But in November, I went to Anglesey Lodge Equine Hospital. To go to their website click here ^_^
If you want to know about my adventures at Anglesey Lodge (which of course you do) read my super long post about it :)
And now... (be prepared this is going to be very detailed - so if you're not interested in horses this could be a tad boring, so you should skip all the yellow writing :P)
... the chronicles of Corbally Stud...
I awoke at six-forty-five on Monday morning, and omg I was so tired. I realised I had left the boots I was going to wear in the yard, so that was a bad start to the day, but I found another pair in my shed, so it was fine, but they were a bit too small for me, and now I have a cut on my heel. Sigh.
I had a cup of tea and a slice of brown bread, made my lunch, put on my coat etc. And off I went into the unknown... lol jk (I found it amusing that the company was called JK Thoroughbreds, and everytime I see it I'm like "Just Kidding Thoroughbreds" haha) I got into my Dad's jeep and he dropped me off on the way to work :3
When I arrived I was the first person there, which I thought made an alright first impression :P A few men strolled in 30 seconds later, so I introduced myself and they were really nice and told me their names and blahblahblah. Then the boss (John) arrived and he officially introduced me to everyone and I felt so welcome ^_^
There were eight people working for John, one of which was a 25 year old Frech guy (Pierre) and just wow. He was beautiful. And his accent. And omg. And made my week 10 times better <3
#HeWillNeverLoveMe
I'm such a loser...
Anyway :D I got started straight away, and was doing the same things that all the other workers were doing, which was great, because I felt like I was actually of some help to John; I told him I had experience with horses and he was very trusting and let me do so much:
- In the mornings I had to lead mares in foal, and mares and foals out to the fields. There were so many different sections for different horses, on the first day it was really confusing but I eventually got the hang of it. I loved bringing out the foals they were SO CUTE :D and when they were turned out, they'd trot and canter in sync with the mare, the bond that a mare has with her foal is really fascinating :)
- After the mares and foals were turned out, it was time to tease the barren mares. These are the mares that are going to be covered by Irish stallions.
- After the tease, the mares that were thought to be in season, were brought over to the foaling barn, where their cervix and ovaries were examined by the vet. I had the very glamorous job of holding the tails aside for the vet -_- haha it was actually really interesting though, he told me everything he was doing and let me get really involved (:
- Then there was a tea break... mmmm tea <3
- Between the tea break and lunch there was mucking out. LOTS of mucking out. That was my least favourite part because it's so physically tiring and I do enough of it already -_- But still, at least I wasn't bored :P Then just before lunch the mares who were due to foal soon were brought back into the foaling barn where there was someone watching them on CCTV during lunch.
- Lunch was from one o'clock until two o'clock (: Approximately :P
- Then after lunch I helped bring in all the mares and foals. It took ages but it was really relaxing walking through the fields, especially when it was sunny, and the foals were the most adorable things ever!! :') Some were really hard to catch, and I have to say it was pretty entertaining watching them run away, they made it into a big game, but then when you eventually catch them you're just like I am the master.
- In the evenings I did a bit of grooming, and checked stables for hay and water, and topped them up if there wasn't enough. Then I helped make and give out the feeds, their feed was so cool, they have this cement mixer thing except it's used for mixing oats, coarse mix, oil hot water and molasses. So when the horses get it, it's warm :o Barren mares and mares in foal get three scoops and mares with foal get five scoops. On Wednesday I did the feeds on my own, and felt rather independent indeed :P
 |
| Teofilo - One of the stallions who covers mares in Corbally Some of them had foals already, others didn't. John has a teaser pony (named Teaser - originality at its finest) so all the mares were teased: Brought up to the pony and he'd sniff them and yeah... the mare's reaction to Teaser told John whether or not she was in season (right time for her to conceive). On Monday and Tuesday I just watched the tease but from Wednesday to Friday I was allowed lead some of the mares up to the teaser. It was kind of scary because when they weren't in season they went absolutely mental, haha. |
...and that completes the chronicles of Corbally Stud :D
I really really really LOVED my work experience placement so much, even better than my placement and Anglesey Lodge. Don't get me wrong, Anglesey Lodge was great, and after my experience at Corbally Stud I am still determined to become a veterinary surgeon one day ^_^ But working in the stud farm was great as a work experience placement because it was very hands on and practical, there was always something to do, and I was never bored :) So if you love horses, especially if you're interested in racing and breeding, then YES you MUST go to Corbally Stud :D Everyone is so welcoming and friendly, plus there's a hot French guy, what more could you ask for? ;)
