Of the many milestones accompanying the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, I find one especially exciting: This will be the first equestrian world championships to include the para-equestrian discipline, which previously was included only at the Paralympic Games, counterpart to the Olympic Games.

"Para," as it's dubbed, is an official International Equestrian Federation (FEI) discipline, with its own set of rules, tests, and qualification procedures. It differs from the other seven FEI disciplines in that it's for equestrians with physical disabilities.

There are actually two forms of para-equestrian competition: dressage and driving. The 2010 WEG will feature dressage only.

Para-equestrian competition is not to be confused with the Special Olympics, which is a competition for athletes with developmental disabilities. Para-equestrians have physical disabilities only. The conditions themselves range from those present at birth to those acquired later in life, either through an accident or through the development of a disease or other issue.

The severity of a rider's condition is assigned a grade at an official classification session. The grades used for para-equestrian competition range from Ia (those with severe impairment in all four limbs, who are mostly confined to a wheelchair) to IV (those with some visual impairment or impairment in one or two limbs). 

As you might expect, athletes compete against others of their own grade. The FEI produces dressage tests for each grade: a novice test, a team test, a championship test, and a freestyle test. 

Lest you think that these are easy-peasy patterns, take a look at the FEI Grade IV tests. There are many able-bodied riders who wouldn't be able to do the required elements --  collected, medium, and extended paces; half-pass in trot and canter; walk pirouettes; and counter-canter. Obviously, each grade's tests correspond in difficulty to the level of physical impairment, but suffice it to say that all are appropriately challenging.

It is humbling as an able-bodied rider to watch a para-equestrian athlete ride a lovely dressage test and then dismount to return to, say, a wheelchair. The disability or degree thereof may not have been as evident while the rider was in the saddle -- which, after all, is what para-equestrian is all about.

Among the many topics pertaining to the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games that have generated lots of virtual ink is the cost of attending. A number of horse-sport enthusiasts have complained that the tickets are expensive, the lodging is at price-gouging levels, and the event is out of reach for all but the more affluent equestrians.

So I decided to put on my reporter's hat to try to figure out just how outrageous the pricing of all things WEG really is.

Some readers may not like my conclusion, which is: Attending the WEG won't set you back more than attending most other premium events, and it's a lot less expensive than some.

Here's a brief sampling of comparisons. I browsed Ticketmaster.com (purveyor of WEG tickets, by the way) and a few other ticket-selling sites for prices to this spring and summer's hot concert tours. Expect to pay close to $100 for a sort-of-OK seat (pack your binoculars); you might be able to snag a nosebleed seat for around $60, while the really awesome seats (if you can get them) can run into the hundreds of dollars. And that's just for face value, not what you'll pay after the odious practice of reselling.

The natural next place to look was the official site of the just-concluded 2010 Vancouver Olympic Winter Games. Tickets to the alpine-skiing events cost between $80 and $150 (yes, in Canadian dollars). OK, you could have gotten into cross-country skiing for as little as $25, but decent seats to the figure-skating events ran $250, with the best seats costing more than $400.

I concluded my quickie price comparison with a look at the 2010 Super Bowl. Yikes! Football generally isn't thought of as an upper-crust sport, but the prices sure are. Face value alone of Super Bowl tix was in the $500-$800 range. Hotel rooms in Miami, where the game was held, were going for $350 a night, with some higher-end properties selling out despite raising their rates to $1,000 and up per night.

A glance at the WEG ticket-price ranges on Ticketmaster.com shows that most are priced between $45 and $95. A few are lower (para-equestrian dressage, vaulting), and some are higher (opening ceremonies, dressage, jumping, and the stadium phase of eventing). Admitted, the actual price of attending an entire event may be higher if it's been split into parts, each requiring a separate admission ticket. For example, driven dressage will be run as two parts on the same day, so to see the whole thing you'll have to buy two tickets, a practice that does seem a bit gouge-y.

And yes, the Lexington-area hotels have jacked up their rates. A lower-tier hotel in which I've stayed numerous times on business trips to Lexington for $89/night is charging around $300/night during the WEG. I don't like it, but then again I'm afraid that capitalism-in-action and what-the-market-will-bear are practically inevitable whenever a location hosts a major event, at least in the US.

Attending the WEG is not an inexpensive proposition, to be sure. Neither is attending the Olympics or a Super Bowl. These are major, elite-level competitions. They're expensive to produce. They're held in singular locations, meaning that most fans have to pay to get there and pay to stay there. The WEG is not just another horse show. It is a high-end international championships. Frankly, I never expected it to be dirt cheap.

I love live music, but I don't attend a lot of major concerts because of the ticket prices. But I splurge every once in a while for an artist I really want to see. The last summer Olympic Games to be held in the US (Atlanta, 1996) I treated the same way. Going to the Games was a big thing: expensive and time-consuming. It also produced priceless memories and was a trip I will always cherish. 

For many of us horse people, the 2010 WEG is the biggest thing to come to American soil since the Atlanta Olympics. Keep that in mind when you review the price lists. If you go, I hope it's indeed the trip of a lifetime.

 If you're planning a trip to the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, September 25-October 10 in Lexington, Kentucky, and you've purchased tickets to lots of events, your days may be so filled with activity that there won't be much time for general sightseeing. That would be a shame, especially if this will be your first visit to the famed Bluegrass.

The world-famous Thoroughbred nursery that is Lexington and environs is filled with attractions for all ages, and you don't have to be a fan of Thoroughbred racing or even a diehard horse lover to enjoy them. While by no means exhaustive, here's a list of some of the greater Lexington/Louisville area's better-known sights, plus some tourism resources you can check out. And if you have a favorite destination or resource not mentioned here, please let me know about it!

• Love America's favorite pastime? Then don't miss the Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory, where you can watch the official bats of Major League Baseball being manufactured and tour a museum highlighting the sport's evolution.
• While you're in Louisville, see racing history up close at Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Derby Museum, home of the legendary Run for the Roses.
• South of Louisville, brush up on the difference between stalagmites and stalagtites and explore the world's longest known cave system at Mammoth Cave National Park.
• Closer to Lexington, visit Shaker Village at Pleasant Hill in Harrodsburg, America's largest restored Shaker community, for a taste of life in the 1800s.
• What Champagne is to France, bourbon is to Kentucky. Take a "bourbon trail" tour visiting some of the distilleries, such as the well-known Woodford Reserve.
• Among the area's many historic homes and attractions is the Mary Todd Lincoln House in Lexington.
• Tour the beautiful Keeneland race course, located across from Lexington's Blue Grass Airport. Keeneland's 2010 fall race meet opens October 8.
• And, of course, tour some of the Thoroughbred farms for which Lexington is famous. For farm overviews and tour information, visit HorseCapitalTours.com.

For an equine-centric tourism guide, check out the Horse Lover's Guide to Kentucky and the accompanying blog by the same name.

In-depth Lexington tourism information is online at VisitLex.com. Or explore the entire Commonwealth at the Kentucky Department of Travel's Web site.

See you in the Bluegrass!

PHOTO CREDITS: CleanPix/Courtesy of Lexington Convention & Visitors Bureau

The sport of endurance, like those of eventing and driving, has its roots firmly planted in practicality.

Before horses were companion animals, playthings, and sporting partners, they were transportation and instruments of farming and of warfare. To travel distances too great to cover on foot, one needed a horse. A surefooted, hardy mount with stamina was a must for those who had to undertake long journeys.

Today we watch the miles slip by from the windows of planes, trains, and automobiles; but we recognize "the original off-road vehicle," the horse, in the sport of endurance, now an International Equestrian Federation (FEI)-recognized discipline and one of the eight that will be featured at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, September 25-October 10 at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington.

Endurance became a competitive sport relatively recently, in the 1950s, and the FEI recognized the discipline in 1982. As it's conducted in FEI-level competition, endurance horses and their riders traverse a course of 160 kilometers (100 miles) that's divided into several sections or "phases." At the conclusion of each phase is a mandatory veterinary inspection, during which the horse's condition is assessed and monitored to gauge his fitness to continue. The horse's pulse must come down to an acceptable level within a certain amount of time or he'll be eliminated for not being able to handle the stress or the pace of competition. If he passes the pulse test, then he's held for 30 to 60 minutes for a complete veterinary exam, a wellness and soundness check, and other care. Even after a horse reaches the end of the course, he's not recorded as having officially completed the ride until he passes a final veterinary inspection.

Time spent in the "vet hold" counts toward a competitor's total time, and so the objective is to start with a supremely conditioned horse who needs as little rest as possible. The horse's fitness and well-being are paramount, and any rider determined to be pushing a tired horse can be disqualified. 

Endurance competitors have ground crews whose assistance is invaluable in getting them into and out of the vet holds smoothly and quickly. These teams surround the horse and rider, sponging the horse, offering water, and making any necessary adjustments, repairs, or substitutions to equipment.

Endurance is among the least "English" or "traditional" of the FEI disciplines -- no polished boots, top hats, cravats, or tailored woolen coats in this sport. The emphasis here, as it must be, is on all-weather, lightweight comfort for horse and rider. Thus the array of riding tights, functional footwear that can "hoof it" when needed, saddle and bridle types, and other accoutrements. Many endurance horses sport bridles of colorful synthetic materials -- more durable and easier to wipe clean than leather. 

The horses themselves compete au naturel, without braids or other cosmetic primping, and you'll probably notice a good number of flowing manes, proudy carried tails, and neatly curved ears. Yes, the Arabian is one of the dominant breeds in endurance, and no wonder: He was bred to carry his master for miles through harsh desert conditions. Not coincidentally, the Middle East, the Arabian's homeland, is an avid endurance participant, and many royals have competed. The FEI welcomes the Middle East's participation because it helps to broaden horse sports' global reach -- and the International Olympic Committee, among others, wants to see sports attract competitors from as many nations as possible. We're sure to see a wide range of nationalities in the WEG endurance competition, which is scheduled for Sunday, September 26, with the coveted Best Condition Award judging to be held the following day.

PHOTO CREDIT: CleanPix/Courtesy of Lexington Convention & Visitors Bureau

This year’s 2010 Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event CCI**** will be extra-special: Before and after the April 22-25 competition, the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington will host the official dressage and jumping test events for the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games (WEG).

The Kentucky CCI**** itself will serve as the WEG eventing test event.

The dressage test event will be held April 20 (Grand Prix), April 21 (GP Special), and April 22 (GP Freestyle). The jumping test event will be held April 23 (warm-up), April 24 (Grand Prix), and April 25 (speed class).

The well-known mother-daughter dressage team of Betsy and Jessie Steiner will be handling commentary duties for the dressage and show-jumping phases of the Rolex Kentucky event.

Eventing enthusiasts are eagerly awaiting the attempt by Britain’s Oliver Townend to become the second rider in history (after Britain’s Pippa Funnell in 2003) to win the $350,000 Rolex Grand Slam of Eventing, awarded to any rider who wins the Rolex Kentucky, Mitsubishi Motors Badminton, and Land Rover Burghley events in succession. Townend has won the first two legs.

For more information, visit the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event Web site at rk3de.org.