Where's Wendy? Livin' in the Edge!

July 21-23, 2021

And again on April 20, 2022 ❤

This was another magical stop on our journey. If you don’t like or LOVE horses, you might want to skip this post. 😁 I took 300+ photos in 2 days, but I narrowed them down to my top favorites to share here! I’ve also included a lot of videos & information about some of the horses. Enjoy! 🐎

EDIT: This is one of the many updates I hadn’t posted previously, due to reception problems, etc. 🙄 Our first visit in July was wonderful, so I recently decided to stop in again on the way back east, “while we were in the neighborhood”!

Now, I’ve just combined the two visits into one update! 😁

**The Kentucky Horse Park is a gorgeous, world-class facility.**

I had never heard of Kentucky Horse Park, before doing my research for our stops on this journey. Churchill Downs in Louisville, KY is the name I’ve always associated with famous horses. When planning for our future destinations, I always check several sources for dog friendly activities. I found KHP on one of those lists! I absolutely understand the need for prohibiting dogs in some venues, but it saddens me to see irresponsible dog owners that are ruining the potential options for those of us that are responsible with our dogs. Churchill Downs is not dog friendly, but KHP is very dog friendly! There are several restrictions, but they’re totally understandable. Dogs should not be allowed in museums, etc., unless they’re legitimate service dogs. (Don’t get me started… 😬)

I’ve always loved horses, so I was like a little kid winning a trip to Disneyland when I was able to get reservations to camp there for two nights! The campground is part of the park, so there were horses everywhere!

**Our campsite was very basic, but it was convenient to KHP, so it was perfect for us!** 🐎🏕🐎

“Man o’ War, also known as Big Red, was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who is widely regarded as the greatest or one of the greatest racehorses of all time. During his racing career, just after World War I, Man o’ War won 20 of 21 races and $249,465 (equivalent to $3,223,000 in 2020) in purses. He was the unofficial 1920 American horse of the year and was honored with Babe Ruth as the outstanding athlete of the year by The New York Times. He was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1957. On March 29, 2017, the museum opened a special exhibit in his honor, “Man o’ War at 100”.
**https://kyhorsepark.com/equine-theme-park/park-memorials-statues/man-owar**

**I took this photo on 4/20/2022. I thought it was a fun way to capture Man o’War in a springtime shower. 🌷🌷🌷**

Secretariat was also known as Big Red. He was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who was the ninth winner of the American Triple Crown, setting and still holding the fastest time record in all three races. He is also widely regarded as one of the greatest racehorses of all time. “The stallion with a chestnut coat, three white socks and cocky demeanor not only became the first horse in 25 years to win the Triple Crown in 1973, he did it in a way that left spectators breathless. Secretariat’s 1973 performance in the third Triple Crown race at Belmont Stakes, where he bested his closest competitor by a mind-blowing 31 lengths, is widely considered one of the most stunning horse races of all time.”
After his death, the autopsy revealed that Secretariat had an unusually large heart – estimated at 22 pounds, while the average Thoroughbred heart is 8.5 pounds.
“This tremendous cardiovascular system, pumping oxygen into his lungs at an abnormally high rate, was clearly a source of his stamina and power.”
I remember watching in awe as Secretariat won the final race for the Triple Crown in 1973. I also remember feeling very sad when he died way too young in 1989, after being diagnosed with laminitis, a very painful, incurable condition that inflames the soft tissue of a horse’s foot. 💔
(Obviously, I “borrowed” 2 of these photos!)
I felt honored to pay my respect to him at KHP.
Secretariat was born to run ❣
https://youtu.be/O57qMR45Y1o
Last video of Secretariat: 🥺
https://youtu.be/6oyQPvoXMvsS

Mr. Gene Carter was a beloved full-time staff member at Kentucky Horse Park until a few days before he died in 2019 at age 93. His favorite bench was dedicated to honor him. I had the opportunity to speak with Paul, a fellow staff member about the dedication ceremony. He spoke lovingly of “Mr. Gene” & told me it was a gloomy day, until the sun broke through, just as the celebration began. He said “Mr. Gene” would have loved the ceremony. At it’s conclusion, a B-17 bomber plane flew directly over the barn & soon afterwards, the gloomy weather returned. Mr. Carter was a Navy submariner during WWII. Paul wondered if the B-17 was sent as a tribute to him, so he did some research. There are only 10 flightworthy B-17s left in the world & no, this one was not sent out for this celebration. The stars certainly aligned to add to the celebration to honor this incredible man. 💕
**https://www.wtvq.com/2021/07/17/kentucky-horse-park-honors-beloved-employee https://africanamericanhorsestories.org/research/people/eugene-carter**
**https://kyhorsepark.com/equine-theme-park/park-memorials-statues/gene-carter**

“**Many consider Isaac Murphy the greatest American jockey of all time.**” **Here is his story.**
**https://kyhorsepark.com/equine-theme-park/park-memorials-statues/isaac-burns-murphy**

**Staff Sargeant Reckless**
🇺🇲 **United States Marine Corps Hero** 🇺🇲
**(Please read her story on the plaque.)** **https://www.historynet.com/sgt-reckless-the-four-legged-hero-of-the-korean-war**

Go for Gin is now the oldest living champion Thoroughbred horse. After the death of Sea Hero in July 2019, Go for Gin became the oldest living Kentucky Derby winner. Upon the death of A.P. Indy in 2020, he became the oldest living winner of any of the Triple Crown winners of Thoroughbred Racing races. He turned 30 on 4/18/2021 which equals 85-90 years in human terms & he looks amazing! 💕
💝 **Go for Gin living his best life: https://fb.watch/cAkPwrt6C0**

**EDIT: This is now a bittersweet memory for me. I’m so happy to have seen Go for Gin still looking fabulous in July 2021, but sadly, he died on March 8, 2022, just before his 31st birthday.** **https://fb.watch/cAkPwrt6C0** 💔
**https://kyhorsepark.com/news/?Id=7033&Name=GO-FOR-GIN-DIES-AT-31**

Western Dreamer was in the winner’s circle 27 times & was second or third 29 times. He’s an American Standardbred racehorse who won the U. S. Pacing Triple Crown in 1997. He remains the only gelding (neutered male) of any breed to win a Triple Crown. He was officially retired as a six-year-old in 2000, as the fifth-richest pacing gelding of all-time with over $1.8 million in winnings.
**https://kyhorsepark.com/equine-theme-park/hall-of-champions/western-dreamer**

Point Given (foaled March 27, 1998) is a Thoroughbred racehorse who was the 2001 American Horse of the Year. That year, he won the Preakness Stakes, Belmont Stakes, Haskell Invitational, and Travers Stakes, becoming the first horse to ever win four $1 million races in a row.
The only time he finished out of the money was in the 2001 Kentucky Derby, where he ran 5th.” When his jockey, Gary Stevens visited with Point Given in retirement, he tearfully apologized to him for causing him to lose his chance to win the Triple Crown. He called him “the best horse never to win a Triple Crown.” 🥺
https://youtu.be/6eUDQlOlvY0
Point Given earned an Eclipse Award for Horse of the Year in 2001 and was inducted into the National Horse Racing Museum and Hall of Fame in 2010.
At 24 years of age, Point Given is still a very handsome, feisty stallion with a huge personality! He was 1 of the 3 champions brought into the Hall of Champions program we attended. He pranced around like he was heading to the starting gate for a big race! His handler, Paul, did a great job of keeping him under control, but even so, he reared up & “danced” around several times. Later, I stopped by the stable & Paul got him to pose for my photo op. 💕

“Funny Cide is a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 2003 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes. He is the first New York-bred horse to win the Kentucky Derby. He was an immensely popular horse and remains a fan favorite in retirement at the Kentucky Horse Park.”
https://kyhorsepark.com/equine-theme-park/hall-of-champions/funny-cide
Funny Cide celebrated his 22nd birthday on the day of our April visit, but Maddie & I missed his party! 🥴 I saw the photo above & the announcement on the KHP FB page, right after Maddie & I returned to the car from our 3 mile walk. 🤷‍♀️
I’ll always remember being allowed to hand-feed him a treat during our July visit.
I patted the handsome nose of a Kentucky Derby winner! 😍

**Barbaro…gone way too soon…💔**
The only tribute I found for Barabaro at KHP was this little, cement block, half buried under a bush. I brushed it off & glamped it up with some color editing. I remember following Barbaro’s health crisis like he was a family member, Sadly, he never recovered. I didn’t go inside the museums, etc., so there might be mention of him somewhere else.
“Barbaro was a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 2006 Kentucky Derby but shattered his leg two weeks later in the Preakness Stakes which ended his racing career and eventually led to his death.”
https://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/breaking/ct-barbaro-10-years-later-20160509-story.html

https://www.chincoteague.com/articles/misty-of-chincoteague.html

Seeing this sweet statue of Misty has even more special significance for me now. Misty of Chincoteague Bay was a favorite childhood book of mine. The story is loosely based on real people & the wild ponies living on the island. When we visited Assateague Island in May, I bought myself a new copy of the book. Seeing this statue, after having recently visited Misty’s island, was a nice connection. Now that we’re heading back east, we’re going to spend another 5 days on the island❣ Visiting her statue again, on our way back to Assateague Island, truly connects the dots of our journey. 💝

Kentucky Horse Park has a beautiful collection of sculptures. Here is some detailed information on them.

https://kyhorsepark.com/equine-theme-park/park-memorials-statues/sculptures-of-the-park

“Guests of the Iron Works Café are greeted by a horse of a different color. “Orion” was one of 79 fiberglass horses on display during the first “Horse Mania” public art project in 2000. Horse Mania returns to Lexington this summer in celebration of LexArts’ 50th anniversary and the 2022 Breeders Cup Championship at Keeneland.”

**Supreme Sultan – American Saddlebred**

The Hall of Champions lost several of these beloved horses. 💔
Be a Bono: 4/12/21
Da Hoss: 1/2/22
Go for Gin: 3/8/22
**More information about the Memorial Walk of Champion** **https://kyhorsepark.com/equine-theme-park/park-memorials-statues/memorials-walk-of-champions**

**Kentucky Horse Park is dedicated to recycling & growing flowers to benefit the local birds, bees & butterflies.** 💝

**This was the beautiful sunset as we were leaving KHP in July.**

**SPRING has arrived in Kentucky! ❤ April 20, 2022**

**Maddie loved soaking up the sun, following our 3 mile walk.** 😍

2 thoughts on “”

Valerie says:

April 25, 2022 at 9:10 pm

What a beautiful place! Glad you got it go.

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1. Where's Wendy? Livin' in the Edge! says:
  
  May 4, 2022 at 9:56 am
  
  Thanks, Valerie❣ I was so happy to visit the first time, so the second time was an unexpected bonus! Maddie was so well behaved around the horses that people thought she was my service dog. 💝 We only visited for a few hours this second time, but the $5 parking fee was well worth the beautiful, SPRING day we enjoyed there!
  
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