So it seems that sometimes the weather forecasters can get it right after
all. They forecast rain for the FolkMog visit to the National Stud in Newmarket
and it certainly rained. It rained on the way over to Newmarket, it rained
while we were there and it rained on the way back. Now one would be forgiven
if one assumed that the visit would be postponed; after all rain and an open
topped car is not an ideal mixture. However, this does not allow for the
perseverance of the average Morgan owner and combine this with the shear
determination of FolkMoggers and you get events that are never under any
circumstances postponed. In fact I was in a little trouble at home because
Diana was left behind preparing for Aldeburgh Carnival which was to happen
on the following day. In fact, as she was decorating the Mog it would have
been better if I had not come at all. I had to promise that I would not stop
for the Bar-B-Q at Roy and Marion May’s home so that some decoration could
take place.
We all congregated at the stud at about ten thirty in the morning. The tour
was due to start at about eleven so those of us there repaired to the coffee
shop and had coffee, cake and of course the normal chat about various topics
too numerous to cover here.
Once everyone had arrived our guide escorted us to a bus which was to take
us to the stables where the stallions resided. Of course there are always
some scallywags and they, as usual, took their place at the back of the bus.
The journey to the stables was in itself quite interesting as we passed close to the July race course which is only used in July and the oldest course used only once a year by amateur jockeys. In addition the guide gave us a brief history of the National Stud. It began in 1916 when Colonel Hall Walker offered his stock to the government on condition that they buy his stud farm in Ireland. This was to maintain a good standard of horse for the army. The stud moved to England in 1943 and eventually ended up at Newmarket in 1963. They now provide ten stallions with fees ranging from £2,000 to £10,000.
At the stables themselves there was only one stallion inside, Silver Patriarch. This apparently because he is a bit greedy and is, therefore, only allowed out to grass for half the day so that he will not get too tubby (thinks maybe this would work for me?)
We moved on to see where the business of breeding took place. The job of
the teaser was explained. A teaser is a stallion of little worth who approaches
a mare to see if she is receptive or not. If not she is likely to give him
a good kick. If she is receptive he is led away and the real stallion led
in. Apparently this frustrating life is alleviated when the teasers are allowed
to mate with some ponies that are kept at the stud. We were also showed the
mating ‘map’ for the stud. Apparently all thoroughbred racing
horses come from three Arab stallions from the seventeenth century.
As there had been few stallions in the stables we were led to the paddocks
where the rest of the stallions and a few mares were kept. They seemed stunningly
unbothered by the weather but as it was still raining we did not stay all
that long before wending our way back towards the bus, pausing on the way
to view the statue of Mill Reef the extraordinary horse that was considered
so great that it was saved after it had broken a leg on the gallops.
Back on the bus we paused at the birthing stables before making it back to the coffee shop. All in all a fascinating trip which was much enjoyed by all.
It was now time to move on to the May’s for a Bar-B-Q but as you remember I had to start for home so Maurice takes up the story -
“After the tour 30 of us descended on the Mays at their nearby home
for a truly magnificent lunch - barbecue is a far too hackneyed a term for
such a superb feast held in splendour under cover within a marquee so
that we quite forgot that there was a little rain about! We all lingered
on for what turned out to be several hours although honestly we just did
not notice the passing of time while we were shown all the delights of the
flower garden and vast, beautifully tended vegetable 'patch' which had produced
the gorgeous products we had salivated over at the meal. I think
we did real FolkMog justice to the meal especially Marion's delicious puddings. It
was good to see Joe & Sue Schell our American members, who apparently
had flown over from the States to check on their +8 rebuild progress. Altogether
a most successful day with 13 Morgans braving the wet weather”
I really feel that I missed out on the food. This was a lovely day despite the weather and we all thank Marion and Roy May for their hard work.
To put a full stop on the story the Aldeburgh Carnival was also blessed
with rain but went ahead and had our decorated Morgan in it although you
might be hard pressed to recognise it as such. The small hump that is behind
where the steering wheel is, in fact, Diana disguised as a rock with seaweed
on it. Honest!