Tell Me About Horse Life in Kentucky...

[TB_GAL]

My husband is recently retired from the military and we're seriously considering a move to Kentucky. We have 2 horses that are currently boarded and would like to buy property and bring our boys home. I would love ANY information on the horse life in Kentucky - which areas are the best, property/home prices, quality of life living in the state, weather, etc...

Any and all info would be appreciated so that we can start getting an idea. :) Thanks in advance.

[2ndyrgal]

Not sure where you're coming from , or if you need to work or will just live off a pension. Our farm is North of the KHP about 40 minutes. Of course Lexington is THE place, but the closer you are to there, the more you're going to pay per acre. Parts of KY are very hilly and rocky, and it depends on what you plan to do with your horse. Do you show, trail ride, foxhunt? I'm not a Kentucky native, but I have the farm of my dreams an easy drive from Lexington, and an easy drive to Cincinnati for half of what it would cost if it was in Lexington proper. The winters are colder than you would expect, but doable, summer is hot and sometimes muggy. Oddly enough this morning it was 54 when I did barn chorse and only got up to 70. Hope it stays like this for a couple of days. Kentucky is everything I dreamed it would be as a little horse crazy girl. Really it is.

[RealityCheck]

Hot and sometimes muggy? I'd describe it more as hot and always muggy ;)... summer is usually mid 80s, there will always be heat waves where it does get in the upper 90s and the heat index easily gets above 100. However we do also have times like this weekend where we are having record low temps, it's 70s breezy and absolutely lovely. Spring and fall and amazing here, nice weather and it's just gorgeous. Plus seeing all the TB babies in the spring is awesome. Winter can be a bit chilly but only rarely do we get down into the single digits, and we don't tend to get tons of snow, more ice and freezing rain. Fun! :/

As far as the horse scene goes, it doesn't get much better than this! Not only is there Lexington/Paris/Versailles but there is a big horse scene around Louisville as well, more towards the east in Oldham county. The great thing is you get into horse country just 25-30 minutes from downtown Louisville, and it's a decent sized city with plenty to do.

What type of riding do you do? That might help us steer you toward trainers/barns that would cater to you. There is quite an eventing/dressage/HJ scene in both Louisville and Lexington. I personally don't know much about the western riding here besides the fact that there's plenty of it!

[misita]

I'm also looking in the KY area and would love more information. I found a property I love in Farmington, KY which is supposed to be an hour from Lexington. Anyone have information on this area?

How cold are the Winters?

[caryledee]

Misita--Just looking at a map, Farmington looks to be at least a couple of hours from Lexington; it looks closer to Louisville.

It really depends on what you are looking for in terms of horse life. If you are looking to take long drives through the country and drool over the big beautiful horse farms, this is your place! However, I am not convinced Lexington is paradise for the average horse owner. Here are my pros and cons:
PROS
1. Access to excellent vet clinics
2. Lots of horsey things to do...between Keeneland and the Horse Park and some cool stores, there is usually something going on.
3. Low crime rate, plenty of non horsey things to do, plus Louisville and Cincinnati are each an easy drive when you want to get away.

CONS:
1. Competition from the racing industry--Drives up the price of hay and boarding etc. And its hard to get a load of hay delivered unless you can take huge quantities at once.
2. Not a good area for smaller shows--If you like going to schooling shows or the lower rated USEF shows, they are few and far between here.
3. Lots and lots of development going on here...its really sad to watch! Horse farms are getting pushed out further and further.
4. Not a lot of trails around--We have Masterson Station Park with an awesome equestrian area, but its quite a drive to get to the national parks where you can trail ride.
5. Price of acreage--Even though I am from Chicago, I find that prices for small farmettes are pretty high compared to other towns this size. They aren't easy to find either...unless you want a million dollar house to go with it! :)

If I had a choice, I think I would look into an area like Southern Pines or Aiken. But it depends a lot on what you are looking for too and what type of riding (if any) that you want to do. If you are into the racing scene, well this is THE place to be!

Our winters can get pretty cold and we do get snow and ice on a regular basis. The last 2 winters we did have quite a few days where the temps were in the teens or lower. It's nothing like living in the north, but it gets colder than I expected it would.

[TB_GAL]

My husband is now retired with a nice pension and we have a small chunk of change saved up to buy the small horse property of our own that I've dreamed of owning since I was a little girl. Don't get me wrong, we're not nearly rich and we need to find something affordable, but we definitely don't have to worry about living close to employment opportunities.

I rode hunter for many years, but with a family now, my horses are basically pampered rescued pets that I enjoying doting on every minute who will live out their lives with us. They both deserve the best and a nice little farmette with 3-4 acres would be fabulous for us and them. I've heard so many wonderful things about Kentucky, but I don't know much about it or what areas to begin looking. We currently live in Maryland now.

We would love a quieter area, but not too terribly far from shopping, good schools, good veterinary care, hospitals, etc... A nice peaceful country environment would be soooo nice :) Any ideas of where to begin our search?

Thanks again for the great info so far....I knew I've always wanted to live in Kentucky since I was a little girl.

[RedMare01]

Winters are pretty cold (Nov.-Feb./early March)...lows usually in the 20s-30s with wind chills making it seem even colder. Not a whole lot of snow, though. Usually a few inches here and there, with maybe one big snow (6-12") once a year.

Caitlin

[centeur]

:D I am not a native, only been here for 16 years, but wish I would have come here sooner!!! I live 2 hours from everywhere, L-ville, Lex and Nashville. Wouldn't have it any other way. We have 100 acres, and did not pay tons for it. Have easy access to those places, but far enough away to really be in the country. I am in South central KY, have great vet care, great medical care, etc. Would be more than happy to connect you and talk to you if you have questions. Your $$ will go further here. Unless you plan to be a the horse park every weekend, you're crazy to buy around Lexington. I've been told by horse ppl who have been to this area, its the best place to be. PM me and would be more than happy to give you more info. I don't think you would be disappointed. :yes:

[JanM]

Anyone who wants to know about postretirement taxes and cost of living can go to retirementliving.com, click on State Taxes, and they are listed by state. Many states exempt some or all federal government pensions, have discounts for property taxes, etc. It's a great place to find out about the overall tax picture as a part of deciding where to move to. And let's face it there are always trade offs to any place. Actually considering the number of people on the BB that are living in Kentucky, want to move there or are in the process of moving there I'm sure you'll get all of the info you need here. For the OP if you want great access to a huge military hospital the Ft Campbell area might be good for you. And Tennessee doesn't have personal income tax-and the area west of post is still pretty rural (Land Between the Lakes I think it's called).

[MintHillFarm]

:D I am not a native, only been here for 16 years, but wish I would have come here sooner!!! I live 2 hours from everywhere, L-ville, Lex and Nashville. Wouldn't have it any other way. We have 100 acres, and did not pay tons for it. Have easy access to those places, but far enough away to really be in the country. I am in South central KY, have great vet care, great medical care, etc. Would be more than happy to connect you and talk to you if you have questions. Your $$ will go further here. Unless you plan to be a the horse park every weekend, you're crazy to buy around Lexington. I've been told by horse ppl who have been to this area, its the best place to be. PM me and would be more than happy to give you more info. I don't think you would be disappointed. :yes:

I would like to get out of NY and I love KY. It may be a few years, that, and the prospect that there may be natural gas drilling here soon and I could be sitting on a lot of it which would insure income for many years. So, it may be awhile but TN and KY are strong possibilities and very appealing...

[TankMonte]

I'm a KY native. I wouldn't live anywhere else.

I enjoy living near the Louisville area (neighboring county). I lived in Lexington for a little bit and missed 'home'. A good mix of horse people (if you want to learn something new, you can find a barn in the area that can cater to whatever it is that you want to do), with your entertainment thrown in. From my area, Lexington's only about an hour away, Louisville's about 15 minutes. I can make it to the KHP or I can attend the ASB & Hackney Worlds Championships during the state fair without any problem. I don't have to worry about not being able to find a piece of tack, someone, somewhere around here (within reasonable distance) will carry it. You can't drive more than a mile without seeing an equine-themed vanity plate on someone's car. The state's biggest party centers around a horse race. For the horse person, it doesn't get much better than this!

[LCR]

I have also been investigating moving to Tennessee and/or Kentucky. I was
told that the area near Knoxville is higher in altitude, not as warm, in the foot hills,
you have the mountain vistas and properties are more reasonable. Knoxville is large
enough to have good medical facilities.

Does anyone know which areas would be termed horse country. I would be maintaining
a small herd for breeding etc.

[magnum]

I grew up in Evansville area (on the border across from Henderson, KY) and moved to Western KY (Murray State U) at age 19. We now live in NW Ohio, just off the MI border. It's night and day, the two lives I lead with horses in both locations ....

There are so many GOOD things to say about KY and the horsey scene. Lots of eventing ... hunters are big in Lexington scene. And, yes, lots of western and trail riders everywhere.

I wouldn't go back to the far west, as before, if I ever moved back. It's just too far from everything else (5 hours to Lexington, YES, KY DOES go "that far" west!) .... However, central KY is nice, as stated above, and of course, there is the Mecca: the Lexington area.

Up's -- never hard to find a good farrier or vet if you stay around the main area (central or Lexington area). I got REALLY REALLY spoiled and it's been hard to adjust to living other places where farriers have the ability to be so FREAKING IN COMPETENT! Hay is cheap and easy to come by in the rural areas not so close to the Mecca. The KHP ... ahhhhhh .... need I say more? :D Milder winters and early springs. Bluegrass. There truly IS nothing else to complete a horse's mineral requirements like this grass. It ONLY grows the way it does there, in KY soil ... You can take bluegrass SEED and plant it ANYWYERE .... yet no where else in the WORLD will you find the identical mineral balance as you do when it's grown in the meadows and fields of KY. (thusly, all the breeding farms ....) .

Down's - Those of you who have never had horses on hard RED CLAY have a rude awakening coming! (Note: Have a white grey?..... you'll be SORRY! ;) If you get too far out, you get in to some extremely backwards areas .... I am talking "Hatfields and McCoys." NOT joking! ICE STORMS (Guaranteed to have at least one bad one per winter, usually more .... you really need an indoor for T.O. during these times if you have any shod horses ... ). Also, terribly hot, humid and BUGGY summers (guaranteed to result in lethargic, cranky WB's - BTW - when people up here say, "It's so humid today" they don't really understand what that means!) ...

Other interesting notes: You will find as you look for property "out" but not too far "out" from the main cities, you will see what you will tend to see a LOT in KY and TN .... decrepit house trailers next to $500K homes next to run down corrigated aluminum roof barns... an odd mix.

One thing I have noticed about KY and TN in general is more roadside litter. It gets pretty dirty. Also, murky, muddy lake waters compared to those of us spoiled by crystal clear northern streams and lakes. Also, if you can believe it, in the backcountry, people actually STILL THROW their old appliances and rusty corn cribs in streams and down sink holes... They also use NICE open LOVELY pastures with livestock inside... as junkyards in many places .... sadly ... there exists much poverty in those 2 states, so I don't mean to criticize the choices people may have to make ..... But still .... that type of scene... with a herd of horses, cows, goats etc. ... housed in a pasture with twisted, gnarly, rusty barbed wire... amidst trashed out old cars and coils of rusty steel afoot ... sort of freaks me out... ?

The important message is that EVERY area has its advantages and disadvantages.

We have our extremely harsh winters in the north and mosquitos the size of birds in the early summer .... I personally did not do well in the KY winters because their mildness (usually around 34-40 daily) lent itself to COLD, drizzly rains ... and I find the "wet cold" colder than the "dry cold" we have in the north... If we could take our lower humidity northern summers, combined with KY meadows and rolling fields... wouldn't that just be HEAVEN?

Magnum

[caryledee]

You can see real estate listings at www.lbar.com (http://www.lbar.com). I have friends that live in towns like Lawrenceburg, Winchester, and Paris where the properties are cheaper; they are not too far of a drive from Lexington. Bourbon county (Paris) in particular seems to have a lot of smaller horse properties. Frankfort lies pretty much between Louisville and Lexington. There is a decent show facility there, Lakeside Arena. Versailles is a nice area but I believe prices are still pretty high. Danville is about an hour south of Lexington and it seems like a nice town.

I would suggest coming down for a vacation and see what feels like home to you! There is a wide variety of lifestyles here, from very backwoodsy to very urban.

[khp vol]

If you don't know where in KY you want to buy, go to

www.realtor.com

It displays property nationwide. Type in a city or zipcode and you can search wherever you want. I totally agree with caryledee that you should vacation here.
I came for Rolex one year and was hooked on Lexington. Hint: if you're coming here, the prices drop off quite a bit outside Fayette Co. (Lexington). I live in Clark Co. (Winchester) and love it here. The neighbors and I ride across each other's farms so trail riding is no problem. With Hagyard and Rood & Riddle you can't get better vet care.

[chestnutwithchrome]

I live 16 miles from the Kentucky Horse park. 20 minutes north of lexington on 75. You can buy land for cheaper because it is so hilly, so you don't have as much grass, we feed hay year round, but we buy NICE quality alfalfa/grass for $6/bale and can drive to the horse park or masterson in half and hour. I'm from California originally, and after spending time in a state where you have to drive for 4 hours to go ride/show somewhere, I love the fact that I can do 5 events a year just at the horse park. Scott county and Georgetown is a nice area to live in :-) www.lbar.com is a great website.

[Las Olas]

I loved living in Bowling Green. Property is affordable, it's close to Nashville and not too far from Louisville and 200 miles from Lexington. Has the Kentucky Downs race meet every September, it's a growing college town. Close to more trail systems than Lexington, land is gently sloping for the most part. Mammoth Caves is 20 minutes away. Great vet care (Drs. O'Brien and Taormina), a lot of lakes nearby. If I wasn't in the racing biz, I'd move back there in a heartbeat. There are also quite a few local shows, some being in WKU's indoor arena that seats 2,500. Winters there were also fairly mild compared to Lexington.

[shakeytails]

I left upstate NY (Utica area) about 16 years ago, and I have no desire to return. The only thing I miss is the pizza.

TB GAL- Since hubs is retired military, you might want to consider the Ft. Knox area. IMO, Radcliff is a dump, but the surrounding areas are nice- Meade, Breckinridge, and Hardin Co. Bullitt co. is b/w Ft.Knox and L-ville, but I really don't know much about it. A little farther out, but still within about an hr of L-ville are LaRue, Grayson and Nelson counties. Property is reasonable compared to most areas of the country, and taxes are cheap. This should give you an idea about prices in this area. http://www.homes.com/Real_Estate/KY/County/HARDIN

In this area you'll find a little bit of everything, but I'd guess that most folks just enjoy their horses and trail ride. I have ASBs, so I don't know much about the local hunter scene, but I know it's pretty healthy in the Louisville area.

I love the Bowling Green area, but for me it's a bit too far from Louisville and Lexington. If I win the lottery- my choice of places to live would be one of the farms on the Paris Pike near Lexington, preferably one with a stone fence!

Here's a good site to look at if you want to drool... http://www.kyhorseproperties.com/

[LovesHorses]

What does full care board in Louiseville run?? Meaning feed/clean/blanketing/turnout/graining, no training involved. Thanks! -Lara

[Holly Jeanne]

I have 12 acres a bit over an hour south of Lexington. There is still nice land available here for reasonable prices. Lots of horse people up and down my road. Most of them ride flat shod walkers. Farriers can be a bit challenging but I'm well established with a decent one. If I were looking to move to Kentucky now, I'd look in Mercer, Anderson, Garrard, Lincoln, and surrounding counties. Danville has a regional medical center and a good arts center. There is access to trails at Shaker Village and Logan Hubble park and it's not too far from the horse park.

[RedMare01]

Something to consider for anyone with kids looking for property in KY-schools. I have no idea what they're like in the rest of the state, but around Louisville, there are definitely places you don't want to be. Around Louisville, Oldham County (east of the city) and Floyd County, Indiana (directly across the river from Louisville, and where I live), are definitely the places to be school wise (at least for public school...I guess if you want private, it doesn't matter as much). Check into schools before buying, especially in rural areas....

Caitlin

[Dance_To_Oblivion]

We just bought our farm (83 acres and a great 2 story farmhouse with good outbuildings) at the end of May. The price was very reasonable. We are about 45 minutes to 1 hour south west of Lexington. It does take 25-30 minutes to get to the grocery store but I love it here and enjoy being so rural. The people have been fantastically friendly and helpful. I've met a great farrier and got beautiful hay delivered for $4.50 a bale. I love being so close to the Horse Park and there seem to be a ton of opportunities horse wise here.

Coming from Houston the summer is fantastic as the heat and humidity are so much better here! I am sure winter will be a struggle at first but I grew up in Maryland so I am sure I will adapt!

Of course it is still new to me but this is definitely my favorite place of everywhere I've ever lived!

[horse-loverz]

What does full care board in Louiseville run?? Meaning feed/clean/blanketing/turnout/graining, no training involved. Thanks! -Lara

anywhere from $4-600 dollars.... I pay $500 a month for full care with an indoor/outdoor arenas my horse if healthy and happy there and so am I :D

[Lord Helpus]

Having moved from Ky a couple of years ago, I was interested to see what the comments were. ---

I see that they are all over the place and that is as it should be since trying to describe Ky is like the proverbial blind man trying to describe an elephant.

There are a couple big cities with much activity and higher prices and hilly, rocky, even foothill/mountains.

Also flat, boring (to me) areas in backwater Ky where prices are pretty cheap, but your neighbors are straight out of "Deliverance" and the drink of choice is Ale8. :D

I lived in a primo bluegrass area. Just west of the Paris Pike and 10 miles East of KHP. A gorgeous 10 acre farm. Everything I could have ever wanted in a small horse farm, including a lovely 8 stall barn and a 160 year old farm house. (I bought right and sold right --- for once I hit the market perfectly at both ends!!. Problem is, I can never afford to buy my farm back now. :no: )

But, other than a really nice 200 x 300 ring I put in, I had no where to ride. Horse farms everywhere, and no place to ride. :no: Sad but true. I was also buying young slow racehorses and flipping them -- but there were no safe, quality schooling shows. I had to take these babies to KHP AA shows to start them. An expensive start!

I am now in Southerm Pines. :yes: Horses are everywhere and so are trails, The Foundation and small shows. SP is to horse sports what Lexington is to TB blood stock.

And Ky is VERY cold in the winter... It is a northern State in the winter and a Southern state in the summer.

All that said, I loved living there; it just wasn't really right for me.

[PaintedBones]

We live (just moved from PA) just inside Lousiville Metro so we're just on the other side of the line of Oldham Co. We board in Oldham and it's $350 full care. Pastures are super lush. My two are doing overly well (read: fat)on just pasture. It's a nice area....quiet, horsey, but close enough to the city and shopping that you don't miss out on anything. It's the best of both worlds and I don't want to leave. I love it here.

Bones

[ddashaq]

Everybody seems to have this thread pretty well covered, but as a recent transplant to Kentucky, I just wanted to say that the winters are NOT that bad! I lived in the midwest for 25+ years and the winters down here have NOTHING on the crap and awful temps we got up there! The worst part of the winter was the drivers. Any time it so much as flurried, traffic slowed to LITERALLY 5 mph and people drove themselves into the ditches (dodging snowflakes perhaps?). To be fair they have very little snow removal/ gritting equipment, but I was thankful for my midwest upbringing as I can and will drive through almost anything. (Short of a blizzard, even I won't take one of those on!)

The temps were not bad at all, I actually had to go buy a lighter weight jacket as the carhartt was just too hot 90% of the time. If I had had arena lights I could have ridden outside all winter with the exception of maybe the worst two weeks. I loved it!;)

[keepthelegend]

The summer this year has been amazing! Very little humidity and I have been cold several DAYS and nights...especially this weekend!

[ReSomething]

I've been here since Fall of 2005 in Lexington, and then bought and moved about 30 miles north of Lexington.
This is the South. Barely, but it still is. Twenty different kinds of bologna in the supermarket deli. If you ask for tea you get cold sweet tea. Lots of fried things and buffets (all you can eat restaurants). Dry counties. Wet counties, Moist counties. Most small shops close on Sunday and you can't get a seat in a restaurant after church on Sunday. No license plate for your trailer and no inspection for your car (bugs me no end as cars seem to drive here legally minus important body parts - like the whole front fender and headlight assembly). County clerk handles your car registration, driver's license is the sheriff (I think, and just recently they are requiring your birth certificate to change over your DL, at least in Fayette), property taxes are the sheriff, (payable in one installment so escrow impounds have a use here). You'll need to carry your SS card here as they are still using it as a form of ID for DL, renting, bank accounts and they want to see it (and Identity theft is on the rise in this state, I wonder why?) we did get the county clerk trained after registering car number two, maybe she recognized us.

Veterans come back home to retire here. Housing is inexpensive and good veteran's services, VA hospitals.

Horse-wise, TWH, Rocky Mtn and Spotted are huge here with multiple shows every weekend. ASB have a show circuit also (I'm in a separate bracket-Academy-so fewer for me). I never did show H/J but the schooling show scene wasn't much different than the scene from where I lived in the '70's. One farm show per month and usually over run by the farm clients. Supposedly some are so bad you'll be there till midnight. There's a nice show series at Lakeside Arena in Frankfort run by the KHJA. Two arenas, climate-controlled indoors (which means 45 instead of 25 with a wind chill), stabling and concession stand.
Very much word-of-mouth stuff here in KY, somewhat slower pace, more personable, can be negative with corruption and politicking thruout the system - who ya know doncha know. Holds true with horsey stuff as well, lots of barns really don't advertise at all. Maybe they'll have a listing in the yellow pages - just the barn name. I went over to Wise Choice tack and asked the salesperson there for a recommendation on where to take lessons that had decent school horses and was pleased with the result.

You really need to come for a week long visit and driveabout. I had family and a job transfer that set my location for me but I really like the Bowling Green to E'town area, just from the look of it, also all down 127. (Just as an aside, they have no commute problems in Ky to speak of and people will drive loooong distances to get to work - as a veteran of CA freeway traffic this is a recipe for future trouble - S Lex to Nicholasville is a prime example and they continue to develop housing in S Fayette/ N Jessamine counties - my coworkers are already "driving the back roads" to avoid afternoon traffic, dangerous.)

Anyway, more junk than you wish to know I'm sure. Come for a visit and see for yourself!

[khp vol]

Since opinions about temps are all over the map, I went to my 2007 World Almanac and came up with these figures for normal high & low:

January High/low July High/low

Lexington, KY 40/24 86/66
Baltimore, MD 41/24 87/66

There are the facts; now you decide.

[RedMare01]

As far as board goes, if you go out of the city, it goes down considerably (as long as you just want boarding, not training, nothing really fancy). I currently pay $325 for full care board at a nice barn (indoor and outdoor rings) in Indiana, 10-15 min. from downtown Louisville.

Caitlin