Last weekend, we took a day trip to Lexington, Kentucky to visit the Kentucky Horse Park. Lexington is a 60-90 minute drive from Cincinnati, depending on point of origin in the Cincinnati metro area. I had been to Louisville many times because I had cousins who lived there while I was growing up, but had never made it to Lexington. Though I’m not a “horse person,” I had heard fantastic things about the Kentucky Horse Park and thought it might be a fun family trip.
Saturday was pleasant but gray, with temperatures in the mid-60s, but turned out to be great weather to spend the day outside. We arrived in Lexington shortly after the park opened, and found the park busy with a competition but light on visitors.
We bought our entrance tickets, which included almost everything in the park and are good for two consecutive days, and scheduled a pony ride for the kiddo (for an extra five dollars). Every special show or feature in the park runs on specific schedule. Pony and horse rides are offered twice per day, and most of the shows are offered twice per day and are designed for guests to attend one show after the next.
We had some time to kill before the pony ride, but thankfully the pony rides were situated next to a fantastic playground. The kiddo probably would’ve happily played there all day. The playground was great for all ages, with different size slides and assorted climbing structures.
We coaxed the kiddo away from the playground for his pony ride, and watched other kids take their turn before getting his own turn. Hubby walked with the kiddo, as was encouraged, and they took three laps around the ring. The kiddo loved it!
After the pony ride and more time on the playground, we ate a quick lunch at the on-site cafeteria-style restaurant, Bit & Bridle, before heading toward the other side of the park to see the exhibits and scheduled activities. While we were walking, a park employee pulled up beside us in a golf cart and offered us a ride! As we rode up to the Big Barn, we got a quick tour and run down of events from our driver.
We spent the rest of the afternoon wandering around the park and the barns, looking at all of the horses. Because of the various competitions happening in the park, horses were being led in and out of the stables all afternoon, and many owners and riders had the horses out for grooming. I thought the kiddo would tire of looking at horses, but he never did. He loved walking through the barns, peeking into the stalls, and petting horses whenever he could.
My favorite activity of the day was a visit to the Hall of Champions, where two Kentucky Derby winners, Go for Gin and Funny Cide, and other elite racehorses reside permanently, following their retirement. Go for Gin poked his head out of his window, greeting all of the visitors. The caretakers were out with him to answer questions about him or any of the horses. It was clear that Go for Gin had a gregarious personality, and was definitely the king of the barn.
The Hall of Champions Show highlighted some of the champion horses who lived there, including Go for Gin. The staff not only highlighted the upbringing and training of the champions, their races and successes, and their offspring, but also shared information about their personalities, their quirks, and the perceived “failures” as racers.
We also met two other horses during the show – Western Dreamer, a Pacing Triple Crown winner, and Point Given – the 2001 Preakness and Belmont winner. We got to meet Western Dreamer up close after the show, and the other horses were in their stalls to visit. The horses rotate each show, so guests can meet different horses and hear their stories with every visit.
We also saw the Parade of Breeds, a show which highlights different breeds of horses that live at the park. Before the show, we walked around the Breed Barn, looking at all of the different types of horses. After the show, we got to meet the horses and their riders in person.
The kiddo had missed his nap and was rapidly fading, so after a ten-minute horse-drawn trolley ride, we left the park. On the way out, we stopped to see the Man O’ War statue, which marked the burial grounds for Man O’ War, one of the greatest race horses of all time, and several of Man O’ War’s descendants, including Triple Crown winner War Admiral.
Everyone in the park was friendly and helpful. As we entered and exited every show or barn, someone from the park provided direction to the next show and offered tips on what to see or visit. I wished we had had time to watch some of the competitions too. I’m sure the kiddo would’ve loved to see the horses jumping!
Though we didn’t get to see every show and exhibit because of tired toddler, the short drive to visit the Kentucky Horse Park was well worth the trip. In retrospect, we easily could’ve spent the entire weekend in Lexington and taken advantage of the two day admission to the park. The park is more than just horses, and even non-horse people like my family appreciated all that the park offers. We’ll be back I’m sure!
