Lexington, Kentucky, USA 30 Sept - 9 Oct 2010

Lexington, Kentucky, is logged separate as we were  located there for over a week for the World Equestrian Games (WEG).  It is certainly the heart of the Thoroughbred horse breeding in the USA and those in Kentucky say it is the heart of the world breeding.

Lexington is full of horse statues of all descriptions.

...and colours, here photographed with Kath, Margaret and Ray Egarr.

The real thing at Darley stud farm, one of the elete studs in Kentucky.  They have principle studs in several contries including one in Scone, Austrailia.

We were invited to Darley by Charles Boden, Head of Sales, who has a team of four marketing staff inlcuding a New Zealander, from Cambridge who is a graduate of Otago University.

There is nothing left undone at Darley.  This is the entrance driveway in front of the main office looking across to the stallion barn.

Security is complete with a guard house at the road where everyone is checked in and out.  This is just the stallion farm.  The operation sold 750 horses at the Lexington sales.

http://www.darleyamerica.com/

Cowhen and Maddy, children of Gil and Megan who we stayed with for two nights in their 1920's downtown house in Lexington when we arrived.

Then we moved to ur rental house just 500m from the Kentucky Horse Park, venue of the World Equestrian Games (WEG).

Inner city Lexington has retained many old buildings, mostly restored.

...as seen here beside the one above seen at the right.

An inner city market area...

 ...including live statues.

The countryside included numerous grand horse establishments on the scale of the Darley stallion farm.

Very few not so grand.

Horses everywhere fenced behind mostly black painted rails.

Along narrow winding roads.

Also behind magnificent stone walls.

Well maintained walls ran for miles along the narrow roads.

Interspersed by elaborate entrances.

Tobacco is still grown on some properties and these drying sheds are common whether for drying or now for other uses.

Tobacco in the shed.

Main Street in Paris, a small town 17 miles from the horse park.

Not sure what was being treated!




PS.  It was Bourbon County.

Cattle transport

A barn near the the horse park.