unbridled horse tours

Martha was a very helpful tour guide. We spent a lot of time before our trip e-mailing back and forth to arrange the perfect tour. She met us close to our hotel and let us ride with her. It was nice not having to worry about driving and sight-seeing at the same time. She was very informative and was able to drive us through some beautiful farms that you wouldn't be able to drive through on your own. We toured the one stallion barn where my husband and I were the only people on the tour - so amazing! Standing next to those stallions, you really get a sense of how big they are! (and I'm pretty tall myself at 5'10). The morning was well planned so we got the most for our money.

We visited Kentucky for the Derby and stayed in Lexington. After the Derby we wished to visit Perryville and Shaker village, but there are no such tours to these sites. We found Nancy "Hap" through the Lexington visitor guide. She was wonderful and spent the whole day with us, showed the Kentucky countryside, Perryville and where and what we wanted to see and more all at our pace.I shall be recommending her to our travel agents in Australia and have already spoken of her services to the manager of the Griffin Gate in Lexington.All in all a truly wonderful experience of which we shall have memories for yearsColin and Helen Styring, Melbourne, Australia

Martha picked us up at our Inn and for 3 hours we learned more about horses and how the farms worked than we could ever imagine. Took a great tour of Clayborn Farms and the knowledge she shared was unbelievable. We did not know much when the tour started but felt well taught when over. She has a bubbly personality and makes you feel so good. Even discovered her daughter married a son of a friend of ours!! Look forward to coming back and doing another tour. You can't go wrong with her private tour. She could take you places the bus tours can't.

While several horse farms allow the general public to visit by just calling in advance and making an appointment many do not. I was interested in two of those; Darby Dan and Crestwood and thanks to Unbridled Horse Farm Tours and my tour guide, Ann Hayes, I was able to visit with some of my favorite Thoroughbreds who are now retired to stand stud. The bonus, for me, was learning so much from Ann and the staff of these farms about the real operations of a farm. While touring the beautiful Lexington area Ann shared so much information about additional farms, the breeding and racing industry and sites along the way. It was a very memorable experience and I plan to take the tour again on my next visit to Lexington.

Unbridled Horse Tours is simply fabulous and was recommended by A Storybook Inn - a gorgeous B&B that we were staying at in Versailles, KY. We knew that it was going to be a great day from the moment we met Nancy "Hap" Hapgood - our tour guide. Hap was so much fun, very personable and so knowledgeable about horses. Our tour was customized and did not disappoint. We drove through breathtaking farms and had the opportunity to see million dollar race horses that were scheduled in advance of our arrival. We learned so much about the care of these extraordinary animals. The countryside was breathtaking. Kentucky blue grass as far as the eye can see. As requested, we also took in the sites of downtown Lexington. Hap took us to an adorable restaurant and we so enjoyed laughing and conversing over our chicken salad platters. Like all good things our tour ended but the memories we shared will last forever. Thank you Hap!

well its was easter sunday.....and not a creature was stirring ...not even a rental car company....so we eventually found UNBRIDLED Tours and Nancy ...welll we had a great time.....even though 99.5 % of places were closed nancy found cute horse foals/ wines for tasting and even delivered photos back to us when amy wifes camera failed..THANK YOU NANCY

On a recent trip to the Bourbon Trail my father suggested we try to squeeze in a tour of horse farms. It was terrific. Getting a behind the scenes look at such a unique and historic industry in Kentucky was very educational and exciting. The farms are gorgeous and the knowledge and personalble care give by our guide, Nancy, made the trip truly special. She knows what she's talking about, has a very personal love of the horses and this culture, and knows exactly where to go. I highly recommend this tour.

We have visited family in Lexington a couple of times, and this time we made a spur of the moment decision to try a Horse Farm Tour. Our aunt, Karen, suggested UnBridled Horse Tours which is operated by some tennis mates of hers. We really didn't know what to expect, especially on the short notice we were throwing out, but Hap (Nancy Hapgood) was free that day, and accomodated us. Because there was four of us, Hap met us at the house, and my husband was the driver because we had a bigger vehicle. That kicked off an intimate, knowledge-filled excursion that I will always remember. Although we called at the last minute, Hap lined up a tour to a horse farm that has a swimming pool for rehabilitation, a tour through Hill 'n' Dale Farm to see the resting place of Seattle Slew, and a drive through of Donamire Farm, a 650 acre thoroughbred horse farm owned by Don and Mira Ball. Donamire is widely recognized for its picturesque stone barns with steeply pitched slate roofs, cupolas and spires set among fifteen miles of curving white fences that follow the contours of the rolling hills. Probably my most favorite part was a visit to Darby Dan Farm, a stud farm. We toured the facilities, learned about the breeding process, and watched three beautiful stallions strut their stuff for a prospective mare owner. I am officially ga-ga over Shackleford... if I had a mare and $20,000, he would be my choice. We took a slight detour to visit Weisenberger Mill to satisfy my other passion, flours and cornmeal for baking. We also visited a broodmare farm to see the foals in action (or not, seeing as they all seemed to be napping near mama), then a finale to Equus Run Vineyard for a wine tasting, and purchasing. The tour was personal, full of interesting tidbits, and worth much more than we paid. I highly recommend touring with Martha Martin and Nancy Hapgood of UnBridled Horse Tours.

We were fortunate enough to arrange a tour with Nancy Hapgood of Unbridled Tours. Nancy took the time to find out what our interests were as a family (beyond my seven-year old's love of horses) and made arrangements that met my daughter's interest and energy level perfectly. We met at Keeneland and then proceeded to visit several sites, including Secretariat's grave, throughout the area. Nancy was very friendly and knowledgable, and was particularly wonderful with my daughter, taking time to talk to her and even gave her several small mementos of the trip. I would recommend her absolutely. This was a wonderful investment that lead to a very memorable vacation.

We visited Lexington from Sep 16-19 2010. Our oldest daughter rides horseback and she wanted to see some farms. We had decided not to take the traditionally tours offered by different companies, but to take a personalised tour. On the internet we found UnBridled Horse Tours.They asked us what we like and what we are interessed in, so they could propose an itenary. Everything was aranged by e-mail and when we arrived at our hotel in Lexington Nancy "Hap", a lifelong rider, educator, and equine enthusiast contacted us to welcome us. She arranged for us a day we will never forget. We met at Keenland Track Kitchen where she explained what she had planned for us: a privat visit to the Darby Dan Farm, the WinStar Farm and the Audubon Farm. During these visits she told us a lot of interesting things, even for people that are not that interested in horses and she arranged that a manager told us of the little histories of their farm and horses. We ended our tour at the Yearling Sales where we had the opportunity to met the buyers and the sellers.We appreciated Nancy's charming appearance, whilst her excellent knowledge of the thoroughbred has given us a broader view about her passion.You can book them for as long as you want and they charge you by the car. We had booked a tour of 3 hours and it was worth every penny.If we are in Lexington, Ky we definitely will contact her to book an other tour.