The 2010 FEI World Equestrian Games (officially the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games) were held at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky, U.S. from September 25 to October 10, 2010. This was the sixth edition of the games, which are held every four years and run by the International Federation for Equestrian Sports (FEI). For the first time, Para-equestrian events were added in the program. This was also the first time the games were hosted by a city outside of Europe, and also the first time that all events at the games were held at a single site. (Although the 100-mile/161-km endurance course, by necessity, was mostly contained outside the park, the main veterinary gate was located within the park.)
Alltech, an animal health and nutrition company located in Nicholasville, Kentucky (about 15 minutes from downtown Lexington and 30 minutes from the Horse Park), was the title sponsor of the 2010 Games. The sponsorship was valued at $10 million.[1] However, Alltech's total support went far beyond the name sponsorship package. The company had nearly 60 employees involved with the promotion of the Games—more than the size of the official FEI World Games staff. When the organizing committee for the Games announced a budget cutback due to lower-than-expected ticket sales, Alltech stepped up its financial support. Company founder and president Pearse Lyons also brought in University of Kentucky basketball head coach John Calipari to promote a special luxury ticket package. At the time of the Games, the company's support was estimated to have been $32 million, and the company was expected to (and ultimately did) sponsor the next edition of the Games held in the French region of Normandy in 2014.[2]
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