Ryan Bates - The Morning Routine

I get up at 7 am every morning to get my breakfast. I go down to my room and get my riding gear on and go to the yard. 

We stand in a straight line and the Instructors tell us what we're doing today and we go and get are tools and we muck out the same 2 horses every morning. When we're done mucking out we sweep the yard and clean up the yard. 

 Then we get are tack and go get a horse to ride out and when you’re ready to pull out you get a leg up and go into the indoor arena. When the horses are warmed up we go outside to the gallops, get into groups and we canter around the gallops up to 4 or 5 times. 

Then we would wash their legs when we're done and give them a good rub over as they get sweaty going around the gallop. We then clean up and feed up and get the place tidy and make sure everything is done and put away, ready for the morning.

Ryan (near side)on the Curragh Plains

The Year So Far - Class of 2014 - 2015

It is the second semester at RACE and the class of 2014 - 2015 have settled back into their routine after the Christmas break.
For the first semester they were busy getting used to the yard routine in the morning and classwork in the afternoon. But it's not all work and no play during the year as excursion are organised for the group.
So far they have visited Goff Bloodstock Sales and  Kildangan Stud and have had some time to chill out at Whitewater Shopping Centre. Just before Christmas they each got to practice their swing on a Golf Simulator!
November saw nine Trainees go out on work placement and all are getting on well. Work placement is one of the highlights of the year and this month will see a few more trainees join them.

Trainees have been busy in the afternoons with classwork but have taken some timeout to write about their experiences to date at RACE.We hope that you enjoy reading about their time as class of 2014 - 2015!

Matthew Lynch in full swing

Trainees at Kildangan Stud 2014

Meet the trainees - Ronan Short

Hi my name is Ronan Short. I am 16 years old and am from Newtown Mt Kennedy Co. Wicklow.

My interest in horses started when I was 11 years old and I started doing lessons in a riding school on the weekends.  After a few years of lessons we got a couple of Ponies for ourselves and began hunting and showjumping.  I only became interested in racing when I began riding out for a friend of my dads who used to be a jockey and kept a few point to pointers in his livery yard.  I heard about RACE a couple of years ago and have been interested in coming here since. I got a trial week which was hard work but when I heard the news I got accepted I was delighted.  We are in our eleventh week now and the first group of trainees should be going out soon on workplacement.

Ronan training on RACE Gallops