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Equestrian History for Everyone

Wenham Museum proudly announces the proposed creation of a gallery dedicated to the history of the horse in sport. The first of its kind in Essex County, Massachusetts, the proposed Equestrian Histories gallery will be an evolving exhibit dedicated to inspiring discovery of the rich equestrian history that helps denote Boston’s North Shore. A diverse collection of artifacts and the exhibit design will inform the equestrian and educate the non-rider across a spectrum of age groups.

Beginning with children, the gallery will provide learning opportunities, programs, and offer engaging hands-on activities designed to teach the 6,000 year-old relationship between humans and the horse. Additional topics include physiology, preservation of open land, architecture, and the horse’s connection to military history from the Revolutionary War to the modern Olympics. Adult equestrians and heritage visitors will learn the interconnected stories that capture the origins of the equine partnership with humankind in sport and commerce.

Traditions Then and Now

The museum will showcase the history of the horse in sport to every visitor. This new gallery will convey universal themes such as tradition, community, sportsmanship, skill, sacrifice, practice, and competition. The gallery and related collections will first provide an overview of polo, three- day eventing, fox hunting, dressage, and combined driving, with contemplated rotations in subsequent years that emphasize individual sports during that sport’s specific season. Future efforts to broaden the experience include horse racing and more.

The local history of open land, agriculture, and the parallel use of the horse for transportation and work will be explored, for example, through the Wenham Lake ice industry. This gallery will provide a platform to foster interest in these sports today and emphasize the importance of open land preservation and environmental protection as traditions important to all.

Meaningful and Entertaining

The Equestrian Histories gallery will be a new museum space designed and engineered to meet the expectations of the today’s museum visitor. Floor-to- ceiling imagery, intimate spaces, a mini video theater, and interactive displays will teach and entertain. The beauty and power of the horse will be integrated into the history of equestrian sports, the lives of the individuals and families committed to equestrian pursuits across generations, and community engagement across time.

Gallery experiences will include screen-based technology, hands-on interactive components, and fine art. This new gallery will be located in the center ground floor of the existing museum and created by world-class exhibit designers, curators, and fabricators.