Blog 6

Blog 6

After exhausting all the 3*** sights within 80 miles of Dublin, we decided to “slum” it and do a 2** excursion west of Dublin—a visit to the National Stud Farm and Japanese Garden of Ireland. Only the Irish would come up with such a curious combination! When we arrived, Dan immediately went to the employment office to offer his services, but he was turned down because of lack of qualifications and no letters of recommendation. (Stud joke over)

We had a tour guide who used all kinds of euphenisms to explain the workings of a stud farm even tho’ no children were present. Mares are in season only 5 days at a time, and will conceive only during the middle three. The owners who pay up to 60,000 euros (currently down to 45,000 because of the economy) for stud services want to make sure they get it right so they use both animal and humans to detect the perfect timing. Evidently there is one horse who gets to “chat” up the mares, and is 100% accurate in determining if they are good to go. When this horse gives the “signal,” the vets come in to do the final analysis (no description as to how they do this). Because the mares can be very aggressive (yes, the mares) the two horses begin their blind date on either side of a padded wooden barrier, which is there to protect the stallion. If the mare rejects her chosen, she will kick out viciously and could possibly damage the stallion’s future service as a stud. When finally they are brought face to face, the mare is fitted with comfy house slippers so if she changes her mind at the last minute and decides to kick, once again the stallion’s jewels are protected. In return, the mare’s mane is covered because in the heat of passion, stallions have a tendency to bite the mare’s mane, and she does not consider this a love bite. While the main event is taking place, each horse has his/her own handler, and the owner watches from a viewing box. All of this is recorded to prove the provenance of any colt born during the process. A recording is also made when the colt is born.

If a colt is not conceived, no payment is due.

The champion studs have many “visitors” a season. If more than one mare is determined ready at any given time, the stallion is required to “cover” her that day. The record for “covering,” was 5 mares in one day with 4 hour rest intervals. All 5 mares became pregnant. Invincible Spirit, (a fitting name) the stud in question, has sired over 21 champions and is insured for 60 million euros, an amount offered by a Saudi prince to purchase the animal, but he was turned down because the owners believed by winning races and with stud services, the horse would earn more than that. In his next life, Dan wants to come back as a champion stud horse.

Each champion stud has his own paddock and separate stall with a skylight. Every stallion thanks that “he” is the top stallion so the horses must be kept separated or they will literally kill each other.

Meanwhile the mares and colts share a pasture with a herd of cows, who evidently are a calming influence on the horses. The cost for a mare/day is only 35 euros. Is there a life lesson in all this? The men are aggressive and need to be kept appeased and separated while the women and children peacefully coexist becoming upset only when the men pester them!

After the studs have finished a season of “covering”

the local mares, they are flown by jumbo jet at a cost of 84,000 euro to Australia where they go on a good will tour visiting the Australian mares.

The stud farm is on a magnificent estate, dating back to the 17^th century, with two major gardens. One is an Irish garden, St. Fiachra’s Garden, with small lakes, wooded paths and two dome shaped monastic cells. One has a glass floor through which it’s possible to see items of Waterford Crystal.

I much preferred the Japanese Garden, celebrating its 100^th birthday this year. We walked on a trail that took us on the 20 stages in the life of man from the cave of birth to the tunnel of ignorance ending at the gateway to eternity. Each stage was represented by a geographical/physical metaphor so for the cave of birth, we actually walked through a cavern and then into a tunnel. It sounds macabre, but it was really quite beautiful with all the trappings (bridge, tea house, stone statues) of a typical Japanese garden.

The whole experience was definitely worth 3***!