The Kentucky Horse Park is a great place to engage with one of Kentucky's signature industries, but the park's International Museum of the horse gives visitors a chance to see the world of horses through the eyes of other cultures.

Our Makenzie Spink takes us to one of these exhibits for this week's Arts and Culture segment we call tapestry Story.

Horses are an undeniable part of Kentucky culture, but how do horses fit into cultures in other countries?

The heart of the horse exhibit gives visitors a peek into the role of horses in Japanese history and modern pop culture.

The exhibit is named in one row, which translates to heart, essence, spirit of the horse, my curator of exhibits.

Noah was very interested in thoroughbred horse racing, but especially in Japan and the last few years, the Japanese horses have done very well in all the major events around the world.

And so she asked if we could just do a little exhibit on the current Japanese thoroughbreds.

From there, the exhibit grew into an immersive experience diving into the military, spiritual, and cultural Japanese history of the horse.

The symbolic significance of the horse in Japan goes back further than the history of the United States.

Horses in Japan kind of started out as a religious connection.

Their first horse races start at shrines as as religious foot races, and horses show up as Honma, where they're integrated into these burial mounds, in five 600 A.D.. But the exhibit isn't just focused on the past.

There's also a focus on modern racing and a popular anime featuring characters based on well known Japanese thoroughbreds.

I do love the island with some pretty derby section, just because I think that is something that's unexpected, but I think it is.

It's another cultural thing that brings people in who were maybe not horse fans, and now we have people who are into it because they like the video games, they like the anime, they just think the characters are cute.

Logan says fans have started supporting the Real-Life horses by attending races and even donating supplies to their retirement barns.

The care and respect for horses is something she says connects Kentucky and Japan's horse industries on top of the literal genetic connections their thoroughbred lines, the ones that are currently doing so well around the world come out of Kentucky horses.

And there have been horses in the Kentucky Derby.

There have been Japanese horses, at Keeneland.

And so there is that big connection between the two countries where we're very similar in our thoroughbred racing, but also just a general appreciation for the horse in our culture and our pop culture and our history.

Logan says the exhibit has had a positive reception, and she hopes that visitors gain a more global appreciation of the horse and its history.

I would love visitors to just take away a better understand of Japan, of its people, of its, you know, culture and the connection to horses.

I would love for people to, you know, take away the appreciation that all people around the world have of the horse, and understand that there's a very deep, rich history that happens there.

The heart of the horse exhibit will be open through the end of 2025 for Kentucky Edition.

I'm Mackenzie Spink.