05/01/2026
Don your finest hat and grab a mint julep! In anticipation of tomorrow’s Kentucky Derby, we’re highlighting our fun and exciting exhibit design project at the International Museum of the Horse. Dedicated to exploring the broad history of the horse, the IMH is also home to 10 Kentucky Derby Trophies, 10 Preakness Trophies, and 4 Belmont Trophies. Among those are four full sets of Triple Crown Trophies: Whirlaway (1941), Citation (1948), Seattle Slew (1977), Affirmed (1978), and one Kentucky Oaks Trophy (1949, Wistful).
Here are five fun facts you may not know, but now you do:
Horses sleep standing up, but do lie down for deep REM sleep.
They have excellent hearing, with 10 ear muscles that swivel like little radar dishes.
A horse’s teeth take up more space in its head than its brain does.
The modern horse Equus originated in North America around 5 million years ago.
You may know about the Lascaux cave drawings, but the oldest carved representation, the Vogelherd Horse, predates it by more than 15,000 years!
Stop by the IMH next time you’re in Lexington to learn more - that’s just good horse sense!