Unique Horse Farm Tours with Insider Access to Private Farms
4.9
Unique Horse Farm Tours with Insider Access to Private Farms
By Unique Horse Farm Tours
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About
Kentucky is an important center of thoroughbred racehorse breeding and home to some of the most prestigious stud farms in the US. On this tour, learn about horse racing and breeding as you visit three horse farms, and enjoy a behind-the-scenes look at how the horses are bred, raised, and prepared for their racing debuts. Under supervision of your guide, have chance to meet the horses and feed them a treat.
Lowest price guaranteeReserve now & pay laterFree cancellation
Ages 0-99, max of 13 per group
Duration: 3h
Start time: Check availability
Mobile ticket
Live guide: English
More
Highlights
- Visit three race horse breeding facilities around Kentucky
- Interactive experience: meet the horses and feed them a treat
- Choice of morning or afternoon tour departures
- Small-group tour with a maximum of 13 people
- 3 Lexington Area Horse Attractions - Locations Chosen by Best Availability & Activities
- Professional Guide
- Air-Conditioned Tour Bus
- Entry/Admission - Midway
- Entry/Admission - The Thoroughbred Center
What's not included- Food and drinks
- Start:
- Embassy Suites by Hilton Lexington/UK Coldstream, 1801 Newtown Pike, Lexington, KY 40511, USAUnique Horse Farm Tours Look for the (Unique Horse Farm Tour) Bus
End:This activity ends back at the meeting point. - Not wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Service animals allowed
- Near public transportation
If you have questions about accessibility, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 52658P1- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Tours typically last 2.5 - 3 hours and start at 8:30 AM and 12 Noon
- Most travelers can participate
- This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund
- This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 13 travelers
- For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start date of the experience.
- If you have questions about this tour or need help making your booking, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 52658P1
From
$49.00
per adult
Select date and travelers
Similar experiences
Itinerary
- 1801 Newtown Pike, Lexington, KY 40511, USAUnique Horse Farm Tours Look for the (Unique Horse Farm Tour) Bus
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Top rated
About the operator
Don’t take it from us – here’s what people have to say about this operator:
- M6725RPtheresas0 contributionsYou need to take a ride with SeanFirst time visiting Lexington and would highly recommend! Shaun Washington was our tour guide. He picked us up in his tidy coach bus and off we went to shoot clay pigeons. He took a scenic ride to lunch followed by tours of several horse farms. Sean knows everyone and everywhere we went we were greeted warmly. While in his coach, he shared historic and engaging stories. He is a gem! Would highly recommend spending a day with Sean.Written March 23, 2023
- Lynn F0 contributionsHorse barn and Keeneland racetrack and moreIf you want a tour of anything related to Lexington, KY, Shaun is the best! Every place we went, everyone knew Shaun. Our group of 11 named Shaun the unofficial "Mayor of Lexington." It is easy to see that Shaun knows a lot of history about horses and Lexington in general. Whatever tour you take with him, will be amazing. He is a first class person and went out of his way to make our day-and-a-half a memory to treasure. His van is nice and easy to see outside. Very comfortable.Written October 25, 2022
- K9165YOveronicah0 contributionsNot a great tourI think the 3 hour tour is too long. I expected more information on the horses and the farms and not so much about the races. We were left to just walk through the horse stalls and see the horses. the one farm we went to only had a few horses in the field far from where we were and the third farm was just horse in the field. We didn't get to give a treat. We just watched the horses from afar.Written July 16, 2022
- l0ganq0 contributionsLegendSean Washington is a legend amongst mortals. He had a superb recall of details, dates and winners. The stories were only surpassed by his friendly and professionalism on display throughout our tour. The personal connection to Katierich farm just solidified how passionate this man is about love. Paul is a stud and a stallion.Written October 5, 2021
- Pete B0 contributionsLoved it!While we were waiting for the van to arrive for our afternoon trip, we realized that there are several tours that leave from the exact same place. One of the drivers for a competing tour asked us who were were waiting for…. When we told him, he actually said “Oh- you’re better off, actually… you’ll love it”. He was right I am sure. We had Sean and he lived up to the hype you hear all over Trip Advisor. We saw beautiful sights, animals, heard fun facts and stories and even a few memorable surprises.Written September 28, 2021
- M8678PVamandam0 contributionsAmazing!!!Hands down best tour guide I’ve ever had. Not only was he informational but he made it fun and interesting. I will definitely book again. What a great personality and he made sure to include everyone and made them feel comfortable. Shaun thank you so much for making my outing with my daughter truly wonderful.Written August 6, 2020
- MaryFranny850 contributionsAwesome TourShawn was an awesome tour guide. It was very knowledgeable and great with our kids. Even with some stuff being closed for COVID we still had a great day.Written June 30, 2020
- Journey3071240 contributionsBest Tour Guide EverShawn Washington is a walking fountain of all things Thoroughbred. Didn't hurry us, lots of opportunities to see many horses and pet themWritten June 7, 2020
- Jacob B0 contributions11 year anniversaryMr. Shaun Washington was a great guide. We will be back down. Sense of humor and good dude. Knows his horse stuff hahah. Recommend 100%Written June 6, 2020
- manganiello790 contributionsAwesome Experience!!This is my first time in Lexington Kentucky, I was looking for something to do. It was suggested that I check out Unique Horse Farm Tours. Boy am I glad I did! This was a great experience, and Shawn was an amazing tour guide. Thank you!!Written January 16, 2020
- DrKiyonaB0 contributionsUnique Horse Farm Tours was awesome!I really enjoyed my time with Unique Horse Farm Tours. Initially, I was hesitant about the tour because the weather had taken a turn for the worst. It was cold and raining before we left. However, we still had the best time. Horses don't mind the rain at all! We had an opportunity to get up close and personal with MANY horses. I even fed a couple of horses out of my hands and it was so much fun. Shaun kept us laughing and had a wealth of knowledge about the racing industry in Kentucky, so we also learned a lot. He knows how to tell a good story!Written November 23, 2019
- Norma8860 contributionsUnique Horse Farm Tour is AMAZING and PERSONALIZED!On visiting Kentucky, my sister Amy and her husband Dave drove us to Lexington, where we met our tour guide Shawn Washington, boarded his very comfortable van and were immediately impressed with Shawn’s generosity and friendliness. Amy and Dave love the horses, so they conversed very intelligently. During our brief travel time, he discussed racing history and famous horses. He has a very deep knowledge of horse racing, breeding and Lexington highlights. Our first stop was a local farm with yearlings that we could not only watch, but touch those sweet faces and muzzles. Loved that! Next we got to go to a farm called Hill ‘n’ Dale, where we saw a barn-mansion; if I were a horse, I’d love to live there! We also visited the gravesite of Seattle Slew. We saw Curlin’ out in the pasture. After this we went to Katierich Farms, where the horses were very friendly and, again, lots of picture opportunities and a chance to rub those muzzles. We also got to give these horses some feed and they ate right out of our hands! We also met a great cat named Two-Face. We then went to a Clydesdales at Four Winds. Afterward, we got to go to Rood and Riddle, a world-class equine hospital, where we got to watch an actual surgery get underway. It’s a very large bed that holds a sedated horse! Very interesting, up close through an observation window. I would recommend this tour no matter the weather; just dress appropriately! Shawn will give you a great experience, perfect for young, old, families!Written November 14, 2019
- Pam C0 contributionsThank you for making my friends visit memorableThank you Shaun Washington for accommodating and sharing your knowledge and entertaining tour for my friend visiting from Orlando. She RAVED about Shaun and the people she met on the tour.Written October 26, 2019
- Jim J0 contributionsOutstanding Thoroughbred tourThis is a must see tour,our tour guide Sean Washington is an outstanding guide,would take this tour again and i would definitely rate this a 5 star plus,thanks Sean.Written July 3, 2019
- Rrrrawrrrrrrrrrrrrrr0 contributionsExcellent Tour of Three Amazing FarmsWe had a great time. Shaun was extremely knowledgeable and entertaining. We got to see foals and some of the most beautiful barns in the world (imho). All around terrific experience.Written May 19, 2019
These reviews are the subjective opinions of Tripadvisor members and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.9
778 reviews
Excellent
733
Very good
27
Average
11
Poor
3
Terrible
4
Timothy C
1 contribution
Aug 2024 • Couples
My husband Tim and I thoroughly enjoyed the Unique Horse Farm tour. Our guide, Jeff, having worked at the largest horse farm in the area for 30 years had so much knowledge and experience with the thoroughbred horses and answered all our questions. He entertained us with various stories and would definitely recommend this tour to family and friends.
Written August 29, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Lisa J
5 contributions
Aug 2024 • Friends
Shaun was a fantastic tour guide. He entertained the group with numerous stories and historical tidbits..and he clearly has a strong relationship with the farm owners and workers. You couldn't ask for a better guide. If you're looking for a truly interactive experience, this is it.
Written August 19, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Nacly
Washington DC, DC6 contributions
Jun 2023
Overall this is a very interesting tour with 3 stops at different farms. The first was the most interesting to me; we saw the 1-year olds in the barn, which even had an inside track for training. This is a breeding farm and they were getting ready to be sold so they were having their photo shoots starting that day and were getting groomed for it. At the 2nd stop we weren't allowed to go into the barn; they were worried about contamination from outsiders and even workers had to go through decontamination before they entered the barn. Not sure why we stopped to get out at this stop except the pastures are very pretty. But didn't really learn anything here or see any of the horses close up. The training facility was very impressive and we saw the material that they sell for race tracks. The 3rd stop was the former racehorses, now retired, who were purchased for breeding. We did see these horses up close in a pasture. Bring a sweater - our tour guide ran the airco on HIGH on the bus and I was cold the whole time (it was 65 degrees outside and I felt warmer outside than in the van). He is a fountain of information if you can hear him. On the bus he used a microphone but outside you had to be standing very close to him to hear him. For instance, I did not hear his warning about the electrified wire running across the top fence board at our first stop; if I had not been watching others in front of me I might have missed it totally. He knows a lot about who owns which farm, how much they bought it for, how much it costs to run, how many employees they have, how many days the owners are on site, the cost of the horses, etc. It's an impressive amount of knowledge and I had no background at all so I felt it was good value. Also...come prepared as there are no food or bathroom stops for 3 hours and he doesn't tell you this.
Written June 25, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
H C
Bentonville, AR23 contributions
Jul 2024 • Couples
THIS is the tour you want! Horse-related tours in an around Lexington abound, so it was extremely difficult to decide which one to choose. I wanted to see stallions, learn how race horses are trained, have the opportunity to visit with moms and their foals – this tour provided it all! Words cannot quite capture just how pleased we were with our Unique Horse Farm Tour and it all boiled down to our guide Jeff, who is sincerely what made the tour so special. His extensive knowledge, having spent a lifetime in the business, combined with his humor and absolute love of horses, was the heart and soul of this tour. His stories were fun, informative and extensive. We traveled from farm to farm with ease, entertained by Jeff all the while. There was familiarity and mutual respect displayed between Jeff and the individuals tending to the horses; and also between he and the horses! Of note- we were never rushed; we were able to spend plenty of time at each stop and we were the only group at each property, which really made it feel like a small, private tour with a friend rather than a commercial tour. I returned from the tour excited, enriched and surprised at how little the tour cost, considering all that it encompassed. Thank you for a fantastic time, Jeff!
Written August 19, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
John M
Pittsburgh, PA1 contribution
Our tour guide Shaun was super knowledgeable about all the horses’ history and was filled with personal stories and connections with the farms we visited and the owners. He was extremely entertaining and told us lots of funny stories about his experiences. We would highly recommend this tour.
Written October 5, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
marilyn L
Nashville, TN94 contributions
Can’t compare this to other horse tours in the area, but it’s hard for me to imagine others are better than this one. They pick you up at an Embassy hotel and the driver is the tour guide, his name is Sean. He is funny witty and extremely knowledgeable, you will be laughing and amazed. We visited several horse farms all known owners by Sean personally. He told interesting stories about all of them and I would brush up on the famous derby/triple crown winners as he tells lots of stories. He has special access to a vet hospital and was going to show us a surgery but it wasn’t happening for our tour. Ended with the Fasig-Tipton sale where we got close up views of auction for yearlings. Highly recommend.
Written October 26, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Miriam Elizabet... B
63 contributions
Mar 2024 • Couples
Shaun made this tour! You get fabulous stories and basically a stand-up comedy routine while petting soft yearling noses and strolling around beautiful farms. We learned so much and got up close and personal with some of the most magnificent horses and barn cats! The stop at the bakery in Midway was a highlight as well.
Written March 29, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Peggy G
30 contributions
Mar 2023
Shaun was a very pleasant guy, and although we did go to the horse farms and got an opportunity to pet the horses and see the babies, I was a little disappointed that there wasn't more information. There was a lot of time between stops that provided a great opportunity to talk about the horse racing industry. What information we got was delivered in a disjointed, staccato fashion that was kind of hard to follow. The farms and horses were beautiful, and overall we enjoyed it, but it could have been so much more.
Written April 4, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Cindy
Central Florida, FL4 contributions
We loved everything about the tour. If I could give it more than five stars, I would. Jeff was a wonderful guide. He was so knowledgeable about raising thoroughbreds as well as being very engaging and humorous. We toured three farms plus a bonus area - the auction grounds, which happened to be held the day of our tour. Taking a peek behind the scenes and learning the back stories about the farms and the beautiful thoroughbreds was very interesting and enjoyable.
Written July 13, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mary H
Davie, FL5 contributions
Oct 2021
I have taken Unique Horse Farm Tours at least five times over the years, so when I visited Lexington in October I signed up to take it again. As always, I really enjoyed the tours. Shaun's extensive knowledge, interesting stories and ability to be both informative and humorous guarantees everyone a good time for everyone!
One of the places we visited did water therapy for horses - that was a first for me. We also went to 2 private farms and got an up close to mares and their babies. I have recommended the Unique Horse Farm Tours to friends and recommend it to anyone visiting beautiful Lexington - it should not be missed!
One of the places we visited did water therapy for horses - that was a first for me. We also went to 2 private farms and got an up close to mares and their babies. I have recommended the Unique Horse Farm Tours to friends and recommend it to anyone visiting beautiful Lexington - it should not be missed!
Written November 1, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
My husband has a mobility scooter, does the tour accommodate handicapped?
Written September 8, 2021
I would not be able to answer this question unfortunately, The tour bus operator ( the owner) would be the one to answer this.
Written December 11, 2021
Which tour has the best chance of seeing the horses training in the pool? We will be there Sunday, Sept. 12. Will Shawn be giving tours that day and if so, which time? Looking forward to visiting Kentucky1
Written August 23, 2021
Pretty sure Shawn drives every tour. One of the stops on the tour is at the horse swimming pool.
Written August 24, 2021
I believe you have to contact then by phone directly.
Written June 28, 2021
Hello,
Does the tour include 3 farms? Can we expect to get out of the bus and walk around at each stop and have an up close view of the horses at each farm? I am planning for a party of 9 including 2 children. I feel responsible to understand ahead of time, what the experience will be like.
Written June 9, 2021
Our tour included three different horse farms. We were able to get off the bus and even pet some of the horses. You really get to see the operational side and different aspects of horse farms that you normally don't get to see. The tour guide/owner is excellent too! He really know the area, the history, and the properties.
Written June 28, 2021
Good Afternoon
What are the 3 area farms visited, and is it possible to be picked up from Kentucky Horse Park on the way to the farms, if they are close by instead of being picked up at Embassy Suites?
Thanks,
EIleen
Written May 12, 2021
Hello, I would like to take my 76 year old mother on this tour. She uses a cane and can do some walking. Our main concern is RR access. Do the stops have easily accessible restrooms?
Written May 5, 2021
We have a 3yr granddaughter- is there an age limit and can we bring a stroller if needed?
Written October 17, 2020
Yes the tour we took would allow for a stroller however you may not need it. The bus/van will take you close and when you stop you don’t walk far and then back to the bus.
Written October 18, 2020
How do I schedule the afternoon tour for late September, party of 4 adults?
Written July 16, 2019
Easy. Text or email Bluegrass Horse Farm Tours. Then look forward to an insightful entertaining time.
Written July 16, 2019
Showing results 1-10 of 20
*Likely to sell out: Based on Viator’s booking data and information from the provider from the past 30 days, it seems likely this experience will sell out through Viator, a Tripadvisor company.