MOST EXPENSIVE HORSES IN IRELAND! Meet them at The Irish National Stud, in County Kildare.

Today we have something for you horsy lovers – we’re visiting the world famous Irish National Stud in County Kildare.

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And here is a statue of the man responsible for it. This is Colonel William Hill Walker, the founder of the Stud. Quite an eccentric, he was a sportsman and a gambler, but he became interested in Eastern Philosophy, Buddhism and astrology while in India. He founded this place after one of his horses won the grand National in 1896. The prizemoney enabled him to buy this farmland. He applied his astrological theories to breading horses, and regardless of how whacky that may sound, he had a lot of success. Within a 10-year period between 1904 and 1914 he bred 10 classic winners.

Some of you may have seen the Japanese Garden that I visited in a previous video. Well, that was created here reflecting his interest in all things eastern – so check that film out if you haven’t already seen it.

William Hill Walker gifted the stud he had created to the Crown in 1915 and of course it became the Irish National Stud after independence.

This history of Hill Walker and in particular his belief in astrology is reflected in a sculpture from 2011 by Anthony Scott. It’s called Sea of Stars, named after a horse from this stable to win the 2,000 guineas and Epsom Derby, one hundred years after one of Hill Walkers horses, named Minoru did the same.

And we see another statue of the horse Invincible Spirit, who’s still very much with us, we’ll see his stable a bit later. This was hewn out of Irish Limestone by Fermanagh Sculptor Simon Carman.

We visit the Stud’s foaling unit, where I’m reliably informed there’s a young foal with her mother. You’ll notice the name of the complex is Sun Chariot Yard, again another reflection of the founder’s mystical interests. But, I’m amazed at how pristine everything is. These look more like retirement bungalows for humans rather than a place to house horses! And proudly displayed on a board are all the horsy stars of the stud – the champions who have wone important races. The courtyard even has an ornamental fountain!

We can just see the new-born foal with her mother, The focus is not great but I didn’t want to freak them out by hanging around too long. We visit other horses nearby which must be mothers or expectant mothers. But, they’re really beautiful creatures. I think everyone likes horses?

Now it’s also possible to enrol as a student here on a Stud Breeding Course. And we see flags representing countries far and wide who have had students study on courses here. It gives some idea of the importance of this place not just nationally, but internationally.

We visit a place like a half decent motel, it is actually where the stallions live. And we look at the celebrated names on each stable door.
Nando Parrado, Phoenix of Spain, Invincible Spirit and Lucky Vega. We can see the relative luxury these stallions enjoy here. I mean, you’d pay a fortune for a room this size in Dublin. Lots of nice comfy hay, and you’ll notice all the skylights, letting loads of light in. I think this is something t do with Hill Walker’s mysticism – that the horses gain maximum exposure to the celestial influence.

We head out to where the horses get their daily exercise.

So as you can see, the horses have a lot of space to run around. Impecably well kept grounds too. I think if I were a horse, I’d quite like to live here. Green space all around us as far as the eye can see.

We see an interesting building that tells us something about what was here prior to the Stud. This was Black Abbey a preceptory of the Knights Hospitallers of St John and Jerusalem who arrived her in 1179. And guess what – they bred horses too – so horse breeding has a long history here.
Talking of History – we view an historical thatched cottage which is also in the grounds of the stud. So this is how the Irish lived, really not so long ago. It looks very quaint here – but I’m certain it was a hard life in rural Ireland a century or more ago.

The grounds here are truly stunning and they comprise the Japanese garden and St Fiacras garden too – so a visit here could keep you occupied for a whole day. And to top it all off, you can finish your visit with a trip to the Irish Racehorse Experience to discover all about Ireland’s incomparable contribution to thoroughbred horse racing