Mulawa Facilities | Cronk Coar

The capacity at Alabama was expanded soon after purchase with Jane’s acquisition of a neighbouring property - Cronk Coar (Welsh for “uneven hill”). As with Alabama, Cronk Coar has undergone extensive recent renovations with a massive ongoing cross-fencing project currently completed. Significantly hillier and rockier than the majority of the Alabama acreage, Cronk Coar is intended to be used primarily to keep growing youngsters and open recipients, as well as some cattle to graze the wilder, more inaccessible areas. The flats near the property residences and the main public thoroughfare have been converted into  lovely “storefront” paddocks for mares and foals, and can be used to grow the high quality hay for which the local area is prized. A series of shelters for the handful of resident stallions has also been remodeled, as has an area for collecting semen and handling mares.

As every visitor to any of the Mulawa farms can attest, the predominant atmosphere is one of peaceful calm orderly efficiency, and confident serenity.  This prevalent positive energy is a direct result of a highly capable, responsible and caring staff as well as the thoughtfully conceived layout of each operation. In both design and detail, the extensive facilities on all the Mulawa properties have all been created with the psychological & physiological well being and comfort of the horse in mind.  Yards have been built in several useful sizes to accommodate horses at varying ages of development, almost all with a panoramic view of the horses, activity and natural landscape surrounding them. A series of lanes have been devised between the yards to handle movement of stock with minimal manual relocation if necessary. All horses are given access to daily turnout (weather permitting) – from breeding animal to training horse, from youngest foal to the most senior retired veteran. 

Stables at all facilities are can either open front and/or back to allow for socialization. The open stable concept is most fully realized in Alabama, where the main mare loafing barn consists of huge stalls open on all four sides with one large door facing the aisle, wide enough to stretch across and act as a solid barrier when moving horses in and out. The “crush”, what North Americans would refer to as stocks, in this same barn is ingeniously designed: double slotted and solid from top to bottom, it can handle both the mare and foal at the same time in separate but adjacent chutes. The foal chute is built with a drop-down side access door for ease of handling. Brilliant, infinitely practical design that makes life easier for horse and human. 

Shelters at Alabama are yet another stroke of brilliant and aesthetically pleasing design put into practice. In reality, more of a canvas roof than a solid shelter, these “sails” are simply custom made landscape canvas stretched tightly between four upright, permanently affixed poles. Not completely rainproof, the sails do provide excellent protection from the sun while allowing pasture to grow uninhibited beneath.  In larger herds, no horse ever runs the risk of being trapped beneath them as, with the exception of the poles, all “sides” are open. It was startling to discover that given the choice, horses will choose the sails over the more traditional solid roofed and sided shelter every time. Many of the sails in closer proximity to the main facility have been designed with an extra touch of class, emblazoned with the distinctive Alabama horseshoe logo.