Community Rallies for Retired Horses at Fancy Jordan Fall Festival

MAMMOTH CAVE, Ky. (WNKY) — Families from across Edmonson County came together over the weekend for the inaugural Fancy Jordan Fall Festival, celebrating food, music, and community while raising funds to support retired horses.

The event, held Saturday at Double J Stables, was hosted by the Fancy Jordan Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to providing lifetime care for horses after their working years. The festival featured live performances by local band Kentucky Breeze, pony rides, face painting, bounce houses, and a variety of food trucks offering options from burgers to shaved ice.

Rocky Lombardi, president and founder of the Fancy Jordan Foundation, said the idea for the festival started small but quickly grew into a full community effort.

“It started as just an idea to help raise money for our foundation, which was created to provide care for our horses that are retiring, so we can make sure they’re safe, healthy, and happy for the rest of their lives,” Lombardi said.

The foundation’s mission is to ensure that each horse living on the Double J Stables ranch receives quality care in its final years. Lombardi said the event was made possible through partnerships with the Edmonson County Tourism Commission and 20 associate sponsors, who covered all expenses so that 100% of proceeds could benefit the horses.

Visitors spent the afternoon enjoying family activities and meeting members of the local equestrian community. Lombardi said community turnout exceeded expectations, and many attendees expressed interest in helping more with next year’s event.

“Some of the people who joined late told us, ‘Next year, get with us sooner, we want to do more,’” Lombardi said. “It’s amazing to see how this community has come together for a cause that means so much to us.”

Organizers plan to make the fall festival an annual tradition to continue raising awareness and support for retired horses. Lombardi said donations remain open online for anyone wishing to contribute to the foundation’s year-round efforts.

More information about the Fancy Jordan Foundation can be found at thefancyjordan.org.