Affirmed: The Making of a Champion

In 1978, Affirmed became the third horse of the decade and the last horse to win the elusive Triple Crown. His duels with Calumet Farm’s Alydar stand as perhaps the greatest rivalry in the history of American racing. The exhibition includes an interactive audio element featuring interviews with the Affirmed team and a specially created video highlighting Affirmed’s march to the Triple Crown. It a...

Al-Marah Arabian Horse Galleries

Newly opened in 2010, the Al-Marah – Arabian Horse Gallery is an exciting exhibit that utilizes both interactive technology and historical art and artifacts to teach visitors about the history of the Arabian horse. Beginning with the earliest domestication of the Arabian in the Middle East, the exhibit follows the breed through history as it spread across the world to Europe and eventually, the Un...

Angels for Horses: The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals

This exhibit explores the creation and history of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Founded in 1866, the ASPCA was the first organization in the United States to advocate for animal welfare. The ASPCA has graciously loaned objects from its corporate collection and archives including sculpture, oil paintings, historical documents, and most significantly, the ASPCA’s fou...

Buffalo Soldiers

In July 1866, congress passed legislation creating the African American cavalry units that would come to be known as the Buffalo Soldiers. Through video and historical photographs, this exhibit traces the rich history of this unique fighting force.

Calumet Farm: Five Decades of Champions

The 560 Thoroughbred racing trophies contained in the Calumet Farm Collection represent an incomparable achievement in the history of horse racing. For five decades, beginning in 1932, Calumet recorded more than 2,400 wins, with total earnings of over 26 million. This exhibit, renovated in 2009, features many of Calumets most stunning trophies, along with original oil paintings of the farm’s great...

Draft Horse in America

The draft horse has played a pivotal role in the agricultural and industrial history of mankind. This exhibit contains decorative horse tack, polychrome wood carvings, and historical photographs that illustrate the changing role of the draft horse over time.

Horse in Sport and Recreation

An exploration of the contemporary uses of the horse in recreational activities, Horse in Sport features sections devoted to rodeo, polo, thoroughbred racing, standardbred racing, and more. The exhibit was renovated in the summer of 2010 and now features major section devoted to the eight disciplines of the World Equestrian Games, which the Kentucky Horse Park hosted in 2010.

Legacy of the Horse

A chronological exhibit that leads visitors through five million years of equine history, Legacy of the Horse is the signature exhibit of The International Museum of the Horse. Beginning with the evolutionary history of the horse, the exhibit then moves on to the domestication of the horse and its use by the earliest civilizations. Visitors then learn about the expanding role of the horse througho...

Thoroughbred in Kentucky

This exhibit interprets the history of thoroughbred breeding and racing in Kentucky and how Lexington became the "Horse Capital of the World." The highlight of this exhibit is the skeleton of the great racehorse, Lexington. On long-term loan from the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, Lexington is considered by many to be the greatest racehorse and sire of the 19th century.