Having stopped in to visit the home of the Kentucky Derby, we had to have a look at the nearby "Horse Capital of the World", Lexington, KY- it is the heart of the state's Bluegrass region (Bluegrass is not really blue--its green--but in the spring bluegrass produces bluish purple buds that when seen in large fields give a blue cast to the grass).

DH's struggle with equines continues with our visit to the Kentucky Horse Park. The Kentucky Horse Park allowed us a chance to see a working horse farm and learn a little more about horses (and perhaps discover why DH has such a tense relationship with horses??). The park has a couple of on-site museums but we were hoping to see the champion Thoroughbreds in action and DH was looking to channel her inner horse-whisperer- that’s where things started to go sideways. Our first encounter was actually a companion horse- a very old, worn out companion hose. 'Stanley’ was not only very old but he was also very blind and completely docile (according to his handler). DH approached very cautiously, cooing and making what she thought were horse noises, when all of a sudden, old, blind Stanley whirled around and bit her on the arm. Since Stanley also had no teeth, and DH was wearing a puffy jacket, no damage was done but DH did beat a hasty retreat and her mission to bond took a bit of a hit.

We also found the horse barn where the superstar Thoroughbreds were housed and one of them immediately came over to me for a snuggle and a scratch. DH decided to join the festivities and my sleek Thoroughbred turned into Horsezilla and reached over top of me in order to snap at DH. Yikes!

I couldn’t leave her in this traumatised state so we made our way over to the on-site Police Barn that was home to a number of monstrous looking beasts. But sure enough, the Thin Blue Line kicked in and DH (former cop) was soon bonding with these current four-legged cops. DH talked them through some of the highlights of her career and they really seemed to respond. Our visit may not have been a total success but at least we now know that there are some horses that DH can play with.

From the west side of the Allegheny Mountains, we were headed through them and into the land of the single most famous feud in American history; the Hatfields vs the McCoys The Hatfield-McCoy feud, an Appalachian vendetta that lasted from the Civil War to the 1890s. The Hatfields of West Virginia were led by William Anderson "Devil Anse" Hatfield while the McCoys of Kentucky were under the leadership of Randolph "Ole Ran'l" McCoy. A dispute over the ownership of a hog, led to a rigged decision by a judge, which led to a murder, which led to questionable aquittals, which led to illicit affairs, more murders, and a mass trail at the end of the 1800’s (which signaled a fading of the feud). It’s never quite gone away and in 1979, the families united for a special week's taping of the game show Family Feud, in which they played for a cash prize and a pig which was kept on stage during the show.

Since everything took place in old wooden cabins and in the deep bush, there’s not a lot to see beyond a handful of graves and site markers but it was fun to be a temporary part of the feud.