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The 6 Best Horse Farm Tours in Lexington, Kentucky

TripSavvy / Taylor McIntyre

Lexington, Kentucky, is known for two things: whiskey and horses. Often referred to as the Horse Capital of the World, the city is home to more than 400 horse farms and the famous Keeneland Race Course (featured in several movies). It has bred more Kentucky Derby and Triple Crown winners than anywhere else in the world. Race fans and equestrians alike flock to Lexington to see how these horses live and train. With so many venues to interact with these horses, it can be hard to decide where to start. Here is your go-to roundup of Lexington, Kentucky's best horse farm tours.

Jonabell Farm

Courtesy of Jonabell Farm

Jonabell Farm, home to HH Sheikh Mohammed’s Godolphin operation, is one of the most successful breeding sites globally, producing more than 200 stakes-winning racehorses. This tour takes guests through the history and current-day practices of Jonabell, as well as an up-close viewing of their current stallions. A shuttle tour is also available, featuring a scenic drive over Jonabells’ 800 acres of paddocks to see the mares and foals on the farm.

Three Chimneys Farm

Three Chimneys is one of the most respected stud farms in the business. This tour takes guests through the palatial stables and allows for some facetime with their current horses. The tour continues on to walk visitors through the breeding process and all safety measures that Three Chimneys takes to ensure the health and safety of these prestigious horses. It concludes with a walk around the green paddocks where the horses enjoy acres of land. This scenic farm is an excellent stop for newbies or lifelong fans of the sport. 

Claiborne Farm

Courtesy of Claiborne Farm

This 109-year-old farm is often cited as the "Horse Capital of the World." Claiborne Farm boasts 3,000 acres for its prized stallions to run and has been home to 300 sires of champions, 10 Kentucky Derby, and six Triple Crown winners. This tour lets guests view the breeding shed and current horses that call Claiborne home and ends with viewing the famous Secretariat's gravesite. This is a can't-miss for any horse racing fan—in fact, the Queen of England has visited twice!  

Denali Stud

Courtesy of Denali Stud Farm

Denali Stud is a world-renowned horse farm that has trained a litany of winning horses and has sold more than $475 million worth of horses since 1990. A Denali tour will take guests through their impressive history and current breeding and training practices. In the spring, guests can get up close and personal with the mares and foals, and on lucky days guests have been able to watch foals be born!

New Vocations

Courtesy of New Vocations Racehorse Adoption Program

Get a unique view of what happens after the racing stops. New Vocations is the oldest and largest racehorse adoption program in the United States. Focusing on rehabilitation, retraining, and rehoming, this organization saves retired racehorses from an otherwise uncertain future and promotes their use as riding horses, sport horses, or simply great companions. Working with more than 500 horses a year, New Vocations has managed to rehome more than 7,500 horses since its inception in 1992.

While not a farm tour, Keeneland is an absolute must for any equestrian fan visiting Lexington. The famous racetrack is also the largest thoroughbred sale site globally and offers several different tours that take guests behind the scenes of both the racing and sales sides. The horses' morning workouts are free and open to the public, and guests interested in betting during a race can talk to the newly instituted “bet-ologists” who walk newcomers through the wagering process.

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Horse Farm Tours

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Explore the Horse Capital of the World

There’s simply no better place to get up close and personal with horses, thanks to Lexington’s abundance of farms and by extension, horse farm tours. Each tour is different, with some being working farms, others medical centers to teach you how horses are cared for, and some even allow you to meet racing legends of past and present.

Plan A Tour

There are about 450 horse farms in the Bluegrass region—150 in Fayette County alone—each with something unique to offer. Plan a horse farm experience that fits your style!

Book Directly With A Farm

If you’re more of an independent traveler, booking tours yourself is still a possibility! These farms, which range from Thoroughbred showplaces to smaller farms with different breeds of horses, gladly welcome individual visitors.

Claiborne Farm

Megson farms, old friends at dream chase farm, our mims retirement haven.

Visit Horse Country is the region’s top agency for connecting guests with the right farm and immersive experience for them.

Customize With Tour Providers

With a private tour, you can customize based on what you want to experience! Companies can chauffeur your small group around or can provide a step-on for a larger group—either way, you’ll get a VIP experience on world-class horse farms.

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Take a closer look at what each of these farms has to offer.

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Thoroughbred Heritage Horse Farm Tours

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Half-Day Thoroughbred Horse Farm Tour in Kentucky

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Thoroughbred Heritage Horse Farm Tours - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)

We look forward to having you visit! For the most up to date in person tour availability, we recommend utilizing the filters below and choosing the date or date range you are interested in touring and the number of guests, then click ‘Apply’.

Please be sure to read the latest updates about booking, refund policies and more here .

Tours at Jonabell Farm

Take a tour of the stallion complex at Jonabell Farm in Lexington, Kentucky, one of the leading horse farms in the USA. Jonabell is the American headquarters of Sheikh Mohammed’s global Godolphin  operation and home to the Darley thoroughbred stallions in the United States.

Tours of Jonabell Farm are booked through Visit Horse Country . The tour begins at the farm office where you will learn about the history of Jonabell Farm as well as the global scope of Godolphin, the international thoroughbred breeding and racing operation founded by Sheikh Mohammed, ruler of Dubai. We’ll then head outside for a walking tour of the stallion complex. Our current roster of stallions includes two-time Breeders’ Cup winner and Horse of the Year Cody’s Wish , Kentucky Derby winners Nyquist  and Street Sense , Belmont Stakes winner Essential Quality , multiple G1 winners  Frosted  and Maxfield , and leading sire  Medaglia d’Oro . We'll also walk through the breeding shed and visit the gravesite of 1978 Triple Crown winner Affirmed . Please note, we are unable to allow petting or feeding of the stallions during the tour.

To book a tour:

Tours of Jonabell Farm, as well as tours of our nearby mare and foal division at Gainsborough Farm , can be booked through Visit Horse Country by clicking the buttons below or by calling 859-963-1004 .

Additional dates and times may be available upon request for private groups, and we are happy to provide complimentary tours for schools and educational groups. Please contact Visit Horse Country at [email protected] or 859-963-1004 with group tour requests.

Jonabell Farm is happy to open its gates to horseracing fans and enthusiasts, but please remember that Jonabell is a privately-owned, working thoroughbred horse farm so we schedule tours around the routines of our horses and employees.

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Blue Grass Tours – About Us

Blue Grass Tours is Lexington’s oldest horse farm tour company, beginning in 1959. Since then, we’ve expanded our tour offerings and built a fleet of multi-size Motor coaches. At your convenience, we provide private guide services, complete tour planning and transportation service. No group is too big or too small. We travel throughout the USA and Canada. In other words, no distance is too far.

All of our Guides are Certified Tourism Ambassadors for the Lexington and Bluegrass region. And keep up-to-date on the Thoroughbred industry to give our guests an in-depth, professional tour of the area.

In conclusion, We invite you to continue reading about the services we offer, and call or email us if we may be of service to you or your group. At Blue Grass Tours we want to earn your business.

We are currently proud members of these organizations:

1-859-213-6653 | [email protected]

Unique Horse Farm Tours

Kentucky's Favorite Bus Tours

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Derby City Horse Farm Tour

Are you ready to set off on a one-of-kind tour experience from the Derby City, Louisville KY?

Our tour guides have exclusive access to places other tours can't go and insider knowledge that only natives and those closely tied to the industry can share.

See why our guests come back again and again for our truly unique Horse Farm Tour.

A Day of Adventure Awaits

Welcome to Louisville! Whether you're in town for the Kentucky Derby, taking a relaxing bluegrass vacation, or you're here on business, we're glad to have you! Our tour departs from Louisville at 9AM. Our comfortable bus with plush seats will pick you up for the convenient location of Wagner's Pharmacy. From there we'll head towards Lexington to see some world famous horse farms, many of which are closed to the public.

We'll typically stop to see 3 attractions, which will vary based on the day and availability. Have no worries - they are all equally unique and amazing! Around midday, we'll take a break for lunch ($20 voucher included). Have fun disembarking at our stops, experience breathtaking views, and most of all enjoy the fun humor and local facts from our upbeat tour guides.

Are You Ready to Be Entertained?

When you travel with Unique Horse Farm Tours, you get a complete immersive experience with well known Kentucky Tour Guide, Shaun Washington , and his staff.

You'll love the humor, celebrity stories, and sprinkle of sass that brings each tour group together like a friendly Southern family.

The staff's deep experience inside the horse farm scene will provide you with a rich and interactive guide to both well known and hidden gem tour spots.

Whether it's visiting a horse hospital, touring a farm, or watching the horses swim, you'll love the time you spend with Shaun as he makes you feel like a Kentucky native.

The Derby City Horse Farm Tours picks up at Wagner's in Louisville at 9AM and returns around 4PM.

Tour Rate: $199 per person *All Sales are Final

Tour In Comfort

Don't spend your day climbing over strangers and falling asleep on a cramped bus listening to boring farm facts..

Our luxury tour buses feature a walking aisle you can stand up in and plenty of leg room. We disembark at several stops during our tours and we want to make the process as easy for you as possible.

Relax in our spacious, temperature controlled tour buses between spots. You're in for a highly interactive and robust tour experience in style and comfort!

Unique Horse Farm Tours is proud to offer this fun and unique excursion into the heart of Kentucky horse farm country. If you’re interested in learning more about our tours feel free to contact us . Start your adventure and visit some of the most amazing horse farms Kentucky has to offer!

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UK winery, former athletes partner to honor legacy of Black Kentuckians in horse racing

LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 2 6 , 2024) —  Kentucky Derby season is a time to gather and celebrate the Commonwealth’s traditions with loved ones. It is also a time to look back on the history of the horse racing tradition and honor those who laid the groundwork for the industry today.

Isaac Murphy was the first horse jockey to win the Kentucky Derby three times (1884, 1890 and 1891). It is presumed he started riding horses around the age of 14 and never looked back. He was known to have strong morals, often refusing bribes to alter race outcomes.

After he passed away in 1896, he was the first person elected to the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame in Saratoga Springs, New York. Today he is considered one of the greatest American jockeys of all time, with a winning percentage of approximately 40-44%, according to the Kentucky Derby Museum. Outside of his decorated racing career, Murphy was also known to appreciate a tall, cold glass of champagne.

This fact was one that Allen Carter , University of Kentucky alumnus and former football player, couldn’t seem to forget when he came across Murphy’s story. Carter and his wife Leslie Nichols , Martin -Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment graduate and former UK women’s basketball player and coach, own Silver Springs Farm just on the edge of Lexington.

With deep horse racing roots in her family and her love for agriculture, Nichols and Carter had big plans for the farm. One of those plans: create a sparkling wine in honor of Isaac Murphy.

“Leslie’s first cousin Leon Nichols created the Project to Preserve African American Turf History (PPAATH)  and we became familiar with Isaac Murphy’s story,” said Carter. “PPAATH works to highlight African Americans in the horse racing industry whose stories were not told when they were living.”

When they purchased Silver Springs in 2012, the couple was just returning from a winery tour in Europe, where Carter’s interest in developing his own wine began. Upon their return to Lexington, Carter was ready to plant grapes and watch his home flourish with vines. Unfortunately, his first plant wasn’t as successful as he’d hoped.

Carter used UK Cooperative Extension resources and met Jeff Wheeler, extension specialist in enology and lecturer for the Distilling, Wine and Brewing certificate . Wheeler came out to Silver Springs to see what Carter had planted, giving him advice on where to plant his next grapes, what types of seeds to use and how to properly care for the vines. That was almost 10 years ago, and the pair are still working together.

“Working with Allen, he has to wear a lot of hats,” said Wheeler. “It’s nice to send him good information that he can immediately use, that’s already validated. That’s the service we provide; defining the things that do work, and then letting him run with the rest.”

With Carter still working out the kinks of growing grapes on his farm, the pair decided that Murphy’s sparkling wine grapes would be grown at the UK Horticulture Research Farm and fermented using traditional method. This means the bottles are filled and placed on a rack upside down, so the yeast settles together and is easy to remove before corking or capping.

“The exciting thing about Kentucky wine is there’s no definitive lines,” said Wheeler. “What exactly you’re growing, how you grow it, it’s all an experiment. We’re really still in the infant stage of the industry as a whole.”

Carter and Nichols have many upcoming projects to honor those who came before them and create a legacy of Kentucky tradition at Silver Springs Farm. To keep up, visit https://www.silverspringsfarm.net . To purchase the sparkling wine honoring Isaac Murphy, call 859-351-9067 or fill out a request form at https://www.silverspringsfarm.net/contact/ .

As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and health care. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $476.5 million research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.   

In 2022, UK was ranked by Forbes as one of the “Best Employers for New Grads” and named a “Diversity Champion” by INSIGHT into Diversity, a testament to our commitment to advance Kentucky and create a community of belonging for everyone. While our mission looks different in many ways than it did in 1865, the vision of service to our Commonwealth and the world remains the same. We are the University for Kentucky.   

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Uk winery, former athletes partner to honor legacy of black kentuckians in horse racing.

With support from the University of Kentucky Horticulture Research Farm, alumni and former UK athletes Allen Carter and Leslie Nichols at Silver Springs Farm are making a sparkling wine to celebrate Black Kentuckians this Derby season – starting with Isaac Murphy.

By Grace Sowards Published on Apr. 26, 2024

Kentucky Derby season is a time to gather and celebrate the Commonwealth’s traditions with loved ones. It is also a time to look back on the history of the horse racing tradition and honor those who laid the groundwork for the industry today. 

Isaac Murphy was the first horse jockey to win the Kentucky Derby three times (1884, 1890 and 1891). It is presumed he started riding horses around the age of 14 and never looked back. He was known to have strong morals, often refusing bribes to alter race outcomes.  

After he passed away in 1896, he was the first person elected to the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame in Saratoga Springs, New York. Today he is considered one of the greatest American jockeys of all time, with a winning percentage of approximately 40-44%, according to the Kentucky Derby Museum. Outside of his decorated racing career, Murphy was also known to appreciate a tall, cold glass of champagne.  

This fact was one that Allen Carter , UK alumnus and former football player, couldn’t seem to forget when he came across Murphy’s story. Carter and his wife Leslie Nichols , Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment graduate and former UK women’s basketball player and coach, own Silver Springs Farm located just on the edge of Lexington.  

With deep horse racing roots in her family and a love for agriculture, Nichols and Carter had big plans for the farm. One of those plans was tocreate a sparkling wine in honor of Isaac Murphy. 

“Leslie’s first cousin Leon Nichols created the Project to Preserve African American Turf History (PPAATH)  and we became familiar with Isaac Murphy’s story,” said Carter. “PPAATH works to highlight African Americans in the horse racing industry whose stories were not told when they were living.” 

When they purchased Silver Springs in 2012, the couple was just returning from a winery tour in Europe, where Carter’s interest in developing his own wine began. Upon their return to Lexington, Carter was ready to plant grapes and watch his home flourish with vines. Unfortunately, his first plant wasn’t as successful as he’d hoped.  

Carter used UK Cooperative Extension resources and met Jeff Wheeler, extension specialist in enology and lecturer for the Distilling, Wine and Brewing certificate. Wheeler came out to Silver Springs to see what Carter had planted, giving him advice on where to plant his next grapes, what types of seeds to use and how to properly care for the vines. That was almost ten years ago, and the pair are still working together. 

“Working with Allen, he has to wear a lot of hats,” said Wheeler. “It’s nice to send him good information that he can immediately use, that’s already validated. That’s the service we provide; defining the things that do work, and then letting him run with the rest.” 

With Carter still working out the kinks of growing grapes on his farm, the pair decided that Murphy’s sparkling wine grapes would be grown at the UK Horticulture Research Farm and fermented using traditional methods. This means the bottles are filled and placed on a rack upside down, so the yeast settles together and is easy to remove before corking or capping. 

“The exciting thing about Kentucky wine is there’s no definitive lines,” said Wheeler. “What exactly you’re growing, how you grow it, it’s all an experiment. We’re really still in the infant stage of the industry as a whole.” 

Carter and Nichols have many upcoming projects to honor those who came before them and create a legacy of Kentucky tradition at Silver Springs Farm. To keep up, visit https://www.silverspringsfarm.net . To purchase the sparkling wine honoring Isaac Murphy, call (859) 351-9067 or fill out a request form at https://www.silverspringsfarm.net/contact/ .

The Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment is an Equal Opportunity Organization with respect to education and employment and authorization to provide research, education information and other services only to individuals and institutions that function without regard to economic or social status and will not discriminate on the basis of race, color, ethnic origin, national origin, creed, religion, political belief, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, marital status, genetic information, age, veteran status, physical or mental disability or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity.  

Contact: Grace Sowards, [email protected] Media Requests: CE Huffman, [email protected]

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