PLEASE NOTE:
THE NATIONAL STUD TOURS ARE NOW UNDERWAY! BOOKING IS ESSENTIAL, SO PLEASE CALL OUR TOURS LINE ON 01638 666789. OUR SPECIAL TOURS RUN ALL YEAR, PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR MORE DETAILS.
The National Stud opened its gates to the public for the first time in the mid 1970’s. To this day The National Stud remains the only commercial stud farm in the UK allowing individuals, small groups and large parties the chance to see behind the scenes of a working Thoroughbred stud farm.
Tours of The National Stud last approximately 90 minutes and are taken by coach and on foot. The tours focus on introducing visitors to the history and purpose of The National Stud as a commercial Thoroughbred breeding operation. The National Stud is a working commercial stud farm, so the physical content of the tours varies throughout the year, depending on the season and the activities happening on the stud when you visit. Some examples of tour highlights during different times of the year are shown below:
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Low Season
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January - February
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Some mares, some foals, stallions
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High Season
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March – June
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Mares, foals, stallions
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Low Season
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July – December
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Some mares, weaned foals, some foals and yearlings preparing for the
sales, stallions
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The National Stud is open for tours from February to October, so there is plenty of opportunity to re-visit the stud to experience different parts of the breeding year. Most tours include visits to the Foaling Unit and nursery paddocks in the early spring, where you may see newborn foals; the superb Stallion Unit, with the opportunity to see the stallions in their paddocks or going about their daily work, as well as visiting various yards and paddocks where you can watch the mares and foals grazing and enjoying the sunshine.
Visitors also have the opportunity to visit the 2004 Grand National winner Amberleigh House in his paddock and maybe even feed him a Polo! Amberleigh House is available most days, unless he is attending a parade such as the Parade of Champions at Aintree’s Grand National Meeting.
“The National Stud offers a unique and memorable visitor experience that exceeds visitors’ expectations. Staff are well-deserving of the recent Jockey Club Team Award for the Coffee Shop and Tours, with visits being enhanced by the friendly and welcoming staff and the quality of cakes and food on offer in the café.”
VAQAS Quality Assessment Report 2011.
Make your visit to The National Stud more memorable by visiting Wavertree’s Coffee and Gift Shop, which is open all year round for breakfast, lunch and afternoon tea. Click here for details.
Alongside Wavertree’s Coffee and Gift Shop there are numerous picnic tables for visitors to make use of in the sunshine, as well as the Weatherbys Pavilion where our resident artist Chris Winch has an abundance of beautiful paintings for sale. Click here for details.
There is plenty of free parking for cars and coaches, and we have full disabled access and facilities on the tours and in Wavertree’s Coffee and Gift Shop. Click here to view our Accessibility Statement.
Book today – it’s a great visit for all the family!
PLEASE NOTE:
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Foals are very susceptible to cold and wet weather, so in bad weather young foals will not be turned out in the paddocks and it may not always be possible to visit the Foaling Unit if there are any newborn foals that need quiet and recuperation.
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Our stallions are busiest during the breeding season (February—June) so will not always be available to see during every tour and it is not always possible to see inside the covering shed during the breeding season. Stallions are not turned out during bad weather or during the Sales.
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