Kentucky Horse Country: Images of the Bluegrass

About this book

On any given day more than forty thousand horses roam the fields of the Bluegrass and there are more than five hundred horse farms in the region known for its rich soil and rolling hills. Kentucky Horse Country: Images of the Bluegrass is renowned photographer James Archambeaults pictorial portrait of the natural beauty of Kentuckys Bluegrass region and the thriving thoroughbred industry for which it is famous. The book contains more than 150 full-color images ranging from tender scenes of mares and foals grazing to the excitement of race day at Keeneland to gorgeous landscapes of pristine white fences enclosing lush pastures. The region has long been associated with the best achievements of the equine world. In 1871 a horse named Lexington was foaled in Scott County and many famous thoroughbreds can trace their lineage back to this great sire. Having photographed the bluegrass for decades Archambeault is intimately familiar with the backstretch and the barns the fields and the foals that are known around the world. In the course of his career he has been able to see many of the legendary horses that have made horse racing so exciting and popular: Affirmed Alydar Spectacular Bid Secretariat Seattle Slew and Cigar. Rare photographs of these and other racing royalty are included in the book. The handsome barns and well-tended pastures found throughout central Kentucky have been the home to international racing champions and now individuals from all over the world including England Ireland Japan Dubai and Saudi Arabia have a stake in the regions flourishing horse industry. As preeminent racing historian Edward L. Bowen notes in his introduction "It is a special place where the ruler of Dubai and a stable groom have something in common; the queen of England can admire a leathery old jockey; a philanthropist and a veterinary professor have the same goals; and a $2 bettor celebrates at the same moment that a corporate CEO grits his teeth in disappointment." The vibrant photographs in Kentucky Horse Country are accompanied by Archambeaults captions and narrative descriptions as well by a lively introduction to the history of thoroughbreds in the Bluegrass by Bowen. The book also includes a foreword by Kentucky native Steve Cauthen the youngest jockey to win the Triple Crown who once again calls the Bluegrass his home. James Archambeaults latest work is a Kentucky triple crown for those who love horses and horse racing for those who revel in the magical beauty of the Bluegrass and for those who are looking for a grand introduction to what makes this region so unique.