Gone to Stud!! - Well nearly...

Out on high fell Gallops

 The highlight of this week has to be our trip with Geoffrey up to Spigot Lodge, the stables and training yard of Karl and Elaine Burke.  This had been kindly arranged for Geoff by Alison and Peter at the Katoghi restaurant
(http://www.letseat.at/thekatoghi) to help him celebrate his birthday.  Thanks you two, a more appropriate gift couldn't have been conceived.

The Stables are near Leyburn in North Yorkshire not far from Catterick, and the whole area is full of stables, training yards and general horsey stuff which suited Geoff down to the ground.

One section of the stables

We started our day up at the gallops on top of the moor, watching some of the horses running over various distances up to a mile and a quarter, being a none race goer myself I hadn't realised the speeds at which these animals move, quite something actually.

We then moved back down to the stables and had a tour of everything there with Karls' assistant Sean and the yard manager Julian.  I'm afraid they loaded us down with facts and figures that most of it went straight over my head but it all seemed so interesting at the time.  I did learn however, that the cheapest way to get into horse racing as an owner is to buy a share.  The cheapest they had on offer was a 2.5% share of a two year old colt which cost £2,500 plus £60 a month for stable and training fees. 

Wayne Rooney and John O'Shay's Horse

 We spoke to loads of staff in the yards mainly jockeys (poor wee things).  One was proud that he had got to 8.5 Stones and could therefore ride a certain bit of horse flesh.  I replied "Does that mean I can ride two of them then!"

Warming Down after the Gallops

At last Geoff found a Grey.

The stables were at 4 race meetings that day and so Sean had to dash off to get a horse to Doncaster in time and we continued our tour with Karls wife Elaine who seemed more interested in what Geoff had to tell her about horses in the war and Major Empson's hunters and polo ponies, I do hope he didn't

bore her too much.

The stables are about to be extended soon for having accommodation for seventy horses to about double that.  It seems that even in a recession the sport of kings is still thriving.

Nothing like a nice munch of grass after a run!

On the way home we took the scenic route via Thirsk  and up Sutton Bank hill and round by the White Horse of Kilburn and to see the workshops of the Mouse Man  (Robert Thompson) who make the hard carved furniture, always with a mouse carved into them somewhere.  And then onwards and homewards.  A great day out for the old guy and something I'm sure he'll remember for the rest of his life.