The Cycle of Life In Kentucky

Ollie looking out his stall window on a winter day.

Toby and Ollie are making their way through their first Kentucky winter.  It's so much easier on them than a northern Michigan winter! But without an indoor arena, we are not doing much riding.  I see them everyday, feed them their little bit of grain and do a once over.  In a nutshell I'm telling you there's not much to talk about with them except that they are in good health, sassy, happy and very wooley. 

Being new to Kentucky, I continue to learn the cycle of life around here.  This time of year revolves around the breeding farms.  Soon we'll be seeing lots of babies out in the fields and the broodmares will be bred again to the stallions.  Also, Keeneland has their January Horses of all Ages sale going on.  The sales means there are many out of town visitors in the equine industry.  These are the perfect ingredients for the Stallion Open House season!  The farms in the area hosts open houses for anyone and everyone to see their prized stallions who stand at their farms.

Matt and I decided to go because we work for a few of the farms and it's nice to support them as well as talk to the people with whom we work (farm workers, advertising agencies, etc.).  We took our cameras along and headed out because you never know what kind of a grab shot you may get.

We went to Lanes End, Coolmore and Darley on Saturday. On Sunday we visited Vinery, Crestwood and Darley again (we got there very late on Saturday...). 

The farms are magnificent!

Coolmore

Coolmore

Darley at Jonabell Farm

A.P. Indy statue at Lanes End

And the horses are majestic...

Bernardini at Darley

Hard Spun (wish his left hind was up a little bit but this is only a "grab" shot) at Darley.

Henny Hughes at Darley.  He was really feeling his oats!

Medaglia d'Oro at Darley.  Sire of Rachel Alexandra.

Kipling at Crestwood.  Kipling is/was the sire of Kip Deville - a champion racehorse who was euthanized due to laminitis this past year.

Unbridled Energy at Crestwood Farm.

Lookin At Lucky at Coolmore.  I LOVE my shot of him at the Preakness.

 I tried hard to think outside the box with my photography and get shots I normally wouldn't get and ones that might show some of the horse's personality.  So these are shots I'd classify in the "showing their personalities" category...

Hard Spun at Darley - LOVE HIM!

Hard Spun at Darley

Offlee Wild At Darley

PioneerOf The Nile at Vinery

Unbridled Energy at Crestwood shaking his head and making a funny face.

Bernardini doing his best WC Field imitation saying "Come here my little chickadee!"

Curlin giving us his hairy eyeball just like he gave Rags To Riches in the Belmont. 

I can't wait for the babies to come.  There's one that I'm just crazy to go and see and I think I will be able to because the mare is at one of the farms we work.

Lear's Princess  who beat Rags to Riches in the Gazelle.

I just love her and so many others.  Sigh...  I still can't believe I'm down here in Kentucky!