By Kristen
Today we continued touring the equine sites near Naas in
County Kildare, spending the morning at the Irish National Stud. The Irish
government actually owns this operation and sits in on the board of directors,
demonstrating how closely linked are the people of this country and their
amazing animals. We met with the lovely Sally who worked as the student
coordinator for the internship program at the Stud, a fantastic opportunity for
international and Irish students interested in the breeding industry to get
unparalleled hands-on experience at one of the top Thoroughbred farms in
Ireland.
The immaculately-kept facility managed to capture the
laid-back atmosphere of Ireland while maintaining an air of regality, housing
not only several of the nation’s top breeding stallions, a dozen broodmares and
up to three hundred boarded broodmares in a season, but also some of Ireland’s
top retired geldings who are viewed as national treasures and live in state at
the Stud. These included Moscow Flyer with over 1.4 million Euros in earnings
and Vintage Crop, the first horse from Europe to ever travel to Australia for
the Melbourne Cup (which, to make the story even sweeter, he won.) We viewed
some of these old gentleman happily grazing away in a paddock, looking just like
any other happy retired horse despite their long list of achievements and
celebrity status.
We wandered on down the lane to oogle the mares and foals
turned in a large pasture, some of the braver foals coming up to the fence to
allow us to say hello. As we watched them scamper about, I had to wonder if we
might unknowingly—to anyone—be looking at one of the next top racehorses or
steeplechasers in the country. It was hard to imagine these long-legged little
guys growing up to be the powerful kings of the turf as they cantered along at
their mothers’ sides.
We were lucky enough to observe three live covers in the
breeding shed—it’s not the peak of the season in which National Stud stallions
might cover up to three or four mares a day, but the season has not yet
completely tapered off for the summer. The stallions of the Irish National Stud
are beautifully built with heart-stopping presence, clearly demonstrating why
they are in high demand internationally for turf flat racers as well as hunt
race horses. We admired their conformation, possessing heavier bone than their
American Thoroughbred cousins, making for more durable longer-lasting horses
that actually looked as though they had substance and heart. While many of our
own country’s top riders and trainers praise the American Thoroughbred as the
ultimate athlete, I believe our racing industry has moved in the wrong
direction in breeding, creating a type of horse lacking the kind of solid bone
that can support its weight at a full gallop. I could soapbox about this all
day.
After touring the Japanese Gardens—a fascinating
juxtaposition of two things we never imagined to see so close to each other—we moved
on to Punchestown Racecourse, owned by the Kildare Hunt Club. The property also
hosts showjumping and eventing in addition to its race meet; no races were
going on while we toured which meant we could walk right out onto the course to
examine the size of the fences. When our group lined up on the far side of a
hedge fence, all we could see were their shoulders and heads—all of these massive
jumps are taken at a full gallop in fields up to twenty-eight. Our tour guide
Shauna gave us some insight into the lifestyle of a jumps jockey as we drove around
the rest of the course; it’s said that these riders can expect to have a major
fall in one race out of nine. They are in a remarkably tough sport and I have
immense respect for those riders!
Tomorrow we visit Victor Stud in County Tipperary and then
move on to sightsee at the Rock of Cashel. While we will not be examining the
equine industry as intently in the next few days, I am getting the impression from
our various hosts that Ireland holds the horse quite dear in all aspects.
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