Kentucky Horse Park

Kentucky Horse Park’s International Museum of the Horse has been tapped to host A Gift from the Desert: The Art, History and Culture of the Arabian Horse — an international exhibit that serves an accompaniment to an upcoming film of the same name. The exhibit, which runs from Sept. 25 to Oct. 10, was commissioned in conjunction with the upcoming Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, which will be at Kentucky Horse Park.

A Gift from the Desert exhibit is itself a gift from the Saudi Arabian Equestrian Federation, a Saudi Arabian government agency which underwrote the $2.3 million to stage the exhibition.

“There is no way that I can adequately express my gratitude to the Saudi Arabian Equestrian Federation, not only for their support financially, but also for their confidence in our museum to produce the definitive exhibition and film regarding the rich cultural and equestrian heritage of the Arabian Peninsula and the Near East,” said John Nicholson, executive director of the Kentucky Horse Park.

An expected 300,000 people will see the 9,000-square-foot exhibit, which will contain 300 to 350 artifacts and works of art, at the Kentucky Horse Park. The exhibit will be open in July before the FEI Games. Items were solicited from Near Eastern, American and European museums, academic institutions and private collections. 

The film A Gift from the Desert, directed by former PBS producer Jo Franklin, will later be broadcast both in the United States and in the Near East before being released onto DVD in English and Arabic.

A Gift from the Desert marks the first time a major exhibition has explored the impact of the horse — particularly the Arabian horse — on Near Eastern civilization. The exhibit traces that impact from the horse’s introduction in the Near East about 2,000 B.C., the rise of the chariot — and chariot racing — 2,500 years ago, the horse’s role in the spread of Islam, the Bedouins’ selective breeding that created the Arabian breed and more.

“We are also excited about having the opportunity to work closely with both Saudi Arabian and other regional scholars as we develop this fascinating story,” Nicholson said. “The fact that we will be presenting this to an international audience during the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, only adds to the significance of the Saudi Arabian Equestrian Federation's support.”  

- by Ivonne Rovira, Lexington Reporter for HelloMetro  (Click to leave a message)

Ivonne Rovira

A graduate of the prestigious Columbia University School of Journalism in New York City, Ivonne Rovira worked as a reporter for the Miami News, The Miami Herald and The Associated Press. She has written articles for The National Catholic Reporter and The Courier-Journal. For more than 15 years, Ivonne wrote and edited articles aimed at middle-school children.