Executive Traveler February 2007
© Dale Leatherman 2007
Photos © Donnelle Oxley
The Horse Capital of the World gears up for the FEI Games, world championships in eight sports, which will be the largest equine sporting event ever held in North America.
Sir Winston Churchill once said that there is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man. The same could be said for the effect equines have on a community. Lexington, Kentucky, is the quintessential town that horses built. And nobody is likely to forget it. Streets and businesses are named after famous racehorses. Galleries specialize in equestrian art. There are statues of racing Thoroughbreds in the center of town. County roads thread among fields in which sleek horses graze ankle deep in lush grass. Two of the country’s finest racetracks are here, along with a state park devoted to. . .horses, of course.
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The 1789 census of Lexington registered more horses than humans. Today people outnumber equines, but residents will tell you it’s still the horses that count the most. The Bluegrass region is the largest equine nursery in the world, with more than 450 farms devoted to the breeding and training of horses for racing and other horse sports. International visitors, including queens, princes and sheiks, come here to attend races, breed their mares and buy horses.
The wealthy Virginians who settled here chose the area because the soil and rich grasses made it ideal for raising horses and other livestock. It became known as The Bluegrass because the native grass has tiny blue flowers in spring, giving the fields a bluish cast. Along with their prized horses the settlers brought the accoutrements of the upper class--works of art, fine furniture and silver, and treasured heirlooms. By 1820 the town was known as the “Athens of the West ” because of its cultured lifestyle.
Today Lexington’s nickname is the “Horse Capital of the World,” but its cultural attributes still keep pace with equestrian pursuits. It’s a lively atmosphere fueled by prosperity, Southern hospitality, and good Kentucky Bourbon whisky. . . .
Contact me to read the rest of the article or discuss second rights or a rewrite. daleatherman@cs.com