alike will all find something to see, do, and enjoy at this year’s inaugural CAA Carriage Classic. The pleasure-driving-show portion of the event will feature the standard pleasure-driving classes and several “just for fun” classes, in a variety of divisions. The event will also feature pleasure drives throughout the park, lectures, and social activities usually associated with a full CAA Conference.

Exhibit a carriage in the CAA’s popular Carriage Showcase, a vehicle in the Antique Car Show or simply come to the park’s Alltech Arena to watch it all and listen to several speakers on hand, who will educate and entertain! This event is suitable for all ages.

For more information about the Carriage Association of America Carriage Classic, please contact Jill Ryder at 859-231-0971 or visit www.caaonline.com.

Thursday, June 27

10:00 am - Stables open

1:00 – 5:00 pm - Alltech Arena open for schooling

1:00 – 5:00 pm - Drive at will on marked trails

5:30 pm - Coaching Run

Friday, June 28

7:30 am – Breakfast and Show Meeting – in the stabling area

9:00 am – CAA Carriage Festival Pleasure – driving show begins

9:00 am - 5:00 pm – CAA Driver Proficiency Program evaluations offered on a sign-up basis

9:00 am – 5:00 pm – Drive at will on marked trails

11:00 am – Guided walking tour through the stables, to see the show horses and carriages

1:00 pm – National Horse Center leaders invited to watch the pleasure-driving show

3:00 pm – Talk: “Harness and All Its Uses” – David Freedman

7:00 pm – Talk: “What Is the Judge Looking For?” – Karen Homer Brown

7:00 pm – CAA Carriage Festival Pleasure-driving Show evening performance begins

Saturday, June 29

8:00 am – Start CAA Carriage Festival pleasure-driving show

9:00 am – 5:00 pm – CAA Driver Proficiency Program evaluations offered on a sign-up basis

9:00 am – 5:00 pm – Drive at will on marked trails

10:00 am – 3:00 pm – Antique Car Show (People’s Choice Award presented at 3:30 p.m.)

10:00 am – 3:00 pm – CAA Carriage Showcase

11:00 am – Guided walking tour through the stables, to see the show horses and carriages

12:15 pm – Antique Car Gymkhana – in the arena (awards presentation at 12:40 p.m.)

2:00 pm – Talk: “What Is the Judge Looking For?” – Karen Homer Brown

5:00 pm – Carriage Showcase awards and commentary

7:00 pm – CAA Carriage Festival pleasure-driving show evening performance begins

Sunday, June 30

9:00 am – Start CAA Carriage Festival – pleasure drive through Walnut Hall Farm

11:30 am – Awards Presentations: Pleasure Drive, Best Tack Stall, and Overall Festival Champion

Date & Time:

June 28-30, 2013 – 8:00 am – 7:00 pm

Admission:

Included in Kentucky Horse Park general admission, horse show-only rate available

Location & Parking:

Alltech Arena

The Carriage Association of America, Inc.
3915 Jay Trump Road  •  Lexington, Kentucky 40511  •  U.S.A.
859-231-0971  •  859-231-0973 (fax)  •  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.    www.caaonline.com
  
 
LEXINGTON, KY (May 4, 2012) The Carriage Association of America (CAA) is pleased to announce the CAA Carriage Festival, to be held this summer at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky, June 29 – July 1. The event, which will take place in and around the Horse Park’s Alltech Arena, will include a pleasure-driving show, an antique car show, a carriage showcase, educational talks, and more.
 
Participants and spectators alike will all find something to see, do, and enjoy at this year’s CAA Carriage Festival.
 
The pleasure-driving-show portion of the event will feature the standard pleasure-driving classes and several “just for fun” classes, in a variety of divisions. The prize list for the show is available now, and entries close on June 1. To download the prize list, visit www.caaonline.com and click on Calendar of Events, or to have a copy mailed to you, contact the CAA office (call 859-231-0971, send a fax to 859-231-0973, or write to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. "> This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ).
 
The Carriage Festival will also feature pleasure drives throughout the Horse Park (for those entered in the pleasure-driving show, or not), a parade of carriages on Sunday, educational talks, a trade fair, and social activities. Both restored antique carriages and antique cars will be on display and vying for People’s Choice Awards.
 
The CAA was founded in 1960 and is the oldest and largest international organization devoted to the preservation and restoration of horse-drawn carriages and sleighs. The CAA has more than 3,000 members in all 50 states and in 40 other countries.
 
For more information on the Carriage Association of America or to join, visit www.caaonline.com, write to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 859-231-0971.
 
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Note to editors:  The attached photos may be used only in conjunction with this press release. Please give photo credit to Jennifer Singleton / Carriage Association of America.
 

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Feb. 14, 2012) The Kentucky Horse Park will open something akin to a school in a barn, to engage school-age children in discovering the wonder of horses. The new attraction is a joint project between the public and private sectors and it will be the first attraction at the park that is dedicated solely to children. The Kids’ Barn will feature interactive exhibits, while the park’s education department staff will host daily hands-on activities with the park’s resident horses.

“Children have a tremendous curiosity and natural affinity for horses, and since one of the most important missions of the Kentucky Horse Park is to raise awareness of - and interest in – horses, our new Kids’ Barn will be a wonderful expression of our dedication to that goal,” said John Nicholson, executive director of the park. “It will expand their knowledge and appreciation of horses and the horse industry in a fun and memorable way, through lots of hands-on interactions and other learning experiences.”

Kentucky Classic CDE
 859-588-1933   •   This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.    •   www.kentuckyclassiccde.com

Were you one of the thousands of people who enjoyed the spectacular combined driving last October at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington?  Get ready for more carriage-driving action at the Horse Park this fall!
 
The inaugural Kentucky Classic Combined Driving Event (CDE) will take place October 7–9. A new, dedicated driving arena is currently under construction and will hold the dressage and cones competitions for the new Kentucky Classic CDE.
 
Singles, pairs, and four-in-hand teams of horses and ponies—at the preliminary, intermediate, and advanced levels—will compete over the course of three days. For this first year only, the event has adopted a slightly modified competition schedule, with advanced-level dressage and cones on Friday afternoon, preliminary- and intermediate-level dressage and cones on Saturday, and the marathon on Sunday. For the marathon phase, the Kentucky Classic CDE will use seven of the eight marathon obstacles designed by Richard Nicoll for last year’s Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games.
 
A portion of the proceeds from this year’s Kentucky Classic CDE will benefit the Kentucky Horse Park Foundation and the Central Kentucky Riding for Hope’s (CKRH) therapeutic-driving program.
 
Next year’s event, the second annual Kentucky Classic CDE, will host the 2012 USEF National Pony Driving Championships.
 
For current news and updates before, during, and after the event, please “like” the Kentucky Classic Combined Driving Event on Facebook.
 
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The Carriage Association of America is holding its first pleasure driving competition, the Carriage Classic,  this weekend, July 1-3 at the Kentucky Horse Park.  This USEF-sanctioned show will be held in the Alltech Arena. 

Horses and antique carriages from across the country are competing and being driven throughout the park for visitors to enjoy watching.  Included with park admission! 

This is just a little peek at a few of the single-horse carriages as they left the Alltech Arena after their first class this morning:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tEVLa8UoLHE 

For more information contact the Carriage Association of America, which is headquartered at the Kentucky Horse Park, www.caaonline.com

Photo by Lesley Ward

Carriage Association of America To Host a “Driving Show and More”

The Carriage Association of America (CAA) is pleased to announce the first CAA Carriage Classic, which will be held at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky, July 1–3. The event, which will take place mostly in the Horse Park’s Alltech Arena, will be part pleasure-driving show and part mini-Conference.

Participants and spectators alike will all find something to see, do, and enjoy at this year’s inaugural CAA Carriage Classic.

The pleasure-driving-show portion of the event will feature the standard pleasure-driving classes and a several “just for fun” classes, in a variety of divisions. The prize list for the show is available now, and entries close on May 15. You can download the prize list at www.caaonline.com (click on Calendar of Events), or you can contact the CAA office for a copy (call 859-231-0971, send a fax to 859-231-0973, or write to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ).

The event will also feature pleasure drives throughout the Horse Park (for those entered in the pleasure-driving show, or not), lectures, and social activities usually associated with a full CAA Conference. Also in the works are a few special events, such as an antique car show. More details on this portion of the event will be posted at www.caaonline.com as they become available.

The CAA was founded in 1960 and is the oldest and largest international organization devoted to the preservation and restoration of horse-drawn carriages and sleighs. The CAA has more than 3,000 members in all 50 states and in 40 other countries.

For more information on the Carriage Association of America or to join, visit www.caaonline.com, write to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , or call 859-231-0971.