Alltech will expand on its Alltech National Horse Show at the Kentucky Horse Park with its first-ever “Kentucky Gathering,” Oct. 29 to Nov. 3.

“The Kentucky Gathering: A Celebration of Horses, Heritage and Hops” will include family-friendly activities held alongside the equine competition.

“The Kentucky Gathering will highlight the best of Kentucky, just as The Gathering in my native Ireland has done for Ireland this year,” said Pearse Lyons, founder and president of Alltech, the Nicholasville animal nutrition giant.

Key components of The Kentucky Gathering will include:

■ Taste Kentucky, in which the state’s craft brewers, food artisans and musicians will allow participants to sample a festival atmosphere and live bands, including the Boston folk-rock band Girls Guns and Glory, and Central Kentucky country musician Dillon Carmichael.  

■ Family-friendly activities including a children’s play area with inflatables, arts and crafts stations, an Alltech interactive educational area and indoor trick-or-treating on Halloween. Vendor boutiques from across the country will be open. Mother and son Jackie and Dan Evans from NBC’s The Biggest Loser will appear at the Biggest Loser RunWalk on Nov. 2.  

■ Dine Lexington Restaurant Week will be Oct. 25 to Nov. 3, when some locally owned and operated restaurants will offer a $25 fixed-price menu. Restaurant patrons will receive half-off admission to the National Horse Show with a receipt from a participating restaurant. The list of participating restaurants will be listed on the Dine Lexington Facebook event page.  

For more information, go to Kentuckygathering.com.

The 2013 Alltech National Horse Show takes center stage on October 29 – November 3, 2013, at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky. In addition to the top rated hunters and the ASPCA Maclay National Championship, the show features world-class international, open, junior and amateur-owner jumpers competing for the biggest prize money on the United States indoor tour.

Founded in 1883 at the original Madison Square Garden, the National Horse Show is America’s oldest indoor horse show, firmly established as a major fixture on the national and international sports and social event calendars. The National Horse Show Association’s primary activity is the annual production of the National Horse Show and all ancillary events. Over the years, the National Horse Show has provided financial aid to many worthwhile charities.

For more information on the National Horse Show Association of America, Limited, please visit www.nhs.org.

ABOUT ALLTECH:

Founded in 1980 by Dr. Pearse Lyons, Alltech improves the health and performance of animals, plants and people through natural nutrition and scientific innovation. With more than 3000 employees in 128 countries, the company has developed a strong regional presence in Europe, North America, Latin America, the Middle-East, Africa and Asia. For further information, visit www.alltech.com . For media assets, visit www.alltech.com/press.

Alltech is the proud title sponsor of the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games™ 2014 in Normandy. For more information about these prestigious global championships, visit www.alltechfeiweg2014-normandy.com.