The first week of spring has finally arrived here in Ireland! However the temperatures stayed at an all time low when we all woke up to snow. It was a truly beautiful yet freezing day. This day was my final day in Sun Chariot (the foaling unit).Turning out the mares into the snow was so beautiful and a memory that will be treasured.
The week following I was in Kildare and Strawhall yards. Kildare is the home for vaccinated mares and foals and Strawhall is where resident mares stay until they are due to go to the foaling unit. I learnt a lot in Kildare yard under yard foreman Laura. Laura is a very passionate person who takes pride in looking after the mares and foals to an extremely high standard. Each day in Kildare yard we give the mares and foals any required treatments, tease mares, vet any mares that are teasing well and if they are ready they are sent to be covered. One of the main differences here at the INS to how we do things back home is that all foals are taught to lead as soon as they leave the foaling unit. They are led to and from the paddocks, crush and anywhere else they may go during their time in Kildare.
After my time at kildare I went onto night shifts in the foaling unit again. I worked along side Carol and another student named Ian Hyland. We had a very busy three nights with two foals born on Friday, another two on Saturday and six born on Sunday night. All but one of these foals were very straightforward. On Sunday night we did have a red bag foaling which was quickly and smoothly corrected by Carol. I have learnt alot from Carol throughout my time on night shifts and I am very grateful for the amount of trust she had in me.
After my time on night shifts I spent the week in the breeding shed and working with the stallions here at the INS. I had a really enjoyable time working with the stallions. I have worked in the breeding barn back home at Brighthill Farm so I felt very confident and comfortable in this environment. However I had not done much with stallions before this week. The stallion manager Paul was really kind and happy to teach myself and Cillian about the stallions and how they do things here in the breeding shed. Each day we would turn out the stallions to their paddocks or put them on the walker between the morning and midday breedings. The main differences in the breeding shed at the INS compared to back home is that most mares come without their foals. If the mare has a foal at foot it is more often than not left at home to help keep the foal safe and away from any potential new bacteria it may come in contact with. Another difference is that the breeding barn itself has a teasing board in place, where all of the mares are teased without being jumped. While the mares are teased by the stallions they do not have a twitch on their nose. Paul says this gives us a better idea of if the mare is ready to be covered and how comfortable she is with the stallion being around her. In addition to this, if the mare is a maiden she will be teased and jumped by the teaser pony in the breeding shed prior to the stallion. One of the main highlights of the week was working with and handling Invincible Spirit who is 27 and still breeding and looking amazing. He is the sire of 22 individual Gr.1 winners including Australia's leading sire I Am Invincible.
After my time on stallions was over I headed back into Sun Chariot (the foaling unit) during the day. The days in Sun Chariot generally consist of the same things week to week, however Easter weekend was quite different to all the other weekends I had worked in this yard so far. The INS had some huge open day events with lots of attractions that brought in alot of tourists. Getting to speak to so many people from all around the world and show them some mares and newborn foals for the first time was something really special. The weekend was already so busy and a buzzing environment to be in, but with two mares deciding to foal at 11am and 3pm on the Saturday it got even busier. I never thought I would foal down a mare with dozens of tourists trying to watch but now I can say I have, not once but twice! Everything went really smoothly with these foalings and these two foals became star attractions of the weekend!
A real highlight of this March was spending my first St Patrick's day in Ireland. Myself and lots of other students went up to Dublin for the weekend. The streets were absolutely packed all day and night. The atmosphere was absolutely electric, it was a weekend I will always remember.
Next week I will be working in Blandford yard which is home to unvaccinated mares and foals. I am really excited and looking forward to seeing the different ways this yard runs in comparison to Kildare yard with all of the new and different biosecurity methods in place.
