Whilst in Dubai over Christmas I persuaded the rest of the family to join me on a tour of the Meydan racing stables where some of the world's most expensive and successful racehorses live and work.
Our morning was meant to start with a 5 star buffet breakfast at the Meydan Hotel whilst watching the horses during their morning track work, however thick fog meant that we could barely see 3 feet in front of us.
After a delicious breakfast and with the fog now nearly cleared we were then taken to one of the stables and had a guided tour of the amazing facilities
The horses are stabled within cooled barns, the stable walls are lined with soft material so they don't damage themselves if they roll into them
to my surprise we were allowed to get up close and stroke the horses, except the ones that had a red dot on their name plate as they did not like being touched by strangers
The grooms were going about their chores and although there was lots going on the atmosphere was calm and peaceful and the horses seemed relaxed
In the yard the horses that had just returned from exercise were being washed and cooled down
Whilst being washed the horses stood calmly in buckets of ice which helps prevents inflammation and tendon damage
We were shown the covered area where a vet can examine a horse whilst it is on a treadmill
Outside the stable block there was a display of the types of horse feed available, including olive oil and honey
and inside a windowless hay store the hay that has been imported from Canada is kept cool to preserve it's quality
As expected the tack room was impeccable
The guide told us that at any given time across the 12 different stables up to 600 horses can be housed and trained.
Our next stop was the equine swimming pool where we watched several horses swim through the deep water, excellent weightless exercise
As well as racing thoroughbred horses we were informed that Arab horse racing is very popular in the UAE and we were lucky to see a few of these exceptionally beautiful horses
On the return to the Meydan racecourse we stopped to admire the enormous Meydan Grandstand which is over a mile long and can accommodate over 60,000 spectators.
As well as the main grandstand and the five star hotel, the site also includes a a horse racing museum, nightclub and 9 hole golf course
Once inside and a few floors up we looked down on the forecourt area with two eyes painted on it, apparently viewed from the sky the outline of the buildings forms the shape of a falcon in flight
and in the distance the special wavy bridge built for royalty to use when they make their way to the Dubai World Cup, the richest horse race in the world
Race track side we visited the parade ring and winners enclosure and looking up could appreciate the enormity of the main grandstand building
Inside the main foyer there are life sized horse statues of each Dubai World Cup Winner
We also were shown the Jockey's dressing room where the jockey's have the best facilities available in which to prepare for their races or to relax in afterwards. HT picked up the featherlight saddle that Frankie Dettori uses, it seemed unbelievably small and light
Upstairs in one of the grandstand boxes we had a great view of the race course below us and the desert beyond
We were very fortunate to see the last few horses being exercised
As we prepared to leave I look upwards again at yet one more incredible and unique design feature in this awesome place; a horse shaped atrium
