Occasionally, I have to haul long distances with the horses…distances that necessitate overnight layovers. Not only is overnight stabling sometimes hard to find, sometimes when you do find a facility it’s already full. Even booking way in advance! That was the position I found myself in one year headed to Arabian Sport Horse Nationals on the East coast. I’d planned on stopping around Lexington, KY, but every layover facility I contacted was already at capacity due to another equine event in the area. Little did I know, it was a blessing in disguise! If I hadn’t needed to get creative with stabling for the horses, I would have never discovered Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill.
Located about 45 minutes southwest of Lexington, KY, Shaker Village is a restored Shaker community that dates back to around 1805. Thirty four buildings have been meticulously preserved and many are open to the public. You can learn about the history of the Shaker community, watch demonstrations of how things were done in the community, visit the farm and garden plots, hike along nature trails, and even go on a riverboat ride.
The property also has rooms, spread throughout the different buildings, that serve as an onsite inn. Staying at the property is a perfect way to relax and unplug from everyday life. In addition, Shaker Village has a fabulous restaurant that serves up homemade favorites featuring produce grown right there in the garden. Don’t miss their Shaker Lemon Pie!
But what about the horses?!?!? The restored barn offers overnight stabling in either traditional stalls or outdoor grass paddocks. After being stuck in the trailer for much longer than expected thanks to some vehicle issues along the way, my ponies were super excited to realize they were going to get to be turned out all night! The next morning, we woke to a whole bunch of trailers parked at the stable…and were invited out to ride the trails with a group of foxhunters exercising their hounds. It was too bad that we had to be back on the road to make it to the show in time. The property has twenty nine miles of horse accessible trails for riding.
Really, it’s best to let the property speak for itself. Check out these incredible photos!
