TODAY sees the second day of the Irish Thoroughbred Marketing-driven stallion trail being held, and I will be on the road from early doors to try and fit in four farm visits.

It will be very interesting to get feedback on this year’s trail, and to see how next week’s equivalent in France also works out. The changing world we live in necessitates changes to the format of the trail, and this year’s restriction to industry personnel will have its pluses, and maybe some negatives. The fact that the trail is being held at all is a credit to the organisers and the participating studs.

I am in the fortunate position, as are most breeders, that we can, and do, visit stud farms at times that are convenient for ourselves. Stallion masters, naturally, wish to sell nominations and are welcoming to those who put in the leg work and go to see the sires they are considering.

What the stallion trail offers is an organised way for those with limited time on their hands to get to a number of farms when they know that the stallions will be on show. Perhaps one consideration going forward would be to actually extend the period for the stallion trail to four or five days.

This would give more latitude to breeders who wish to plan a series of visits, and actually allow them to see more horses in a short period of time. Stallion masters will have horses ready to show at this time of year in any case, so extending the trail period would not necessitate more work. Indeed, it might streamline visits and be more efficient.

I do hope that as many people get to see the stallions on show today, and by my estimation there are sires to be seen in Carlow, Clare, Cork, Galway, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Limerick, Meath, Tipperary, Waterford, Westmeath and Wexford. You do need to register and it is simple to do so on www.itm.ie/stalliontrail

There is another side benefit to being able to go on the stallion trail, and that is the opportunity to meet other breeders and catch up on what is happening in our industry. The restrictions and protocols that have been in place for some times have unfortunately led to less opportunities for mingling with industry personnel.

The stallion trail, at least the 2022 version, allows us to meet each other in a safe environment, and I can assure those who have been unable to get out and about as they used to that seeing other breeders and the stallion owners will be a shot in the arm.