Aine Art,Killashee

I have been to the Greyhound Races a few times now, and I must say it is a great evening out. All the Irish tracks now have comfortable surrounds with bars and restuarants,and live racing on screen if it is too cold to venture out to the track.We are spoiled for choice now with tracks in Longford,Mullingar,Galway, Dublin, Clonmel to name a few. These tracks attract large crowds for an evening of great entertainment. Greyhounds are gentle and affecionate when raised at home but their racing prowess has eclispsed their suitability as pets. it is only when they retire they are suitable to be homed as a pet. A lot of the animal shelters have greyhounds available for adoption,and their is no shortage of people willing to take them.They will provide years of affection. Racing greyhounds have to be in the peak of condition and are regularly excercised by their kennell attendant who walk a number of them at a time. Training starts at about 15 months old, and a healthy dog can be ready to race...

Its no secret that I love horses.I was raised on a Stud Farm in Co.Meath where my Dad was Stud Groom. As children we loved to hide in barns or lofts,build make believe houses out of bales of hay. We spent many hours running around fields after wayward ponies and when caught and mounted, bucked us off immediately but we didnt give up our mission.My Dad was in charge of the racehorses and that was a very serious business. We were not allowed in to the racing yard for safety reasons as racehorses are highly charged and unpredictable.Racehorse breeding has been and is a highly commercialized venture, some pure breeds can sell for a fortune.The horses with the greatest speed and stamina command the highest prices.Breeders carefully select the horses that win most consistently and are top of their class from which to breed future generations of potential record breakers.Race days are hugh events for owners and breeders often worth a great deal of money to both, and participating horses are ...