Notes - click on the links to the right in 'blog archive' for our other 25+ blogs. We are writing this for our family & friends and to have a record of our trip but if it helps anyone plan their trip or bring back memories that's great too.
Irish National Stud, Kildare 2nd August 2014
Friday night online we booked the noon tour at the Irish National Stud for Saturday but with rain all night and all morning we were starting to wonder. We were super lucky as the rain completed cleared during our guided tour and then only drizzled slightly as we self-toured the rest of the Stud. It was super interesting to see the workings of a thoroughbred stud. The property was started in 1900 and has a dozen or so stallions at stud. There is a museum and a video showing a foal being born and then the follow up checks etc.
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| Horse skeleton - tiny legs, masses of teeth |
A foal gestation is 11 months so they are well developed. In the wild they are born at night and are walking within and hour and running with the herd by morning.
One of the stallions has earned 1.5 million Euro on the track but their highest price service fee stallion which is 70,000 Euros has earned 18.5m Euro in his first 4 months at stud. They perform 3 to 6 times a day during the season. Owners want their mares to foal as close as possible to January the 1st (the horses birthday in the Northern Hemisphere) but not before. That way they are with their age group for competing purposes.
There is also a Japanese Garden which was interesting to walk through. It is set up to represent a persons life from birth through to death. Their cafe was excellent too, we had a great lunch and the Carrot & Coriander soup was superb so must try it at home.
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| Stallion Boxes |
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| Our tour was great |
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| 70,000 Euros a pop - has earned 18.5m in his first 4 months |
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| Stud residence and gardens |
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| Japanese gardens |
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| Part of the Japanese garden where the path splits but then rejoins after a marital 'difference of opinion' |
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