Kentucky

[Bluerocket]

Lisa:

I would recommend you contact Lexington Connection for touring -- Anne Baxter and Nancy Jackson are simply the best. They work well with the farms and can often get you into places that other tour companies cannot. You can reach them at 859-269-4040. Again, they can help you get to more places than you can get to on your own. They do charge for their services, but if you want to go to as many places on your list as possible, they should be well worth it.

If you choose to make your own tour reservations -- start calling the farms for appts NOW -- April books up over 6 mos in advance. Our tours at Three Chimneys for April 23 - 30 in 2008 -- are almost all booked up (very few "seats" left). You can email [email protected] (Ann Hayes) to request your reservation with us. There is no charge for our tour (tipping is optional but is a nice thing to do) -- but you MUST have a reservation to even visit the farm at all.

Normally most farms only show their stallions -- not mares and foals -- HOWEVER you can see them as you drive around the area. Some of the farms are closed to the public -- Calumet is one of those this year -- but these things change from year to year.

The horse park is a great place to visit. http://www.kyhorsepark.com/ they have a calendar listing all the things scheduled for each month -- there is almost always at least one horse show and other equine related activities going on there.

Another place (free) is Old Friends in Georgetown 502-863-1775. They do several tours a day and are a retirement farm for famous TB's (one there is the star of the seabiscuit movie). They accept donations - again not expected but a nice thing to do.

http://www.visitlex.com can give you other ideas of things to do around here.

Laura Tennill is in Taylorsville KY -- between Lexington and Louisville - I think that is the weekend of the IKI show so she will most likely be there (in SW KY) at the show --- but contact her to see. Also just north of the KY border (north of Louisville) is Little Kings -- you should contact them to see if you can visit while you are here.

The racetracks are also a lot of fun. http://www.keeneland.com and http://www.churchilldowns.com/ are their websites.

If the weather is normal, you should see lots of flowering trees and bushes -- Usually by the first full week of May everything is absolutely GORGEOUS around here. This past year was disappointing as we had a warm february followed by a weeklong cold snap (near 0 weather every day) that froze and killed most everything.

Again --- making reservations NOW is critical to be able to do the things you are saying you want to do.

Good luck - and hope to see you when you visit.

JJay

PS you can come see my farm, but frankly there isn't much to see there -- 5 acres and 6 lawn ornaments for minis and 2 goats.

 

[Lisa]

WOW! Thank you so much for the advice! Do you have an email for Lexington Connections? I will email Ann and the other farms I would like to see.

OMG!!! Little King Farm is near there??? I can see Buckeroo in person??

*drops dead*

 

[Lisa]

I am REALLY REALLY disappointed right now

I'm still excited to go to Kentucky, but two of the farms that I most wanted to go to, I cannot. Overbrook (which stands Storm Cat- who I have always loved!) is a private farm and Lane's End (which stands AP Indy, Came Home, Gulch, Kingmambo, Lemon Drop Kid, Rock Hard Ten, Smart Strike and Stephen Got Even) doesn't allow tours during breeding season. :no:

Both stallions who are legends and who may not live to the next time I come to Kentucky (which might be another 20 years, who knows) I will not be able to see

 

[Tracy CCF]

If you come, and stay on Versailles Road, you are about 20 minutes from my house. Please stop by and Ill show you around. I am not a thoroughbred expert, but do go to Keeneland every spring and fall. I can also take you to a TWH show during the time you are here, and if you want, you can ride one of my show horses. Everyone coming to ky should get to ride while they are here. We have a very large TWH show that week and it will be within 30 minutes of where you are staying.

ALso, and I may be dead wrong, isnt there an IMI miniature horse show in central ky that week? That would be within about 1.5 hours of Versailles, where you are staying.

When it gets closer, remind us, and I am sure well find loads of things tod o.

 

[Lisa]

YOU ARE MY GOD!!!!

That is such an awesome offer and you can be sure I will take you up on that!!!

 

[HJF]

The IKI show in Greenville is usually that weekend..It's an AMHR show. LKF is not too far from downtown Louisville as well.

 

[Bluerocket]

Lisa

Just saw this post of yours (old one):

I am wondering if I need a week there. I found out that the Horse Park does a tour of a bunch of farms nearby (I couldn't find a list of the farms though). If I go on that, I would probably be able to go to most of the farms that I want to see, then just go to Denali Stud and Three Chimneys on a tour there or something, spend a day at each track and one at the Horse Park.

The tours from the horse park are simply drive throughs -- as far as I know -- they drive by on the street - may go into the parking lot and turn around -- telling you about the farm -- you don't see the stallions nor get off the "tour bus". At least that is how it is when they come here (to Three Chimneys)

I don't have email for Lexington connection -- don't know that they have it - they always call us for the appts. JJay

 

[Lisa]

Thanks Judith! I might have to see how expensive it will be to call Kentucky and suck up the money so that I can make the tour appointment.