Option 11 - u/low_quality_posts
Of note, this flag design was created before that of Option 7. At first glance this may look at a gimmicky flag that just showcases Kentucky's horse racing reputation (which it does), but the symbolism cuts deeper. The flag features a checkerboard field of Bourbon Yellow and Bluegrass Blue (substitutable with green), symbolizing Kentucky’s dual nature—frontier and civilization, wilderness and order. Bourbon Yellow represents warmth, grit, valor, richness, and the state’s bourbon and goldenrod, while Bluegrass Blue evokes bluegrass music/culture/grass, union, and civic reason. The colors mirror the union of two embracing archetypes from the state seal: the frontiersman (gold) and the statesman (blue), unified here in a rhythmic pattern that captures Kentucky’s balance of grit and grace. The checkerboard draws from the state’s agricultural patchwork, racing flags, and Appalachian quilting traditions. Its 15 squares honor Kentucky as the 15th state and link visually Appalachia tapestry and quilts, underscoring shared craftsmanship and heritage. At the flag’s center, a white galloping Kentucky thoroughbred embodies energy, liberty, and unity. The horse fuses the frontiersman’s freedom with the statesman’s discipline, reinterpreting the handshake on the old seal into a single forward-moving symbol. The thoroughbred itself--a wild, rugged animal emblematic of Kentucky's "Unbridled Spirit"--that has been refined through generations of domestication--also itself is a synthesis of the statesman and frontiersman in the state seal, and more broadly represents Kentucky's dual identity of frontier and forum. Galloping towards the "West," the horse also represents Kentucky’s role as America’s First Frontier State, bridging wilderness and governance, something ingrained in Kentucky's identity to this day.