Educational Tours

A number of educational tours have been provided over the years with destinations including Belgium, Germany and Holland visited. Such tours provide an opportunity to:

network with fellow travellers and with the farm personnel visited
get an insight into many aspects including facilities/ infrastructure on the farms; breeding practices; quality of equines; production methods; and more

Tour days are busy with the aim to fit in as much time as possible at the event or on farms. These tours are designed for those who are dedicated to breeding and/or producing horses, who are interested to learn from, and engage with others, rather than 'holidays'.

Minimum age to travel: 18 years

Note: All individuals travelling on these tours MUST provide their own travel/personal accident insurance, at own expense as a prerequisite to travel, and return a completed disclaimer for example Travel Insurance Notice in advance of travel.

If interested in partaking on future tours, get in contact with wendy.conlon@teagasc.ie to express your interest.

Upcoming Tour 2025

Tentative plans are underway to visit France in 2025. Provisional dates, yet to be confirmed for definite, are September 6 - September 10, 2025.

The hope is to visit firstly the final two days of Les Grandes Semaine de Fontainbleau attending the finals of the 5, 6, and 7 year old jumpers and the hunter finals. Dates for this event are to be confirmed in September 2024 in line with the FEI calendar, after which more definite planning can be pursued.

Subsequently Monday, 8 to Wednesday, 10 would incorporate visits to farms across the Normandy region of France.

Possible farms that may be visited at this stage of planning are:

Haras d'Ick CIRALE Haras de St Lo Haras du Pin Haras de Semilly Haras des Forets

The intention would be to also stitch in visits to smaller, more typical, breeding and production farms for both eventers and showjumpers, and possibly ponies. Further information will be made available in the coming weeks when the travel dates are confirmed.

Initial cost indications from our travel partners Group Travel International are as follows:

Double or twin sharing: €870 approximately and single supplement €340 per person (5 nights).

GTI can pair people to share on a twin basis if desired if individuals are travelling alone yet willing to share.

Included:

Return flights with 10kg bag and small hand luggage (airline to be confirmed - estimated airfare).
2 nights hotel BB in Fontainbleau area and 2 nights BB in Caen area plus city tourist taxes.
Coaching for the duration of the tour (5 days).

When the 2025 FEI calendar is confirmed in September 2024, and the Fontainbleau event dates are confirmed, we can proceed to finalise details. An extra night accommodating flights out on the Friday evening rather than early Saturday morning is possible if there is interest in doing that instead to incorporate two full days at the event in Fontainbleau rather than 1.5 days. However, this would likely be an additional approximately €120 per person.

If you would like to be kept informed regarding this tour express your interest by email to wendy.conlon@teagasc.ie

Do also indicate if a 5 day or 6 day trip would be preferable.

Previous Tours

Click on the links below to find out more about the tours in

2023 | 2017 | 2015 | 2012 | 2009

650 kms of Belgium and The Netherlands were navigated in September 2023

A five day tour, led by Teagasc, in association with Jacques Verkerk of The Netherlands, and facilitated by travel partners Group Travel International, who manage the bookings and travel logistics, was undertaken.

The itinerary included attending the FEI WBFSH Jumping World Breeding Championships for Young Horses at Zangersheide, Lanaken, Belgium. Followed by three days visiting farms in The Netherlands including a veterinary centre and a variety of farms engaged in breeding, producing and trading equines including:

Animal Embryo Centre, Maria Hoop, family business: vets and breeders
Stal Thijssen, family business: showjumping stable, breeders
Joop Breukink: former dairy farmer and breeder of showjumpers
Stal Brinkman, family business: EU stud station; breeding, production and trade

Schleswig Holstein, Germany, experienced in November 2017

This 5-day tour led by Teagasc Equine Specialists visited the Holstein Horse Association (Holstein Verband) Stallion Licensing (inspection) & Auction at the Holstenhalle Neumunster. Also enjoyed were farm visits to a variety of the best Holstein stud farms to view stallions, mares and young horses while discussing production systems, breeding programmes, market outlets and more.

Belgium and The Netherlands, September 2015

A five day visit to Belgium and Holland was undertaken in 2015. Read more here

Belgium and The Netherlands, 2012

In 2012 a group travelled to Zangersheide Stud and Lanaken FEI World Breeding Jumping Championships for young horses, including attending the foal auctions at Zangersheide, followed by visits to farms in Belgium and The Netherlands.

Essen Germany, 2009

Equitana was the event visited in 2009, followed by a tour of farms in the Essen region of Germany.

There were other trips previous to this. So many have travelled with Teagasc Equine Specialists over the years. Many have returned time and again. Networking with other breeders from around the country is just one of the valuable outcomes of these trips. Looking back over the years there have been so many equine 'superstars' of the sport and breeding sheds met also.