As many of you are aware, a group of dedicated horsemen and women have been working for
the past year on the Arabian Horse Celebration, a new show that will debut in Louisville, Ky.,
in September 2012. Now just a year out, plans are coming together—so far, better than we could
have dreamed. I don’t use adjectives like “incredible” lightly, particularly about events like
this. From the beginning, we have planned conservatively, content to design a show that would
grow slowly and careful not to bite off more than we could chew. But as time has passed, the
groundswell of support has gone from gratifying to amazing, and now, as the city of Louisville
comes aboard, we’re in the unique position of having to revise expectations upward. Here’s the
latest.

In August, the Celebration’s board of directors met in Dallas, and we came up with a tentative
list of classes. At that point, we felt it was time for another site visit, to begin working more with
the Kentucky Fair and Exposition Center and the local community. We scheduled our trip for the
week of the American Saddlebred World Championships (an exciting event in itself), when we
could get another look at the facilities we are planning to use while they were set up for a horse
show.

The Facility Layout. Everything except the work arenas will be under one roof at the
Celebration. We have confirmed that we will use the North Wing Exhibit Hall for all of the
stabling, as well as the commercial exhibits and a restaurant which will serve breakfast, lunch
and dinner, and offer a full bar. For those who wonder if there will be room for all of this, rest
assured that after allowing for the restaurant and the vendors, there is still room for 880 stalls.
And as anyone who has been there will remember, the North Wing Exhibit Hall connects directly
with Freedom Hall; the seats and show ring are just steps away. It could not be more convenient.

One of the signature features of the Celebration is that we are bringing back Stallion Row. The
North Wing has a spacious center aisle, where the stallions will be presented and the public can
actually touch the horses and become involved hands-on. Our purpose is to educate the public,
get them interested in horses, and also to promote breeding again. With that in mind, we are
widening the center aisle even more so that stallion owners can set up reception and promotional
areas to meet with both newcomers and experienced horsemen who want to learn more about the
stallions.

As I said, the only things not under one roof are the work areas, but there will be several and
they are close. At one end of the North Wing is Freedom Hall, and at the other, across the barn
road, are the shed row stables. Directly across from the North Wing is the new, open arcade
that was built to replace the barns which burned down a few years ago. At the other end of that
is the large, covered outdoor arena exhibitors will remember from past U.S. National shows. It
will be for our use, and it will, as usual, include a bullpen in the center. There also will be two
longeing rings available just behind that arena, and we may also put in a work area under the
arcade for western riders. In addition to all that, there will be—again, as usual—Stopher Walk
(the approach chute to Freedom Hall and its warm-up area), the warm-up area, and Freedom Hall
itself.

If you’ve been following the planning of the Celebration, you will know that one of its most

important goals is to provide education for both the public and horsemen, and that goes beyond
the return of Stallion Row. We are also reviving the use of informative seminars, on the order of
the ones which were so popular at the Arabian Horse Fairs of the 1970s. Those will take place in
Freedom Hall on Thursday and Friday afternoons, when showing will be suspended in favor of
this critical element of the Celebration.

And finally, whenever you mention Freedom Hall, there are those who immediately ask about
the skyboxes. Arabian horse people were introduced to the concept of skyboxes at the U.S.
Nationals of 1984, and the ones at Louisville have long set the standard. They were great to
begin with, and they’re even better now—they’ve been remodeled. Five double skyboxes and 22
singles will be available for use.

All of this planning has come together smoothly. The staff of the Kentucky Fair and Exhibition
Center has been helpful all along, but in August, as we nailed all this down, they were second to
none to work with. They accommodated our every request.

The City. As I said, our August visit was also to cement our relationship with the city of
Louisville, through its Chamber of Commerce and Convention and Visitors Bureau. Once again,
we found everyone we worked with extremely cooperative and excited about having the Arabian
horse people back in town. Their representatives are working closely with us on promotion of the
show and to help us secure the support we need from local vendors. Local hotels stepped up to
the plate with discounts and rates that are very, very affordable at any level. And the Convention
and Visitors Bureau has established a new promotional program under which every exhibitor at
the Celebration can show his or her exhibitor’s badge at many restaurants and stores, and receive
a 10 percent discount on any purchase.

The Response. The excitement, anticipation and enthusiasm around the country has been
overwhelming. Amazingly, it has come not only in the Arabian horse business, where it might be
expected, but in other breeds as well. I’m hearing a lot of encouragement principally from people
in Saddlebreds and Quarter Horses, who want to see us there. I suppose it is understandable,
since many Half-Arabians are being bred from both those breeds, and our success bodes well for
their market too. For whatever reason, it’s a welcome endorsement.

Most gratifying is that many supporters are making definite plans. A number of commercial
vendors already have made reservations, and we have 10 to 15 of the 32 Stallion Row
placements reserved. It is worth mentioning that the stallions represent both large and small
breeders, which will ensure a range of stallions to interest horsemen in a variety of levels and
disciplines. We are welcoming everyone.

The Celebration is planning a cocktail party at U.S. Nationals, where we will announce further
developments to keep you up to date, and by November 1, we expect to start promotion on the
show and the stallions registered for Stallion Row.

It’s time to start shining the spotlight. Arabians are going back to Freedom Hall, probably the
most exciting place in the country to show a horse, and we invite you to get on the bandwagon
with us.

For more information, please check www.arabiancelebration.com.