Kentucky by Heart: A visit with horse racing legends at Georgetown’s Old Friends equine retirement farm


By Steve Flairty
NKyTribune columnist

You might say I was “Charmed” by some old friends I met at a recent visit to a rest home for aging horses.

It was my first visit to Old Friends, a 236-acre equine farm, described as “horse racing’s living history museum.” It is located at 1841 Paynes Depot Road, near Georgetown. I left with pleasant memories. The most pleasant was meeting both 1997 Kentucky Derby Winner Silver Charm and a miniature horse, Little Silver Charm (though not the same type of horse as Silver Charm, and obviously no relation).

Silver Charm (Photo by Steve Flairty)

On that day, I attended the farm on a Kentucky Colonels service project and helped with a family event sponsored by the Keeneland Library involving the traveling exhibit, The Heart of the Turf: Racing’s Black Pioneers. When some free time arose, a friendly volunteer tour guide invited me to come meet Silver Charm, grazing contentedly, it appeared, about one hundred feet from the fence where we stood. The guide voiced summoning words to the Hall of Fame horse, who was adorned with a pronounced gray color in his glory days, but now, at the advanced horse age of 30, holds a somewhat smokey white appearance.

You might say ol’ Charm now has a more distinguished look.

The guide’s call seemed to go unnoticed as the equine icon continued to graze. Staring long and hard at the great Silver Charm, I felt a tinge of American history reverberating inside, and I mentioned that to the guide. She reminded me that the farm shows a video with the horse charging hard and crossing the finish line at the Derby, noting his darker color as a three-year-old. With that, the two of us moved toward some other thoroughbred residents along other fence lines. We’d be back, though.

A while later with another guide, we joined a small throng of visitors where Silver Charm was now holding court. He wasn’t signing autographs, but the mature gentleman seemed to enjoy the soft petting of his forehead, the loving sighs, and a handful of sliced carrots Old Friends supplied for visitors to feed their friends. And even after probably having thousands of photos shot of himself over a long career, he politely, sort of, posed for mine.

With all the acclaim that mighty creature has received, I am not sure I could have stood so humbly and patiently in those moments as this equine rock star did.

Little Silver Charm (Photo by Steve Flairty)

My time with the cutesy Little Silver Charm was much more subdued but nonetheless memorable. Though named after the “real” Silver Charm, he is the oldest horse at Old Friends, being at least 35 and perhaps upward. He has resided there since the founding of Old Friends in 2003. My guide shared the story of how the miniature horse, along with two ducks and a goat, were bought in New Hampshire by Old Fields founder Michael Blowen off a slaughter truck for $40. Blowen left the ducks on a local pond and the goat was adopted for partnership with a thoroughbred.

The guide and I walked over to the mini, who appeared comfortable with our presence. It felt funny for me to be looking down on a horse instead of up. A couple of playful pettings and a little talking to him warmed me to offer some sliced carrots sitting on a open palm. Alas, the Charmer had already eaten the guide’s portion but showed no interest in mine. “I think he’s having discomfort chewing with his teeth,” the guide said. In human years, this creature would be around a hundred. I expect that if I live that long, I probably will not have any remaining teeth, let alone ones that cause discomfort.

Tough chewing or not, this precious critter has star appeal around the farm, with hundreds of visitors cooing over him regularly, plus he is a visible part of the Georgetown-Scott County tourist promotions.

Perhaps not surprising, Little Silver Charm is known to spend some time in the Blowen house, which sits on the Old Friends acreage near the horse’s small pen. I’d say some of us are envious about all that spoiling going on, ya think?

To experience your own Charm Time, start by checking out the Old Friends splendid web site oldfriendsequine.org and plan your visit. And oh, yes, there are plenty of other charmers around the farm who have no charm in their names.

Steve Flairty is a teacher, public speaker and an author of seven books: a biography of Kentucky Afield host Tim Farmer and six in the Kentucky’s Everyday Heroes series, including a kids’ version. Steve’s “Kentucky’s Everyday Heroes #5,” was released in 2019. Steve is a senior correspondent for Kentucky Monthly, a weekly NKyTribune columnist and a former member of the Kentucky Humanities Council Speakers Bureau. Contact him at sflairty2001@yahoo.com or visit his Facebook page, “Kentucky in Common: Word Sketches in Tribute.” (Steve’s photo by Connie McDonald)

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