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Last Update: 06 Aug 2010

Riding Holidays | Kentucky

Kentucky is famous as being one of the ‘Horse Capitals of the World’. It is home to the Kentucky Horse Park at Lexington, which has the National Horse Center and headquarters of many USA horse associations. Attractions at the Kentucky Horse Park include daily parades of horse breeds, horse drawn wagon rides and pony rides, plus the American Saddlebred museum and international museum of the horse. The Park hosts many horse events throughout the year including the Kentucky CCI**** three day event and the Open Reining Championships. It is hosting the FEI World Equestrian Games in September and October 2010, which is being held outside Europe for the very first time.

There are over 450 horse farms in Scott County around Lexington and Georgetown. Many are open to visitors. Here you have the opportunity to see stud farms in operation and racehorses in training. Kentucky horse riding holidays are available in Scott County, based at horse farms and having lessons and daily trail rides into the surrounding countryside. The streets of downtown Georgetown also host the Annual ‘Festival of the Horse’ in early Autumn. Visit Kentucky for the first Saturday in May and travel to Louisville on the border of Indiana, to see the Kentucky Derby, one of the most famous horse races in the world, held at the Churchill Downs racetrack.

Western ranch vacations in Kentucky are located mainly in the east and north of the State. Spend a week riding like a cowboy or cowgirl through the Kentucky hills, past creeks and meadows looking out for wildlife as you go.

Did you known that Kentucky is home to several native horse breeds? The American Saddlebred was developed in Kentucky by crossing Narragansett Pacers with Thoroughbred horses. Later Morgan bloodlines were also introduced. American Saddlebreds are known for their exaggerated stylish paces, stamina and surefootedness, plus naturally high head and tail carriage. They are known as a five gaited breed as they have the ability to produce a slow high stepping four beat gait and the faster four beat ‘rack’ gait. They are alert, intelligent and very sensitive, good natured horses, but can be quite excitable. The Kentucky Mountain Saddle Horse and the Rocky Mountain Horse were also developed in the hills of Kentucky. Both are generally smaller than Saddlebreds, but also have the ability to produce the Rack gait.

We are always looking for new riding destinations and regularly update the information on this site. If you have information about horse riding or trail rides in Kentucky please do contact us.