MOUNTAIN WORKSHOP | tilly-marlatt

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43rd mountain workshop

As a participant in the 43rd annual Mountain Workshop Series, Tilly documented the story of Hedberg Hall, a 221-acre thoroughbred breeding farm in Mt. Sterling, KY. Swedish immigrant Lena Hedberg is living every horse enthusiasts dream as the owner and operator of the farm. The farm is known for producing top performing race horses that have gone on to achieve national and international racing success. Read Lena's story here.

Breeding Success

Hedberg Hall is a 221-acre thoroughbred breeding farm in Mt. Sterling, KY, located approximately an hour east of the horse capital of the world.

Lena enjoys her coffee while watching the sunrise.

Lena and her then husband purchased Hedberg Hall in 1985. The property was exclusively a cattle farm at the time. Now, cattle still graze the land, but horses dominate the farm.

Lena raises thoroughbreds for clients located around the world. The yearling in this photo was shipped to Sweden.

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Lena enjoys decorating her farm with a variety of plants. She places a few zinnias in her pocket while doing morning chores.

Lena gives special attention to one of her pregnant mare's with an injured hoof.

Lena prides herself on the care that her horses receive. "I have a 100-percent rate of getting the mares back in foal, which is really rare," Lena says. "We usually do 15 mares a season." At one point, the farm had 100 thoroughbreds on the property.

It takes a team

There's always work to be done at Hedberg Hall.

No day is the same for Lena. Whether she is mucking out stalls or repairing fence, there is always work to be done at Hedberg Hall.

Lena's love for horses evolved during her childhood in Sweden. She first came to the U.S. at the age of 20 and has lived here ever since; however, she tries to go back to Sweden to visit her family at least once a year. Her mother couldn't understand why she would want to live in Kentucky when she could live in Sweden. At one point, Lena's mother asked her, "How do you live so far away from everything?" Hedberg responded, "'Mom, you're in Rome, that's the center of archeology. I'm in Lexington – that's the center of the horse world.' She accepted that."

Lena sits in the auction house at Keeneland Race Track. Each buyer is assigned a seat with a name plate. Lena does not have a reserved chair, but she soaks in the experience prior to watching a horse she bred race at Keeneland.

Lena waits in the paddock as a horse she bred prepares to race at Keeneland on Oct. 26, 2018.

Racing towards the finish

Winnes and Losses

Celebrating a full day's work

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