As I was perusing the horse-related news recently, I came across a story in which a man tried to transport his pony in a most unusual way. After reading said news story (more on that in a moment) I was reminded of a trip I took a few years ago.

When I was a freshman at Michigan State University, I had the opportunity to study abroad in Ireland and Northern Ireland. For roughly a month, I traveled around the island with 11 other students and two professors. The purpose? Explore and learn as much about the horse industry in there as possible.

We had some fantastic opportunities to visit Thoroughbred racing yards, working family farms, and some high-class stud farms worth more than I can even hope of making in my entire life. We visited numerous colleges with equine programs and got quite used to seeing foals frolicking around green pastures with their dams.

While staying in Northern Ireland, we got the opportunity to travel to Belfast to watch a jumping competition taking place there. It was decided that the most efficient way to get fourteen people from our base to the middle of the city would be the train. So we all set off, purchased tickets, and boarded