The second stop for the day, after a great lunch at Fava’s in historic downtown Georgetown, was a retirement “home” for racehorses, Old Friends Horse Farm. They’re doing a wonderful job with these beautiful racehorses who are now just getting to be horses. No one rides them, they don’t wear shoes, and they get to run as they wish.
Founded in 2003 by former Boston Globe film critic Michael Blowen, the organization has grown from a leased paddock and 1 horse to a 236-acre farm, a herd of over 200 rescued and retired horses,
Blowen had long believed that horses past their prime could still be valuable—money-earning, even—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. Now a “living-history museum of horse racing,” the farm attracts nearly 20,000 visitors annually who come to swoon over these beautiful horses.
The male thoroughbreds get their own field to run in since they don’t like to share. Many are kept calm by donkeys in a field next to them. Amazing to go from horsepower to horses in just one day. Reservations are required, so be sure to call ahead for a time to tour.
