Am still toying w/ trying to get to the NHS this fall, but after comments from friends on the Hunter Derby, I’m wondering - how accessible is KHP? There’s not a whole lot of information on their site, so I’m guessing the answer is “not very”.
Anyone know anything about the arena where the NHS will be held? Is it stairs only, or are there elevators/ramps to “the cheap seats”? 
How long of a walk is it from spectator parking to the arena?
Comments welcome. TIA.
I’m probably not the best one to answer this, but we were there last spring and I remember having a conversation about accessibility at the time.
If I were bringing a child in a wheelchair, we’d probably do ok because the strollers we saw seemed to be doing ok. The museum and activities were generally easy to get around and I did see an elevator at one point when we were looking for stairs. There is accessible parking near the entrance. I don’t remember the rest room situation. I don’t remember specifically whether walkways are all paved in the museum area but I think they were, though I wouldn’t be surprised if someone corrects me that the main walkways are paved but others are not.
On the other hand, if I were there to watch something that took place in the many arenas, I’m not sure how thrilled I"d be with overall accessibility. It’s a good long walk between things; we were there on a hot day and I whined! Some of the paths are stone dust, some are paved. I don’t remember if there were wheelchair-designated sections in the grandstands of the main arena but I would imagine there are; the smaller rings, however, might or might not have a place where someone in a wheelchair could park safely and see well. If my 86-year-old mother who uses a walker wanted to go to the horse park, she’d probably spend most of her time in a golf cart (if we could get one) and then we’d be looking for places to park the golf cart… Definitely too much walking for her. Hope some of this helps!
Well…
I’d contact the horse park but, there is a small parking lot on the side of the building and there is an elevator on the level from that parking lot. KHP folks are nice and I’m sure they can provide more details.
You could PM KHPVol ( I think that’s it) perhaps? I don’t pass it going to work anymore plus I’d have to pay to get in.
That being said there’s a lot of difference between using a walker and being confined to a wheelchair. My MIL uses a cane and has a handicap sticker and the KHP is the LAST place I’d take her - we’d have to get a golf cart etc. My mom is wheelchair bound with a handicap van and it might be easier to make arrangements to drive the van down the service roads, but there’d be no leisurely exploring the rest of the HP either.
KHP hosted Paraequestrian as part of the WEG last year, in an older, smaller indoor arena on the grounds (sorry, don’t remember the arena’s name). There were ramps to get in & out of the seating area and accessible restrooms, but IIRC wheelchairs had to stay on the highest row of bleachers (but still very close to the action in that ring); there was no way to get down to the front row.
The main arena had wheelchair-accessible seating in the grandstands, as did the largest indoor (the one where vaulting was held), as well as access ramps and accessible bathrooms.
For WEG, the paraequestrian riders had access to golf-cart shuttles to make the distances and many stone-dust paths between their arena and other parts of the horse park more accessible.
I spent a few days at the Alltech Arena this summer. I was not intentionally paying attention to the acessability of the layout- and there is one aspect of the layout that I HATE regardless of your mobility- it’s just bad design.
That said- The front upper entrance has a ramped plaza outdoors (I rode a bicycle up- so remember that) and once inside the doors (there are automatic ones)- you are at the uppermost level of the seating which has a very wide walkway area to manage crowds on the way to the seating. The view is pretty good from up there. The upper level restrooms are a very open baffled entrance style. There are elevators that will go to lower levels (a road to no-where) I do not recall any ramping in the stands themselves- so I don’t know if you can get into the actual seating in a wheelchair- or if you would need to watch from the rail at the top of the seating.
There is a lower level entrance as well. The elevators (I mentioned) will go down to the lower level- but they don’t open into an obvious crowd friendly place- they seem to open into a service aisle where you get the distinct feeling that you are not supposed to be there and that you are on your way to the dumpster and the powerplant. There are a few fire doors along this hall and they are not automatic/wheelchair friendly. One of the doors (unmarked) opens directly into the chute of the skirt of the show arena so unprepard people may stroll obliviously into the path of a firecracker of a horse coming in or out of the ring.
If you are “with” someone showing- it’s just about impossible to go between the stables/ ring level and the stands. When at the ringside skirt area you can almost touch the front row of the seating… but to actually get your butt in one of those seats- you have to navigate a totally confusing and unmarked maze.
http://carriageassociation.wordpress.com/2012/06/29/its-festival-time/
This is the best picture I could find for you online (not the best) where some vendors were set up upstairs at the front entrance- you can get an idea of the view down to the ring from that balcony (it’s not likely there would be vendors there and you would be able to get right up to the railing)
I don’t recall that you could get into the stands at Alltech Arena without being pretty nimble. I think the intent is for wheelchair bound patrons to sit on the mezzanine similar to how movie theaters do it - bad knees, walker users, not a friendly place. The old indoor I remember is opposite to the H/J arena area behind stabling - I have NO idea how to get in without going down the arena entry and using the stairs but there is a big flat area at the top and what look like elevators and entry areas on that side.
Interesting question.
The old indoor has a ramp on the side toward the parking lot so it is accessible for those on scooters or wheel chairs. I don’t know a thing about the Alltech arena though. The one time I have been in there, it did not seem very accessible but I was not looking for that either.
Wow, thank you all SO MUCH for the great information!!:yes:
The Alltech Arena is very accessible. There are elevators on both sides I think (at least one if not three or four), and if you park on the higher side you could just roll right in from your parking spot and be right there. I’m guessing 100-250 feet from your car to your seat if you parked in a handicapped spot in front. I’d plan on getting there slightly on the earlier side because getting a close handicapped spot would be very nice.
As far as seating/viewing, I’m not sure if they have an exact spot to park and watch from a wheelchair, but all around the top of the arena is a walking loop that has places that overlook the arena. It would be easy to roll up and watch from there, I think. If you could manage a couple of steps down to the top row of seats you’d be set for sure. Of course, because the arena is so new and it is part of a public facility, I’d bet there is a lovely handicapped seating area. It probably would be a good idea to call ahead and check this out.
The Rolex arena is also handicapped accessible and you could just roll up and watch and have a great view, but the problem is parking close enough to it. For a smaller event, probably no problem, larger event, possibly a little more of a problem. It doesn’t have a dedicated paved parking lot next to it the way the Alltech arena does.
The ground is fairly level, and the individual arenas are fairly accessible, but problems arise there are things you want to see going on in various parts of the park. The Covered Arena is far from the Rolex Stadium which is far from the Altech Arena. The Clairborne and Stoneleigh rings are close together, so you can just turn around and watch what’s going on in either. The Murphy ring is up on higher ground, and harder to get to. There’s an annex ring that’s near the covered arena and that wasn’t near any other ring. There are a couple of jumper rings that I didn’t visit.
The park is so big and sprawling that a golf cart would be needed if you wanted to move from ring to ring. That place is loaded with golf carts, and Dever is the company that rents them. When I showed there, we’d all chip in for a couple of golf carts, but for the Hunter Derby, I was just a spectator, so we walked everywhere.
There’s plenty of parking, but even the handicapped parking places are a good hike from the show rings.
I’d try to get a list of what classes were in what rings or arenas for the show, and then look at a park map. If there’s enough stuff going on in one place, you should be fine.
The Alltech arena is in the far upper left (north west) corner of the park grounds
KHP accessibility - Alltech Arena
The Alltech NHS will be held in the Alltech Arena, which IS accessible! The parking lot is right next to the arena and there is a ramp, plus plenty of accessible seating.
The rest of the horse park has paved walkways and ramps. If you need a shuttle from the parking lot or other assistance, you can definitely contact the horse park ahead of time!
Hope this helps 
Adubs, you’re awesome! Thanks so much! :yes:
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