At $39 million dollars this is the largest state investment in the Kentucky Horse Park since it hosted the World Equestrian Games in 2010. The Horse Park opened in the 70’s and draws hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. The investment will be spent on revitalizing both the equine and tourist facilities.
"More competition, barns. It's going to upgrade the restaurants. It's going to upgrade the campground, which is the most popular public campground in Kentucky, but it's showing its age," Thayer said.
Senator Thayer, who retires at the end of this year considers this, alongside a $21 million dollar investment in the previous budget as one of his proudest moments in the Senate.
"I count this pretty high on my positive list of accomplishments. You know, I've always tried to push policies that would benefit Kentucky's status as horse capital of the world. And putting a stamp, a $60 million stamp on the Kentucky Horse Park over two budget cycles, it ranks pretty high up there," Thayer added.
Both Senators Thayer and West, who championed the funding, have seen the benefits in their own districts of Georgetown and Paris respectively, but also stressed that the Park is a significant jewel in the Commonwealth’s crown and the benefits will be reaped by the entire state.
"There's a lot of synergy with the bourbon industry, so people show up to the horse bark and they're like, hey, let's let's go on the trail so it's a circle and it adds to the economic impact," said Senator West.
The money for the Horse Park will be available on July 1st, the beginning of the next fiscal year.
