Lexington, KY - Horse Capital of the World

Breeze The Bluegrass  12-13-11

Not to be confused with the heartwarming movie, WAR HORSE, which opens in theaters on December 25, there are many ways to keep a horse, and yourself, warm during the Bluegrass winter.  During the height of this holiday season, I thought I’d offer some functional and practical gift ideas.

Food, water, shelter.  These are the necessities when keeping a large animal warm in foul weather.  A horse keeps warm by eating.  high quality feed, often with corn as an ingredient, is a necessary staple, along with fresh, dry hay.  Fresh water must be available to keep that food moving in the right direction.  When temperatures drop to the freezing point, a heater for the watering trough is a must.  Shelter, or some sort of wind break, while not a must, is certainly helpful to the horse’s well being.  

A great source of horse health information comes from a local Lexington magazine called The Horse.  A subscription to this magazine, either hard copy or digital edition, would make a thoughtful gift for any horse lover.

Check out The Horse here

A good quality, warm and waterproof coat, or blanket, is a great addition.  A great place to start is a shop in Lexington that can not only outfit your horse for the winter, but can keep you warm and in style, as well. Wise Choice Tack and Trailer has everything to keep a horse and rider warm.  They sell a variety of horse 'turn out' blankets made by amigo, rambo, weatherbeeta. This type of blanket will keep a horse warm while 'turned out' in the paddock.  These blankets come with and without a neck cover. Some are even waterproof. Wise Choice also carries a variety of cold-weather clothing.  My favorite is the TuffRider thermal riding pant that is fleecy inside.

Visit Wise Choice here

KBC Horse Supplies has a good selection of horse and rider winter wear and equipment.  

Visit KBC here

Bob Mickler’s sells a combination of quality outerwear and clothing by Barbour, Ariat and Gersemi for the equestrian rider, as well as accessories for the horse, from saddle pads to bits and brushes.  

Bob Mickler’s site is here

A store that caters primarily to the needs of horses is Brumfield Hay and Grain Company.

Brumfield information is here

And now some shops that cater specifically to the rider or horse enthusiast:

The Kentucky Horse Park gift shop has a great variety of outerwear and gifts.  I am still wistfully thinking about a pair of bookend lamps I saw in there the other day. They had gorgeous plaid shades and a horse and rider going over a fence.  

Check out Horse Park information here

Carl Meyers specializes in custom hunt clothing, saddle seat show apparel and business suits.  However, there is a little something for everyone at his shop in Lexington.

Carl Meyers can be viewed here

The Keeneland Shop features outerwear and clothing for men, women and children.

Check out the gift shop at Keeneland Race Course here

The Lexington Horse is an online-only shop based out of Lexington that carries everything the walk-in stores have.  If you happen to be in a location without equestrian equipment and accessory shops, you can still feel comfortable shopping from a bluegrass-based mail-order store.  

Check out The Lexington Horse here

While technically not located in the Bluegrass region of Kentucky, Horse and Hound is another on-line-only gift shop.  Featuring elegant Equestrian décor and art, it is based out of Prospect, KY, which is just a short drive north of Louisville.

Horse and Hound’s on-line catalog is here

When you’ve completed winter shopping for yourself and your horse, take some time to enjoy the Southern Lights drive-through holiday light show.  This holiday tradition in the Lexington area takes place nightly at the Kentucky Horse Park.

Southern Lights information is here

So, grab some tissue and check out the trailer for WAR HORSE here

Jocelyn-I wear a tan Troxel Sierra (even though I ride English) and really like it. I'll be out at the Sayre School horse show on May 13th out at Masterson Station Park in Lexington. I'll try to get some information on this from one of the judges. Look for this information in Breeze The Bluegrass the week of May 14th.
by: Julie
Thursday May 3, 2012

A friend of mine rides in that Troxel Cheyenne. She's a liofleng western rider and had never worn a helmet until very recently, but she actually really likes the look of the Cheyenne, so it's a win all around. Of course, at age four, your son is going to outgrow whatever you get for him in about five seconds, isn't he? I know the rule book states that any rider in any division can wear a helmet without penalty. I think a lot of saddle seat and western riders think that judges will still penalize them (maybe subconsciously). I don't know if that's true or not, but I would think you could plop a schooling helmet on your leadliner in any seat and the judge wouldn't hold it against you. They might even appreciate that you put safety first. I'd be curious to hear a judge's feedback on this one.
by: Jocelyn
Thursday Apr 5, 2012