This day was such a highlight for everyone in the family. It was Jacob and Sarah’s favorite day but I think we all fell deeper in love with all things Kentucky on this day.
Rocky Start
Sadly, the day was off to a rocky start. I had woken up in the middle of the night and did not feel well at all. I had a really bad headache and was very nauseous. I hoped that I could just sleep it off but it was a long night for me.
I woke up early to get myself ready before getting everyone else up and ended up throwing up. I went back to bed and let everyone sleep in. I was so disappointed because we had all been looking forward to this day and I really did not want to ruin it for the family. Mark was an absolute angel as always. We took things slow and he brought me some breakfast in bed. Then he took everyone down to breakfast so that I could get a little more rest in the room alone. We finally made it out of the room and Mark packed up the car once again.
The drive over was a little brutal. I was pretty miserable and really didn’t know how I was going to keep it together. Lots of silent prayers were said and we made it to the park. And surprisingly, it all ended up really okay. I am so grateful for prayers that are heard and answered.
Kentucky Horse Park
When we were planning our trip to Kentucky we knew we had to do something with horses. It kind of surprises me that we didn’t go to the location for the Kentucky Derby – and I can’t compare since we didn’t – but we have no regrets about going to the Kentucky Horse Park. It was amazing.
And kudos to the time of year we went because there were times when we felt like we had the whole place to ourselves. It was huge and so much fun. This park is all about the relationship between humans and horses. There was such a level of respect for horses and we all fell in love with them.
One of the cool things about this park is it is loaded with shows. We were later than we had hoped that morning, but we did EVERYTHING. We were also the last people to leave the park so it was a whole day affair!
Parade of Breeds Show
Our first show was the Parade of Breeds Show. It is exactly as it sounds! Different riders come out riding different breeds of horses. We loved learning about the origins of the different breeds and we definitely came out with our favorites.
Family Favorites
- Mark – Andalusian and Percheron
- Elise – American Morgan Horse and the English Shire
- Jacob – Norwegian Fjord and the American Cream Draft
- Sarah – Sugarbush Harlequin Draft and the Suffolk Punch
- Ben – Andalusian and the American Cream Draft
Horseback & Pony Rides
The most memorable part of our entire trip for Jacob and Sarah was their horseback ride. They loved it so much. Sarah, especially, has been dreaming of riding a horse for so long. She has done the little pony rides but she wanted the real deal. I loved watching her be so happy. Her horse was named Art and she loved him.
I wasn’t really sure how Jacob would do with his ride, but he loved it, too! His horse was named Hidalgo and he thought he was the greatest thing. There were about six people in their group, Jacob and Sarah were the only kids, and they were able to go on a ride around the outskirts of the park for about 45 minutes. They were on cloud nine.
While Sarah and Jacob were on their ride, Ben got to do a pony ride. He was a little disappointed that he couldn’t do the bigger ride (you have to be at least 7 for the other one), but he was able to go around a couple times on his pony, Scout, and then he and Mark played on the playground while I fed Lydie her lunch.
Iron Works Café
Once the big kiddos got back, we made our way to the Iron Works Café for lunch. Since I wasn’t feeling well that morning, I didn’t make any sandwiches or anything for lunch. So we broke from tradition and had lunch at the park.
The workers at the Café loved the kiddos. They “hooked us up” with a wink and extra food (including dessert!) and even changed the music to Disney. They were so sweet.
The rest of the day was busy busy busy!
Kid’s Barn
We made our way to the Kid’s Barn and Ben, especially, was in heaven. They had all of the equipment and supplies for taking care of horses and the kids could play and use them. So fun!
Parade of Breeds
We went to back to back shows. We went and saw the Parade of Breeds show again because they were spotlighting different breeds and we had loved it so much before we wanted to go again.
Lydie is a horse whisperer. The place where they do the show is surrounded by the stalls where they keep the horses. I walked around with Lydie and every single horse came over to where she was. It was very tender.
Draft Horse Meet & Greet
Next up, we went to the Draft Horse Meet & Greet. These horses are INSANE! I completely fell in love with the draft horses. They are huge and majestic and I just couldn’t get enough of them.
Lydie fell asleep in the show which was so good that she was able to get a little cat nap in. After the show we were going and petting the different massive draft horses when one of them went for Ben’s head. All of a sudden I just see teeth and the horse going down for the top of Ben’s head. Ben dropped to the ground and we all had a good laugh. However, Ben was not nearly as keen on the draft horses after that.
Hall of Champions Nightcap
The last show was the Hall of Champions Nightcap. This show was really the only let down we had at the park. It was just boring. They brought out Marion Marauder and spoke about his career. He was a trotting triple crown winner and while his career was interesting, we all thought the presentation was a little dull.
International Museum of the Horse
After that we raced over to the International Museum of the Horse. We had to go through this very quickly because time was definitely running out before the park was going to close. Once we went through that we headed over to the gift shop to get some souvenirs. The kids asked for a little “photo shoot” for their new horses and we did it – it’s good to be a kid.
There are also several “memorials” and headstones for horses that have been buried there. It was an incredible day.
Louisville Kentucky Temple
We then made our way to Louisville and to the Louisville Kentucky Temple. We love going to visit the temples in the areas we go and visit. Next year, Jacob will be able to go into the temple and we are so excited to be able to experience the inside of the temples as well.
It was a beautiful evening and the temple was amazing. It was pretty teeny, but it was so busy! We loved to see it busy and to feel the joy of the temple. It is the 76th temple and was dedicated in 2000 by President Thomas S. Monson. We loved it.
Once we got into Louisville we had to get creative and on our feet when the bridge got closed down and we had to figure out another way to get across the river and into Indiana to our hotel. Mark is amazing and is so good under pressure (I was stressed!) and we made our way.
We had sandwiches and snacks at the hotel and enjoyed a night in and a good nights sleep!
