Last updated: December 13, 2023
Place
Kalarama Saddlebred Horse Farm
Photograph by Meaghan K. Poyer, courtesy of the Kentucky State Historic Preservation Office
Quick Facts
Location:
101 Kalarama Dr, Springfield, Kentucky
Significance:
Agriculture
Designation:
Listed in the National Register - Reference number 10000528
MANAGED BY:
The Kalarama Saddlebred Horse Farm in Springfield, Kentucky was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2010. The farm is significant as an early 20th century participant in Kentucky's prominent Saddlebred horse industry.
The American Saddlebred is a horse breed that was developed primarily in Kentucky, beginning in the mid-19th century. The horses were selectively bred to serve multiple purposes - able to be ridden all day, hitched to a carriage, and perform light farm work. During the Civil War, the breed was widely used by military leaders because of their endurance and steadfastness.
In 1904, Judge Isaac H. Thurman purchased Kalarama Farm after a stint in local politics. Like many wealthy Kentuckians, Thurman's association with Kalarama allowed him to establish himself as a gentleman farmer, which was a highly esteemed social choice in Kentuckian high society. In 1906, Thurman hired Frank G. Peters to lead the farm's breeding and training program. The two men embarked on a partnership to establish a successful breeding business for show horses, making shrewd judgments and buying the finest stock Thurman could afford.
Over generations of Thurman family leadership, the farm produced a number of show ring world champions. Beginning in the 1930s, the family formed a partnership with W. Jeff Harris, a professor of animal husbandry at the University of Kentucky. Harris's expertise allowed the family to take a more scientific approach to breeding. The farm's careful breeding of champion horses over the span of fifty years ultimately shaped the trajectory of the entire saddlebred breed, as many of their stallions sired hundreds of foals across the state and even the country.
The Thurman family sold the farm in 1962. The property was turned back into a farm beginning in 1977, and continues to be used as a breeding and training facility for American Saddlebreds, along with waygu cattle, Katadhin sheep, and heritage pigs. Kalarama is the only saddlebred farm in Kentucky still in operation from 1912; all others have since been depleted or were established after 1962.
The American Saddlebred is a horse breed that was developed primarily in Kentucky, beginning in the mid-19th century. The horses were selectively bred to serve multiple purposes - able to be ridden all day, hitched to a carriage, and perform light farm work. During the Civil War, the breed was widely used by military leaders because of their endurance and steadfastness.
In 1904, Judge Isaac H. Thurman purchased Kalarama Farm after a stint in local politics. Like many wealthy Kentuckians, Thurman's association with Kalarama allowed him to establish himself as a gentleman farmer, which was a highly esteemed social choice in Kentuckian high society. In 1906, Thurman hired Frank G. Peters to lead the farm's breeding and training program. The two men embarked on a partnership to establish a successful breeding business for show horses, making shrewd judgments and buying the finest stock Thurman could afford.
Over generations of Thurman family leadership, the farm produced a number of show ring world champions. Beginning in the 1930s, the family formed a partnership with W. Jeff Harris, a professor of animal husbandry at the University of Kentucky. Harris's expertise allowed the family to take a more scientific approach to breeding. The farm's careful breeding of champion horses over the span of fifty years ultimately shaped the trajectory of the entire saddlebred breed, as many of their stallions sired hundreds of foals across the state and even the country.
The Thurman family sold the farm in 1962. The property was turned back into a farm beginning in 1977, and continues to be used as a breeding and training facility for American Saddlebreds, along with waygu cattle, Katadhin sheep, and heritage pigs. Kalarama is the only saddlebred farm in Kentucky still in operation from 1912; all others have since been depleted or were established after 1962.