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Originally Posted by moodwalker
It sure isn't by mistake that the farms are concentrated in this area. At the outset of the Civil war, all of the wealthy horse owners in Virginia, Maryland, and the Carolinas sent their absolute best stock west so they wouldn't be commandeered by the Union/Confederate forces. The railroad went as far west as Lexington.
The war ended up being a much bigger event than they imagined, and what they planned on being a few months, turned into a few years.
So, the horses stayed in Lexington and the breeding industry thrived due to the absolute best stock in America being there. People didn't scout around and after a long and lengthy search land in Lexington and say "Alas, this is the perfect soil to raise thoroughbreds on!"
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you are correct of course, and I didn't mean to imply that someone went out on a survey to find the best place to raise a horse...but the quality of the land is why they remained after the war, and why they reamain there to this day.
i believe the region is actually on an endangered resource list (I can't remember the details) due to loss of land for development.