Even though spring is starting to show itself, the blossoms are out and the days are longer, my puffer jacket has still been my best friend. It’s hard to believe I am heading into my third month here in Coolmore! I've spent the last month in my original barn, and I've found the experience to be quite valuable. I have had the opportunity to continue to develop my skills in all aspects of foal handling including parading mares and foals for clients and leading for video updates, handling the older foals, and getting more hands-on experience around how they continually manage growing foals alongside vets and farriers. The foals are quick to learn the expectations around leading and handling. For the first week or so they typically have someone following on behind them to help encourage them to walk. By a week old they are being led around the neck, and by the end of the second week, most are confident off the head collar. I got to be one of the leaders in a client parade during my last week in the barn, with over 20 mares and foals to show. The bonus of being able to handle and lead the foals from a young age is the ease at which they can be paraded and stood up for the clients. The parade was a nice way to finish off my time on the main farm and it was a great opportunity to reflect on how much more confident I've become in handling the foals day to day here in the Northern Hemisphere.
Last week marked my first shift on the farm, transitioning from Coolmore's main farm to one of its five foaling units. The foaling units are all located off the main farm and are also spaced a considerable distance apart from each other. I'm about a 10-minute drive from my previous barn and am now situated on the opposite side of Fethard. The yard is well-equipped with 24 boxes and is entirely self-contained, a feature shared by most barns at Coolmore. After giving birth, the mares remain in the yard for the first 3 to 4 days before transitioning to other barns, such as the one where I was originally based. The foals undergo DNA collection, microchipping, and marking documentation normally within 24 hours of birth. This is all sent away for registration purposes, the same as we do in New Zealand when we brand. All mares are tested for and have records kept regarding their NI (Foal Jaundice) risk and are categorised as low, medium, and high. Neonatal isoerythrolysis (NI) is caused by an incompatibility of blood types between a mare and her foal, in which the foal’s red blood cells (RBC) are destroyed by antibodies ingested from the mare’s colostrum. Mares are tested every pregnancy, but once they have had a high-risk result, they are treated as such in their subsequent pregnancies as well.
A normal day in the Foaling unit starts with vet work such as flushing and treatments as well as checking over the new foals from the last 24 hours. After we finish with the vet, everything has turn out time while we muck out and tidy the yard. We all take turns being on foal watch each day. This consists of checking the mares every 15 minutes until 9 pm when the night staff come on. We have a bike we use when the mares are turned out out in the field and it is quite fun to ride around keeping an eye on them all day! We don’t do night shifts, rather we can put our name down on the board for nights we want to attend any foalings and the night men will call us when something starts happening. I am looking forward to attending my first Northern Hemisphere foalings and to report back to you all next month!
Last month Coolmore held a staff stallion parade. This was the first time I had the chance to see all the stallions, based on the Main Farm in Fethard, up close and personal. Over the past few years, I've had the privilege to work with numerous offspring sired by stallions from Coolmore. I enjoyed being able to see the sires in the flesh and to be able to make connections between them and the progeny I have seen on the ground. I’m sure many of you can relate to the feeling: seeing a horse in a photo is one thing, but seeing them in person can give you an entirely different view. It provides an opportunity to appreciate the horse from a completely different perspective in terms of size and personality. The horse that stood out to me was the successful son of Siyouni, St Marks Basilica. Having sold the highest-priced foal in Europe and North America for 2023, he has made a mark for himself early on in his stallion career and he was a lovely compact but strong type of horse. Wootton Bassett, who has had a remarkable rise to fame, was an obvious stand-out as well.
Paddington was another stallion I kept an eye on during the parade. Another son of Siyouni, he seems to be settling well into stallion life and it was exciting news to hear he will be shuttling down to Windsor Stud for the upcoming breeding season as well. It is exciting to see a son of Siyouni join the stallion ranks in New Zealand for the first time, especially one of such quality as Paddington. He is a stunning type and has a real presence about him, and I look forward to seeing what he produces over the next few years.
We had the chance to attend the first flat meeting of the season on St Patrick’s weekend at ‘The Curragh’, 2 hours north of where I am based. The racecourse went through a substantial redevelopment which was completed in 2019 and the track itself spans 2 miles, with a 1 mile chute. It is home to all 5 Irish Flat classics. My main observation was the immense passion for horse racing among the general public here in Ireland. There was a turnout of at least a couple of thousand people and it became apparent very quickly that people were actively watching and participating in the entire day of racing. Throughout the day, there was a continuous movement of people between the grandstand and the birdcage, which was fascinating to observe. Between races, nearly the entire group of racegoers trackside and in the grandstand shifted to the birdcage and then back trackside. This left the grandstand and surrounding areas pretty much empty between races and we found ourselves racing back to the track every time to get a good spot.
Outside of work, I had the opportunity to experience my first St. Patrick’s Day in Ireland. We spent the evening at a local pub enjoying traditional music with a group of good friends I've made during my stay here. The scholarship has already provided me with the chance to establish numerous valuable connections in the racing industry, connections I am certain I will cherish for years to come.
