*Family Friendly *Photography by Muse Marketing
Legend has that if you catch the sun rising over the rolling hills of Kentucky at just the right moment, it casts a smoky, blue haze. Mares and their foals emerge from the comfort of barn stalls to graze and stretch long legs. The little ones romp and frolic in the sun-dappled fields. The mamma horses spend the mornings stretching long legs in sun-dappled fields as the little ones romp and frolic.
Hello There!
Encouraging visitors and Kentuckians alike to call on small towns around the Commonwealth is a passion, so I decided to organize a Woodford County Blogger Event. The weather couldn’t have been better for our tour at Sun Valley Farm, located in the heart of the county. Owners Jan and Barry Butzer welcome visitors while their son Brett leads the informative tours, laced with an entertaining dose of humor.
Angela of Adventures In Lexington with Jan Butzer, farm owner.
Mamma and baby with Courtney of Kentucky Girl Ramblings blog
Horsey selfie with Sarah of Sarah.Jewell.Harper blog
You may be surprised to learn that healthy foals are standing on their own within a couple hours after birth and soon nursing. These newborns are fast right out of the gate! We were able to catch a glimpse of a foal developing inside its mother while receiving an ultrasound. We wondered about all the promise of this new life. Were we one of the first to behold a future derby winner?!
When we visited in the afternoon the horses had been out to pasture all day. Bellies full from their mother’s rich milk, some of the foals were napping. However they eagerly rallied to greet us, allowing us to pet them and take photos. A few of these adorable, little colts and fillies were shy while others relished all of the attention!
Nap time for this little one! Photo by Lora Morto
Porscha of Porscha Lynette
The tour culminated as we were guided around the beautiful, historic home built in 1831 by the Samuel Pepper family. Brett spoke of the former Pepper Distillery, now the renowned Woodford Reserve Distillery just a country mile away.
Following the tour we watched some short videos which explained more about the horse breeding process and its inner workings. I feel we are fortunate to have this amazing industry in our back yard. Thanks to the “sport of kings”, Kentucky’s countryside is decorated with picturesque, green pastures meticulously lined with neat, wooden fencing; home to the handsome thoroughbred.
Our quota of velvety muzzles filled we turned to the incredibly delicious hors d’oeuvres created by Sweet Lilu‘s Catering with a compliment of crisp wines from Equus Run Vineyards.
A delicious spread by Sweet LiLu’s.
A beautiful day on the back porch.
Sweet Lilu’s provided savory caprese skewers, mini BLTs with tasty, candied bacon and a creamy, caramelized onion and goat cheese tart. Their charcuterie board garnished with delectable meats, cheeses, dried fruits and nuts and a side of tangy, house-made jam was almost too appealing to sample!
We supped a nice selection of Equus Wine including refreshing Cabernet, Chardonnay, and a fruitier Hootie Berry. Be sure to stop by Equus Vineyards nestled on Moores Mill Road on the Elkhorn River for tastings and live music on Sunday summer afternoons.
Flowers by Bellaire Blooms and wine by Equus Run Vineyards.
The combination of interacting with the precious foals and their mothers, lovely weather, delicious food and wine, accompanied by great conversation with old friends and new acquaintances made for a Kentucky memory that will last a lifetime!
Marie of Backroad Bluegrass Blog
Sun Valley Farm isn’t far from many Kentucky towns: Georgetown – 25 minutes, Louisville – 60 minutes, Lexington – 30 minutes, Richmond – 35 minutes and Covington – 95 minutes. You can schedule your tour by calling 859- 533-5377.
Cory and Katie joined us from Woodford Charm magazine.
As always, I welcome your comments below. And should you visit any of these businesses after reading one of my blogs, please let them know you heard it here! See more photos on Instagram at #KYBloggerEvent
Until next time, Sun Valley.
