Thomas Jefferson's Horses

By Kitson

I visited Monticello this past weekend and enjoyed peeking into the stables built into a hillside near the author of the Declaration of Indenpence's famous author. I did a little research and found out that a horse named Caractacus was Jefferson's most well-known riding horse. He was foaled in May of 1775 and was a descendant of the Godolphin Arabian. Jefferson was known for being a fierce rider who enjoyed fox-hunting and loved to watch horse racing.

Jefferson planned things he called "dependencies" like the stable, kitchen and smoke house, so they didn't interfere with the amazing mountaintop views. The stables closest to the house are built into a hillside. You can see the roof of what becomes the stable area on the left.