A racing start

Jason Maguire has reached the very top of the racing world, with wins at the Grand National and Cheltenham Festival under his belt. Now he’s passing the baton over to the next generation, so Ellie Fells visited him at his Birdlip base to find out about his pint-sized protégé

If you’re an avid follower of the equestrian world, the likelihood is that you’ll have heard of Ivy Lodge Farm in recent months – or at least seen photos and videos of it, since this training and rehabilitation centre in Birdlip is fast becoming ‘the’ place to be for the biggest stars of eventing, show-jumping, racing, showing and dressage. It is the base of legendary jockey Jason Maguire and his wife Lauren, their two daughters and two dogs; they brought it back in 2012, and since then have transformed it in to a state of the art facility for racehorses and competition horses who are either recovering from injury, getting fit ready for the season, or simply having a welldeserved holiday. So, when I’m asked to visit for this April edition of Cotswold Life, I couldn’t say yes fast enough.

As I arrive, I’m greeted by thoroughbreds peering curiously over their stable doors at me, soon followed by Lauren and her ever-faithful dogs. The yard features an extensive collection of stables, barns, loose boxes, horse walkers, a sand gallop, arena and fenced turnout fields. However, it also has a water treadmill for equine visitors and a hydrotherapy spa (also, believe it or not, for the horses), which are specially designed to improve horses’ range of movements and to treat and prevent injuries respectively. I watch one horse very happily walk into the hydrotherapy spa, who then promptly falls asleep as the treatment begins; Lauren tells me that he is recuperating after a serious operation on his leg but is recovering well. These facilities are all carefully engineered to ensure horses have everything they could possibly need to be in tip-top condition, hence why they are in such high demand.