We went back to the Kentucky Horse Park to see the Parade of
Breeds again. They rotate the horses around and yesterday we missed seeing a
Tennessee Walking Horse in action, and we were assured he would be on today. In
addition to the Morgan and Chincoteague from yesterday, there was the Tennessee
Walking Horse and an Akhal Teke – a rare breed from Turkmenistan, known for
their metallic sheen on their coats.
The Tennessee Walking Horse was
demonstrating their natural three gaits, a walk, a running walk and the canter.
The running walk was a very fast walk but looked amazingly smooth. The secret
is an overstride with the rear legs, that propels the horse forward much
further with each step.
On the way out we stopped to look at the monument to the
famous racehorse Man o War. He and a number of his progeny are buried
here. Some interesting facts: he won one
of his races by an estimated at least 100 lengths. He only lost one race, from
being boxed in at the rail and held there by the riding of the jockeys around
him. He had a stride length of 28 feet, compared to an average thoroughbred
stride of 20 feet – so he was travelling 8 feet further than his rivals with
every stride he took. He only raced until he was three and then retired because
the handicapping weights assigned to him would have caused him to break down.
After the Horse Park we drove to Pin Oak stud for a tour of
the facilities. It is truly beautiful. Manicured grass along side post and rail
fencing, spotless barns, mares and foals basking in the sun.
First stop on the tour was the stallion barn. It was pretty
impressive, with fly screens, a rubber floor and all the mod cons a horse could
need.
The groom brought out Alternation for viewing. We all got photos and a
pat.
The older stallion, Broken Vow, was in his stall and we had a chat to him
too. They stand at stud for $10,000 and $25,000 respectively.
The group then took to the road around the estate. First
stop the mares and foals. All the horses were keen to come to the fence for a
scratch and a nibble. Nancy talked through the breaking in and training process
they go through before they are either prepped for sale as yearlings or moved
into racing training. They are all obviously well cared for and handled as
every horse we met was calm and loving toward people. They are handled from
birth and treated with love and respect, and it shows.
The last stop was the yearling fillies, and again they came
over for scratches and cuddles. Ros got a heap of kisses from a little brown filly;
she was super friendly and wanted to snuggle.
The tour took in some of the rest of the 900 plus acres, we
saw the barns, the training tracks, the round yards, and even a glimpse of the
owner’s home through the trees. She is 93 years old and still actively involved
in the stud.
Leaving the stud, we drove a couple of miles down the road
to Woodford Reserve Distillery. Distilling began on site in 1812, and the
operation is now a Brown Foreman brand. We took the tour of the impressive old
stone buildings.
We saw the mash fermenting and had a taste. Like slightly sour
sweetcorn. Interesting how much heat comes off the ferment.
The copper stills have the wow factor, three of them take
the sour mash through to the spirits phase, where is is cut with water,
barrelled and stored in the warehouse.
The bottling plant was working, and we saw the process from
empty bottle to boxes of 6.
Following the tour, we tasted 2 bourbons and a rye whiskey.
All very nice, but we resisted the temptation to buy a bottle to bring home. We
already have a few. Steve is restraining himself, but with many more
distilleries, he can’t promise that he won’t weaken!
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