A new trail training course at the Maker’s Mark Secretariat Center in the Kentucky Horse Park will allow off-the-track Thoroughbreds to be schooled over natural trails. The training course, developed by the Maker’s Mark Secretariat Center, the Equine Land Conservation Resource, and the Central Kentucky Back Country Horsemen, will include wooded trails, natural obstacles, and stream crossings.

The first Trail Blazer Day will be Saturday, Aug. 29, beginning at 10 a.m. at the Maker’s Mark Secretariat Center in the Kentucky Horse Park. Volunteers are needed for trail clearing, limb lopping, and garbage removal. Tools will be provided or you can bring your own. Trail volunteers are encouraged to bring gloves, sunscreen, bug spray, and wear long pants and shirt sleeves.

Opened in 2004, the Maker’s Mark Secretariat Center is operated by the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation. The Center is home to 10-15 Thoroughbreds ready for retraining and adoption. The addition of a trail training course adds diversity to the training facility and improves the re-education opportunity for the horses.

Central Kentucky Back Country Horsemen, formed in 2007, is a service organization that is providing volunteers and their “tool trailer” for the event. The group advocates for horse use on public lands, promotes Leave No Trace land stewardship principles, and through its members, participates in sustainable trail building and maintenance projects