While in France I visited the Living Horse Museum (Musee Vivant du Cheval) in Chantilly. I’d seen it advertised on Bred to Win and loved the idea of visiting a place that had been set up by a prince who was obsessed with horses, convinced he was to come back as one in a future life.
Perhaps I’m not as horse obsessed as I thought I was – this sure takes the cake. I definitely wanted to see however a place that was set up on behalf of these gorgeous animals. The result was a 32 room place purely dedicated to all things horses and hey, it wouldn’t be the Living Horse Museum without some actual horses now, would it?
Move on over to the Southern Hemisphere and in Australia there’s the Racing Museum in Melbourne, Victoria. If you’re interested in the history of racing in Australia or just love racing in general, then it’d be worth the $9 fee for adults to take a look at current exhibitions.
The Irish National Stud have recently opened a museum to focus on the Sport of Kings and Ireland’s ‘long love affair with racing.’ As a student there in 2006 it was great to be around when the museum first was set up. You can also check out the gorgeous stud, St. Fiachra’s Garden and the Japanese Gardens.
The 5th Light Horse Museum in Gympie, Queensland, Australia works to preserve the history of the Australian Light Horsemen’s exploits in World War I, “for future generations to appreciate.”
The International Museum of the Horse at Lexington, KY displays breeds of the world that you can search by continent or name, the legacy of the horse, the horse in sport and recreation and a library and archives (can you guess what I’d be going to first? ;)). It seems I’ve quite a few more to add to my horse library. The museum also offers a wide range of educational resources.
If you have a love of the history of horses and their influence in our lives or your country specifically, perhaps pursuing something in a museum may be the way to go. Whether it’s taking people on tours, researching information to be displayed or collecting pieces for display there’s a number of possibilities if this line of work takes your interest.
Employment:
Racing Victoria is offering two full time positions for a 12 month duration in Customer Service / Museum Officer. Take a look at http://www1.racingvictoria.net.au/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=15&Itemid=163. Applications close this Thursday, December 11.
Other links of interest:
http://www.nhrm.co.uk/ – the National Horseracing Museum, Newmarket.
http://www.harnessmuseum.com/ – Harness Racing Museum, New York.
http://www.hkjc.com/english/ – the Hong Kong Racing Museum.
“The history of mankind is carried on the back of the horse.”
Tag: horse history, racing museum, living horse museum, light horse museum, international museum of the horse
Keenan’s book refers to the ‘only genetically pure horse left in the wild’, Equus caballus przewalskii that was discovered in Mongolia in the late 19th century.
