'It's always a relief to have a healthy mare and foal on the ground'

Natalie Folland has recently set up Folland-Bowen Bloodstock with partner Matt Bowen having spent a lifetime among horses, including when working for Elkington Stud. Here, she takes our questions.

How did you get into racing and the bloodstock industry?

My dad worked for Marston Estate when I was a child. I spent hours watching the mares and foals in the paddocks at Marston Stud. Even at a young age I knew I wanted to work with horses.

As a teenager I started working for Jenny and Liam Norris at Carmel Stud. They taught me everything I know, I'm very grateful for their help and support over the years.

What did your role involve at Elkington Stud, and what was your favourite memory of working there?

Elkington was a private stud, I was a 'hands-on' manager with a small team. There wasn't anything I didn't do, from the day-to-day running of the farm through to the admin.

My favourite memory is foaling mares down with our team. I'd call Jane [Keir, Elkington Stud owner] when their waters broke so she could come and welcome her foals into the world with us. It's always a relief to have a healthy mare and foal on the ground.

Tell us about Folland-Bowen Bloodstock and your ambitions

Matt and I fell in love with Fonthill Stud straight away, it's impossible not to. The stud has been immaculately kept and has produced some top-class horses over the years. The facilities are fantastic, everything is very well thought-out. Lord Margadale shares the same values as us in terms of how the stud will be run, which is very important to both parties.

Matt used to run a 2,000-acre arable farm and he has all the relevant experience and qualifications to care for the land. He then spent three years working alongside me at Elkington Stud.

I ran Elkington Stud for just shy of eight years, I have a national certificate in stud management, a degree in equine science and I'm also an equine sports massage therapist.

Folland-Bowen Bloodstock will be offering a boarding service for broodmares, foals and yearlings, as well as rest and rehabilitation for racehorses. We'll also be offering sales preparation and consignment.

We'll be limiting our numbers to ensure we can provide individual care for all of the horses at the stud. We've got plans to add more to our facilities to benefit the horses and our clients. Our main aims are to become one of the top stud farms in Wiltshire and to help our owners produce more black-type horses.

How many horses will you be taking with you to Fonthill Stud?

There are 12 horses already resident at Fonthill. We will be taking 21 horses with us. Some are heading to the Tattersalls December sales and we have holiday horses and more breeding stock due to arrive in the coming weeks.

How do you think the yearling sales have gone this year after a tumultuous 2020? Is there anything the industry can work on?

I think this year's sales results have shown how resilient our industry is. If you have a nice, well prepared individual that is placed in the correct sale you can be fairly confident that you'll sell well.

Prize-money in the UK is a huge issue that needs to be addressed. Without decent prize-money there are limited incentives to buy a yearling. We're seeing huge numbers of our well-bred horses being sold abroad because the prize-money is better elsewhere.

What is your favourite part of the job and why?

I get a real sense of achievement seeing the horses that we have produced winning for their owners. Producing a horse that is sound, a willing athlete and tough on the track is what it's all about.

We are only a small piece of the puzzle but we produce a high percentage of winners/runners with a low number of horses each year.

This is why we have such an emphasis on keeping our numbers limited at Folland-Bowen Bloodstock; individual care and attention to detail is so important.

Read more

Frankel half-sister to Sea The Moon sells for €550,000 at Goffs November Sale

From established to young, Ballylinch sires doing the business at Goffs

Group 3 winner Oscula added to Tattersalls December Mares Sale