GEORGETOWN, Ky. -- When one thinks of Kentucky, horses probably come to mind pretty quickly. Racing is a huge part of Kentucky culture. But what happens to the horses after they stop making money? One nonprofit in Georgetown gives them a place to live their golden years safely. Spectrum News visited Old Friends Farm -- it's one of the many reasons we "Celebrate Kentucky."

  • Former racehorses are cared for on a Georgetown Farm 
  • The farm was founded in 2003 with one horse
  • Tours are $10 per person

The residents at Old Friends Farm aren’t your ordinary, run-of-the-mill horses.

“These guys are great celebrities. What hair I have left stands up when I see them every day,” said founder Michael Blowen.

Many of them are Derby winners, stakes winners, and millionaires – and they’re available for anyone to visit. In 2003, Blowen founded Old Friends with one horse. Today, there are 180 horses and three different farms.

“We have more stakes winners here than any farm in the history of horse racing,” Blowen said. “The greatest thing is just waking up to go out to feed these guys and take a deep breath. It’s a beautiful place to live.”

And, luckily for the rest of us in Kentucky, Georgetown is a beautiful place to visit, too.  The non-profit’s mission, Blowen says, is giving thoroughbreds a life after racing. 

“15 years ago when we first started this, it was almost procedure for them to go off to slaughter houses. We’re diminishing the odds of something bad happening to these horses once they’re done,” he said.

Blowen calls the farm a “living museum of horse racing.” But even if you’re not big into the sport itself, visitors will be able to tell all their friends they fed a Derby winner a carrot right out of their hand, which is a pretty unique bragging right.

Of course not every horse at Old Friends is a stakes or derby winner…but Blowen says they all have incredible stories.

“We also want them to see other horses that have different stories. We try to tell their stories and each one of them has a great story. That’s the key to the whole thing,” he said.

An hour and a half tour around the beautiful farm costs $10. The money goes towards a great cause, but if visitors are still skeptical, there’s a satisfaction guarantee from the founder himself:

“I tell people all the time I charge $10 for the tour, but if you don’t like it, you’ll get $20 on the way out. So far no one has asked me for that,” Blowen said.