Old Friends

The entire reason we came to Kentucky was to visit Old Friends! Here are race horses living the good life in retirement and being great ambassadors. The regularly scheduled tours were booked but you can call and get a private tour - we were with our guide Wendy for 2 hours. We took a golf cart and met all the famous racers as well as many other sweet horses! We had a huge bucket of carrots we were able to feed them and get to know them. It was so awesome. Loved every minute! It is rain or shine - it did rain some in the beginning but then became a nice day!

Old Friends' mission is one I can get behind-they take in OTTB after their years of racing and breeding are over. They have close to 200 horses on their beautiful grounds and the horses free range in the pasture: the perfect way to retire. They are run mostly by volunteers and our husband wife duo, joyce and Ken, were so sweet. We learned a lot, had soooo many carrots and treats to feed the horses and enjoyed our private golf cart tour.

What an amazing experience! On the walking tour, we got to individually meet about 15 of these great horses and feed them carrots. We learned each of their stories and racing successes. Also saw a video of their great finishes to actually see them in their prime. I'm not a fan of visiting retirement homes, but this place should not be missed. The love for these great horses is readily apparent. Great place for them to live out their last years in safety, freedom, and care.

A great place to get up close, and in some cases feed, some retired race horses you may have seen run.

Today is Silver Charm's 28th birthday. In 1997 Charm won the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness, but lost the Belmont and his bid for the Triple Crown. He was sold to Japanese interests where he stood at stud until he was pensioned in 2014. He was returned to the United States and is living out his days at Old Friends.14

One of my favorite places, had my wedding there. The owners love and care for the horses with such devotion. Silver Charm is the star but all the horses are great.

We had a blast at Old Friends. We went on a tour and saw several Kentucky Derby winners. The tour guide was fantastic and answered our questions with enthusiasm. The grounds are beautiful. Feeding the horses and hearing their stories was so fun. The tour is a good deal of walking but most of it is paved or gravel. The tour guide used a golf cart and allowed people to ride if they wished to. It was east to find with plenty of parking. Highly recommend this activity!

Rehab & retirement of racehorses. All proceeds of merchandise & tours go to theese horses & rescuing more. An absolute dream for me seeing this. Game on Dude, Savarva, Silver Charm & many horses that never even made it to major stakes races. The gift shop has a lot of cute items for kids, men & women. In no time at all, I spent over $115. All so worth it since it goes to these majestic animals. They even have a few rescued cats & one that's as big as a miniature pig lol. S long as they are cared for & happy all is good. A few things could be improved for hot days such as the tour going a bit faster lol but our guide was thorough & I have no complaint. Also we left after seeing Silver Charm & the memorial site. Still do it even on a hot day just bring some water & a hat. It begins w/ a video that was very touching to me to know other people care so much. You get overall knowledge if you've never been around horses, personality types of each horse & you get to feed them carrots. It's so worth it. If it's hard for you to walk they have a golf cart to escort you along the tour.

Great tour. So many beautiful horses to feed carrots too. Some to pet on noses. Amazing grounds and people.

The staff was friendly! A laid back and knowledgeable volunteer assisted us in our tour of the horse rescue. It was fun learning about their careers and feeding them carrots. A sanctuary for the retired four legged friend.