Kildangan The First Impressions
August 2006
I don’t know if it was the same for everyone else but having been told that I’d got the 2006 Darley Flying Start Programme in May, the start date on 14th August seemed months away. However it soon came around and with feelings of nerves, excitement and trepidation as to what lay ahead, we were all introduced to each other upon our arrival in Ireland. Having been shown to our houses we were treated to a delicious lunch at the beautifully maintained Kildangan House and introduced to various staff members. Some of the group were a little more bleary eyed than others, Junling having had a week to recover from his long journey and settle in to his new surroundings in contrast to Liz, Eden and Andrew, who suffered from major flight delays due to the increased airport security caused by the recent terrorist alerts.
After lunch and a brief introduction as to what lay ahead over the next few months, we were able to settle into our new houses. Gina seemed to have pulled the short straw in our house with the smallest room and Dean seems to have got his own wing and servant quarters in Marienbard! On a serious note though, all three houses are very cosy and will be comfortable homes for the next three months. Although us girls are slightly perplexed as to how both sets of boys managed to wrangle dishwashers! A trip to the infamous Cross Keys in the village that evening gave us all chance to get to know each other a bit better and we were certainly well and truly checked out by the slightly dodgy looking locals!
The next couple of days saw the allocation of our bicycles which are great for exploring the farm and keeping us fit, and the medicals. Well, what can I say, I think the boys came under the close scrutiny of the doctor in the form of a question that is often asked at the sales when examining young colts! The rest of the week involved tours of Ragusa, Blackhall, Ballymany and the main Kildangan Studs, all of which gave us a fantastic insight into the breeding operations and yearling producing operations here.
A visit to Tiger Lilys in Kildare on the Friday night proved to be an enlightening experience with some members of the course showing their true colours. In fact it seems that where ever Alex goes he cannot be more than ten feet away from a group of woman. Winning them over with his innocent looks and boyish charm, little do they know what they are letting themselves in for!
Then having been guided round Dublin by Eden on Saturday night and into the lively Temple Bar, racing on Sunday at Leopardstown provided a nice quiet ending to a memorable first weekend.
The first aid course at the beginning of the second week certainly provided us with some laughs and our teacher May O’Leary, made what could have been a tedious three days great fun with some real ‘hands on’ practical exercises! The boys certainly showed they are in touch with their feminine sides when putting their respective partners into the W position. On a serious note though, and I think I represent the rest of the group when saying this, it certainly brought home the importance of knowing how to care for someone in an emergency in the workplace. We have all seen bad falls and it is imperative that those of us who become yard owners or managers in the future are able to care for our own staff in years to come.
The week finished with a two day communication course with Monica O Gorman, who credit to her was a great teacher and managed to keep the whole class engaged during the two days. This was a particularly strong feat on Thursday morning as one or two of us may have slightly over indulged when returning home from a delicious Asian meal in Kildare on Wednesday night with Joe, Clodagh and some of the Kildangan managers. Our excuse is that we needed to unwind after been grilled by Joe. We also sat on tenterhooks all night expecting to be asked to stand up and talk about another group member. Although Bo did get the chance to deliver his speech that he had been building up to all night!
As time goes on it would appear that we have two legends emerging on the course. As Junling begins to get a command of the English language and an even better command of white wine he has us in stitches daily. This was particularly apparent in a presentation that we recently had to give in front of class mates on growing up in our home town. Equally entertaining is the one and only Fabricio Buffalo, who is not only master of the kitchen and power point presentations but also salsa dancing and an array of awesome magic tricks!
The course is now really beginning to hot up and beginning the Equine Anatomy and Physiology Course at University College Dublin this weekend should ensure that we are kept working hard. Next week we begin working in the yards and helping with the yearling breaking which should provide some relief to those of us who are suffering from missing being around the horses. The last couple of weeks have flown by and I sure that the next two years will pass equally as quickly. However I can safely say and I know I speak for the rest of the group that we are embarking on what is going to be, in the words of Fabricio Buffolo, the most 'amazing’ two years of our lives.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank Sheikh Mohammed, Joe and Clodagh for giving us this chance and can assure them that we will all be great ambassadors for the course. (Although maybe not in Tiger Lilys on a Saturday night!)
Sarah Kilby
Click here for a list of all 2006 trainee views
At The Curragh
And more Champagne
Andrew and Jerome trackside at the Curragh
One of these isn't a horse!
Dean enjoys a pint of something green
Possibly not the first pint of the night for Eden and Alex
Horses at Kildangan