Second Stride Inc. founder’s home in Louisville is full of equine art

Second Stride Inc. founder’s home in Louisville is full of equine art

One’s home decor is as substantially a reflection of their character as the apparel they dress in, the food they try to eat, and the folks they invest their time with. This assertion unquestionably holds correct for Kim Smith’s household in North Oldham place, which is filled with equine art, accessories, and Kentucky Derby-similar décor.

Smith is the founder and executive director of Next Stride, Inc., a nearby nonprofit firm that gives specialist rehabilitation, retraining, and placement of retired thoroughbred racehorses. By way of the program, Smith and her crew give retired thoroughbreds the care and high-quality education they need to do well in the following stage of their lives. Her fascination and really like for all points equine can be witnessed in the course of her Cape Cod-model property.

Early enthusiasm for horses

A dining area and the kitchen in Kim Smith's home in a North Oldham neighborhood of Kentucky. April 21, 2022

Smith’s horse obsession began when she was just a baby when her father bought her 1st pony.

“He fibbed to my mom that we were being likely to the grocery retail store,” she informed The Courier Journal, “(but) we ended up getting a pony.”

She later on commenced doing work at stables, cleansing barns, tacks, and horse stalls in trade for driving lessons.

“That (fascination) just kind of kept developing,” she reported. “I just grew to become immersed. … I would locate stray horses all the time … and have to find households for them.”

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Smith finally transformed her passion into a occupation, and her home demonstrates this perseverance.

Equine embellishments

Artwork in the foyer of Kim Smith's home in a North Oldham neighborhood of Kentucky. April 21, 2022

Through the entrance doorways — which boast double leather horse collars — the home’s entryway functions an equine sculpture placed on a piece that Churchill Downs outrider Lee Lockwood at the time had atop his horse. To the proper, a Pegasus centerpiece established by Smith’s mom rests in the middle of the dining desk.

In the kitchen, Kentucky Derby glasses are set up on a serving tray with a bottle of Woodford Reserve, the official bourbon of the Kentucky Derby. A dishcloth printed with a mint julep recipe lies following to it, as does a fresh bunch of mint that Smith grew herself. On the kitchen area island, blue placemats with embroidered jockey silks sit below the desk configurations, completely ready for entertaining.