Old Friends

Old Friends Book an Old Friends tour at www.oldfriendsequine.org. Call 502-863-1775 for information. NO walk-ins. The discovery gave even more impetus to our organization.
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Old Friends began as a retirement and rescue facility for pensioned Thoroughbreds. Then news broke of the inconceivable death of Kentucky Derby winner Ferdinand in a slaughterhouse in Japan in 2002. "We went from getting five emails a day to hundreds," noted Founder Michael Blowen. We knew such a death must never happen again. And so the plan became to bring at risk racehorses--those whose racing

and breeding careers had come to an end to Old Friends, provide them with the dignified retirement they deserve, and open the space to the public. By promoting these one-time celebrated horses through a campaign of education and tourism, we realized we could draw attention to all retired Thoroughbreds and all equines in need. We are the only thoroughbred rescue / retirement facility that accepts stallions, & so we take exceptional pride in our pensioned champions, among them Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner Hall of Famer, Silver Charm, Belmont winners Touch Gold, Birdstone and Ruler on Ice, Hall of Fame favorite, Lava Man, three-time Santa Anita Handicap winner Game On Dude, Breedersโ€™ Cup Champions Stormy Liberal and Eldaafer and Hollywood Gold Cup winner Rail Trip. In addition to our pensioned stallions, Old Friends is home to some very deserving retired mares & geldings. Old Friends hosts tours daily by reservation only, and while our guests come to visit to a few ex-racehorses, they leave having been touched by the heart of a Thoroughbred hero.

๐‘ฐ๐’ ๐’•๐’‰๐’Š๐’” ๐’Ž๐’๐’๐’•๐’‰โ€™๐’” ๐‘ท๐’‚๐’…๐’…๐’๐’„๐’Œ-๐’”๐’Š๐’…๐’† ๐’˜๐’Š๐’•๐’‰ ๐‘ฉ๐’†๐’—๐’†๐’“๐’๐’š ๐‘บ๐’Œ๐’Š๐’๐’๐’†๐’“, ๐‘ฉ๐’†๐’—๐’†๐’“๐’๐’š ๐’‘๐’‚๐’š๐’” ๐’•๐’“๐’Š๐’ƒ๐’–๐’•๐’† ๐’•๐’ ๐’•๐’‰๐’† ๐’๐’‚๐’•๐’† ๐‘ป๐’๐’–๐’„๐’‰ ๐‘ฎ๐’๐’๐’… ๐’‚๐’๐’… ๐’“๐’†๐’‡๐’๐’†๐’„๐’•๐’” ๐’๐’ ๐’•๐’‰๐’† ๐’Ž๐’†๐’Ž๐’๐’“...
01/13/2026

๐‘ฐ๐’ ๐’•๐’‰๐’Š๐’” ๐’Ž๐’๐’๐’•๐’‰โ€™๐’” ๐‘ท๐’‚๐’…๐’…๐’๐’„๐’Œ-๐’”๐’Š๐’…๐’† ๐’˜๐’Š๐’•๐’‰ ๐‘ฉ๐’†๐’—๐’†๐’“๐’๐’š ๐‘บ๐’Œ๐’Š๐’๐’๐’†๐’“, ๐‘ฉ๐’†๐’—๐’†๐’“๐’๐’š ๐’‘๐’‚๐’š๐’” ๐’•๐’“๐’Š๐’ƒ๐’–๐’•๐’† ๐’•๐’ ๐’•๐’‰๐’† ๐’๐’‚๐’•๐’† ๐‘ป๐’๐’–๐’„๐’‰ ๐‘ฎ๐’๐’๐’… ๐’‚๐’๐’… ๐’“๐’†๐’‡๐’๐’†๐’„๐’•๐’” ๐’๐’ ๐’•๐’‰๐’† ๐’Ž๐’†๐’Ž๐’๐’“๐’Š๐’†๐’” ๐’•๐’‰๐’†๐’š ๐’Ž๐’‚๐’…๐’†.

On December 15, 2015 a beautiful bay stallion arrives at Old Friends. This is the day a new chapter begins for him. Never to put on a saddle again and just enjoy the pure ecstasy of being a horse. His name is Touch Gold. This bright and intelligent guy was very happy at Old Friends with all the folks that dearly loved him and took care of him through his retirement years. I wonder if he looked across the paddock and remembered the day he beat Silver Charm in the Belmont and took away the chance of him getting the Triple Crown. To the two of them it was just another day of doing what they did best - racing.

I didn't meet Touch Gold until a year ago. It was one of those special moments when you instantly knew you had found a best friend. He was getting on in years and had some aging and medical issues and needed to eat his carrots shredded. I would walk up to his paddock and he would walk over to me - a bit slower these days, and we would share a banana. Yes, I do mean share. Of course, he liked the banana very ripe and always insisted on having the first bite. And his bites were always bigger than mine. We would take turns sharing our banana.

Now as I walk up to his empty paddock, I brush my fingertips over his name plate and a tear runs down my cheek. I turn to walk away, and as I do I look back, time stops, and I say to my precious friend, thanks for the memories โ€“ theyโ€™re PRICELESS.

Big Brown has spoken. The search is ON for Little Brownโ€”our next pint-sized superstar ambassador!But before you start th...
01/13/2026

Big Brown has spoken. The search is ON for Little Brownโ€”our next pint-sized superstar ambassador!

But before you start thinking of potential candidates, Michael Blowen has one request: - โ€œIโ€™d really love another little horse to take me on long walks every day.โ€

Know a small horse who loves people, strolls, and smiles? The search is on!

Read more about what qualities the right candidate to become Big Brown's mini-me here ๐Ÿ‘‰ https://oldfriendsequine.org/old-friends-and-kentucky-derby-winner-big-brown-launch-search-for-next-old-friends-mini-ambassador/

Take a trip down memory Old Friends Archive Reels in Time episode โ€œLifestyles of the Short and Famous โ€“ In Depth with L...
01/11/2026

Take a trip down memory Old Friends Archive Reels in Time episode โ€œLifestyles of the Short and Famous โ€“ In Depth with Little Silver Charm and Michaelโ€ with cameos by Silver Charm, and Bebe. (Video by Mary Greene). And while we have you โ€ฆ make sure to come back tomorrow for an exciting little announcement!

โ™ซGetting to know me..โ™ชMonday Mornings with Michael AND Little Silver Charm. It's another new video of Old Friends Virtual Tours. (Special appearance of Beb...

01/09/2026

This month's Old Friend of the Month is our own Mary Greene's Poppy, who is one of the greeters you'll see at the farm when you come to visit!

Poppy made her first visit to the farm in November of 2020 at the tender age of 9 weeks. She wasn't much bigger than a loaf of bread and terrified of the horses ... all except for Silver Charm who blessed her with a big kiss and welcomed her to the family. Since then she has devoted several of her days away from her duties as doggie daycare matriarch, peace keeper and surrogate mom, to be a greeter of guests at Old Friends. Donโ€™t let her frighten you with her enthusiastic barks when you come to visit! Sheโ€™s all noise.

We're back with our weekly eBay auctions! Among the items in this week's auction is a Oaktree Breeders' Cup World Champ...
01/08/2026

We're back with our weekly eBay auctions! Among the items in this week's auction is a Oaktree Breeders' Cup World Championships Champions mug. This mug celebrates our own ALPHABET SOUP, Azeri โ€“ daughter of our very own JADE HUNTER, as well as TIZNOW - the only horse to win the Breeders Cup Classic TWO TIMES! Also on the mug from our neighboring charity farm - Our Mims Retirement Haven - Elmhurst.

Find the eBay auction here ๐Ÿ‘‰ https://www.ebay.com/str/oldfriendsfarmgiftshop

A huge THANK YOU to everyone who has supported our Holiday Giving Tree! Your generous gifts โ€” whether for feed, vet care...
01/06/2026

A huge THANK YOU to everyone who has supported our Holiday Giving Tree! Your generous gifts โ€” whether for feed, vet care, hay, or other much-needed supplies โ€” are making a real difference in the lives of our retired Thoroughbred athletes who gave their all on the track. Because of you, these incredible horses can enjoy a dignified, comfortable retirement surrounded by love and care. Every donation โ€” big or small โ€” helps nourish their bodies and spirits, and we are so grateful for your kindness and support. Thank you for being a part of this special community that gives back to these amazing equine heroes.

If itโ€™s National Bird Day, it must be geese (And yesโ€ฆ we have a lot of them.) According to the Geese Travelers Network, ...
01/05/2026

If itโ€™s National Bird Day, it must be geese (And yesโ€ฆ we have a lot of them.) According to the Geese Travelers Network, Old Friends is the perfect spot to stop, swim a bit, and hang out with some really cool horses, who donโ€™t mind if you borrow their paddocks!

๐Ÿ“ธMary Greene

What a year at Old Friends! In 2025, we welcomed more than 10,000 visitors from 46 states and 10 countries, and we loved...
01/05/2026

What a year at Old Friends! In 2025, we welcomed more than 10,000 visitors from 46 states and 10 countries, and we loved every single one of you! If you havenโ€™t been yet (or just want to visit again), 2026 is the perfect year to see these incredible horses in person, hear their stories, and feed a carrot to a Kentucky Derby winner! Come make memories with us on the farm.

Ready to visit? We canโ€™t wait to see you on the farm! Bookings for this year's tours will open soon!

Test your knowledge! Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes winner Silver Charm had three full siblings, all fillies. Toget...
01/04/2026

Test your knowledge! Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes winner Silver Charm had three full siblings, all fillies. Together their racing earnings were: a. $59,317 b. $99,222 c. $116,399 d. $337,756.

(The answer is C)

Address

1841 Paynes Depot Road
Georgetown, KY
40324

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 4pm
Tuesday 10am - 4pm
Wednesday 10am - 4pm
Thursday 10am - 4pm
Friday 10am - 4pm
Saturday 10am - 4pm
Sunday 10am - 4pm

Telephone

+15028631775

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Our Story

In little more than a decade Old Friends, the Thoroughbred Retirement Facility in Georgetown, KY, has put a new face on the concept of equine aftercare. Founded in 2003 by former Boston Globe film critic Michael Blowen, the organization has grown from a leased paddock and one horse to a 236-acre farm and a herd of over 200 rescued and retired horses, including 21 pensioned stallions. Blowen had long believed that horses past their prime could still be valuable โ€“ money-earning, evenโ€”if the venue was right. And so Old Friends tested the concept by opening its doors to the public, inviting fans to revisit their turf heroes. And come they did. These days the farm attracts over 20,000 visitors annually who come to swoon over such champions as Breedersโ€™ Cup Classic winner Alphabet Soup, Belmont Stakes winners Touch Gold and Sarava, three-time Santa Anita Handicap winner Game On Dude, and Kentucky Derby and Preakness champion Silver Charm. And while such rock stars draw crowds, the revenue they raise supports hard-knockers like Easy Grades, a one-time Kentucky Derby contender who ended up struggling in 5K claimers at the age of nine. In 2014 Old Friends was rewarded with a Special Eclipse Award honoring extraordinary service in the sport of Thoroughbred racing. But perhaps the greatest reward of all has been respect and support of the owners, trainers, and fans who not only donate to the cause of protecting these amazing athletes but come out to the farm often and visit. Our guests come to visit a few ex-racehorses, they leave having been touched by the heart of a Thoroughbred hero. Tours are offered daily ($15; kids 4-12, $10.00; kids under 4 free). Book via our website or call reservations (502) 863-1775.