Celebrity Sightings at BreyerFest

Over the years we have had quite a few celebrity sightings at BreyerFest; everyone from Hollywood legends to renowned trainers and riders. As we continue to look back on 29 years of BreyerFest we’re going to revisit these celebrity sightings today.  

We’ve mentioned previously that Dr. Peaches was our first ever Celebration Horse, with his owner Bruce Davidson. Bruce Davidson was our first celebrity at the very first BreyerFest.  For those not in the know, Bruce is an Olympian who won gold at the 1976 and 1984 Olympics and Silver at 1996 Olympics. He also won medals at the World Equestrian Games, Pan American Games, Badminton Horse Trials, and the Rolex Kentucky Three Day.

A couple of years later we welcomed Riders in the Sky to BreyerFest 1992 where the Grammy-award winners performed throughout the weekend. Does anyone remember their radio show or Saturday morning TV show?

In 1994 we welcomed the most sought-after trainer and clinician around to the Kentucky Horse Park. John Lyons also brought along his horse, Bright Zip, who was our Celebration Horse that year. The following summer we tried to welcome Mego and his trainer George Taylor. Sadly an outbreak of vesicular stomatitis closed the Kentucky borders and the equestrian star of Walker, Texas Ranger couldn’t make it to the event.

The Hollywood glamour was back again in 1997 when Samsung Woodstock (show jumping superstar) and Docs Keepin Time (stunt horse featured in Black Beauty and Runaway Bride) joined the BreyerFest celebrations. Horse World TV star Larry Magan was on hand to film everything that happened throughout the event. The 1995 Police Horse of the Year, Bold Reflection, was our Celebration Horse so the event was jam-packed with stars!

The biggest Breyer star, Pal O’Mine, was introduced at BreyerFest 2000. While Pal has been around for less than 20 years we couldn’t imagine BreyerFest without Pal’s endless enthusiasm and cheery waves!

At our Summer Carnival event in 2006 we were joined by stuntman and equine extremist Tommy Turvey and Joker who was our Celebration Horse that year. And who can forget about our Big Top Show in the Covered Arena.

In 2007 we welcomed a new kind of celebrity to Stars & Stripes when PRCA performer Blake Goode brought along his Brahma bulls, Geronimo and Apache. Joining them was the legendary Lynn Palm who presented Rugged Paint Lark, our Celebration Horse for the year.

Our Roxy model was first introduced at BreyerFest 2009 (our 20th Birthday Bash!) and was based on Wizards Baby Doll (fondly known as Roxy). Stacy Westfall is a reining star and Roxy is the only horse that had been ridden bareback and bridle-less at a competition level. Amazing!

BreyerFest went Hollywood in 2010 and our Celebration Horse, All Glory, and his owners William and Elizabeth Shatner were certainly in keeping with the theme. Hollywood was welcomed to the Kentucky Horse Park again in 2013 when we welcomed Smart & Shiney and his owner Lyle Lovett to our Denim & Diamonds event. The winner of the 2012 Road to the Horse Colt Starting World Championship, Dan James, was there too and showcased his countless roping, stunt riding, liberty, and whip-cracking trips.

Hollywood was back yet again with Emmy-Award winning TV star Carson Kressley on hand to present Gooitzen fan Teakesyl, our 25th Celebration Horse. We can’t forget about the Knights of Valour, Behind the Mask Friesians, and the Knights of Iceland who joined us for the weekend.

We’re sure our movie buffs remember when the equine star of Dag Dia visited the ‘BreyerFest set’ in 2016. Dag Dia was joined by a few of his co-stars from Albion: The Enchanted Stallion. Last year at BreyerFest Gateway to India we were thrilled to welcome Dally and Spanky. What an entertaining pair! And they are certainly proof of the strong bond that can exist between a horse and a dog.

With BreyerFest 2019 being our 30th year you know we’ll have plenty of surprises and maybe a celebrity sighting or two!