Visit to Tim Vaughan's Stable

After winning part-ownership of the Student Racehorse Tae Kwon Do, myself and the other lucky students were offered an exclusive chance to visit Tim Vaughan’s stables in Cowbridge, Wales to see the environment in which the horse will train. My friends and I didn’t quite know what to expect as we passed a quarry upon arrival, driving up a long, bumpy road to reach the stables.

Only licensed in 2008, the stables represent an enterprising move by Vaughan and they were in impressive order given that they were only constructed a few years ago. We got out and were acquainted with some familiar names of horses in the barns; notably Beshabar and Destroyer Deployed, who had both impressed recently at the Cheltenham Festival.

We then got a warm welcome from Vaughan himself, who made time from a busy morning schedule to tour us around the stable and introduce us to our very own racehorse, Tae Kwon Do. The horse has just returned from injury and looked in good shape; Tim reckoned he would be good to go in a couple of weeks.

We were then invited to travel to the gallops to watch Tae Kwon Do train among his stable mates. This was a unique opportunity, especially as I had never seen horses in training before. Tim knew every horse by name, recognising them instantly and calling out to us who was who as they bounded past us under the horsemanship of the stable lads.

Vaughan’s enthusiasm was plain to see, as he exchanged banter and yelled out encouragement to the jockeys; this workplace camaraderie gave the impression of his yard being a vibrant and enjoyable working environment. Vaughan himself was an infectious character; his loud laugh could be heard from metres away and he took a genuine interest in the students who had come to look around his yard.

He described his rise to prominence as a trainer as ‘meteoric’; the Welshman started basically from scratch but now has around 100 horses in his ranks. It was insightful to see the day-to-day business of a horserace trainer, and how the horses are prepared for racing.

All in all it was a great day out, and well worth the 6am alarm clock! Tae Kwon Do was impressive in training and looked lively; I for one can’t wait to see him in action over hurdles!