Perryville Battlefield State Historic Site is planning its annual Civil War battle re-enactment with a special emphasis on horses for 2010.

That’s because the Oct. 2-3 re-enactment weekend occurs during the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington. The Games are the world’s most prestigious equestrian event and will attract guests from around the world Sept. 25-Oct. 10, 2010.

The theme for the Perryville re-enactment will be “Horse Soldiers – Cavalry in the American Civil War.” There will be expert speakers on cavalry, cavalry demonstrations, and museum exhibits focusing on horses. The weekend will feature two battles at the park, which preserves the location of the largest Civil War battle in Kentucky that took place in 1862.

The keynote speaker is Ken Knopp, an authority on Civil War cavalry and author of “Saddle Makers of the Confederacy” and “Confederate Cavalry and Horse Equipment.”

“This will be a great opportunity for guests from Kentucky and around the world to learn more about the important role that horses played in the Civil War,” said Parks Commissioner Gerry van der Meer. “We want guests from the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games to visit our parks and other attractions.”

The re-enactment commemorates the most destructive Civil War battle in the state, which left more than 7,600 killed, wounded or missing. The newly renovated park museum tells of the battle that was the South’s last serious attempt to gain possession of Kentucky. The battlefield is one of the most unaltered Civil War sites in the nation; vistas visible today are virtually those soldiers saw on that fateful day in 1862.

Perryville Battlefield is 45 miles southwest of Lexington. Take US 68 west to US 150 west. For more information about Perryville and other Kentucky State Parks, visit www.parks.ky.gov

The Kentucky State Park System is composed of 52 state parks plus an interstate park shared with Virginia. The Department of Parks, an agency of the Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet, operates 17 resort parks with lodges — more than any other state. For more information on Kentucky parks, visit our Web site at www.parks.ky.gov