National Stud hotels in Newmarket, United Kingdom

The National Stud is a thoroughbred horse breeding farm located just outside of Newmarket, in Suffolk. The main purpose of the farm is to offer horse breeding services and training facilities, but it is also open to the public and between March and October runs regular tours. If you and your family have a love of horseracing or just want to learn something new, and are staying in Newmarket or nearby Suffolk hotels, The National Stud will give you a great insight into all the effort that goes into making a race-winning horse.

Learn the History of Thoroughbred Breeding from Hotels in Suffolk

The National Stud was first established in 1915 and its initial purpose was to breed cavalry horses for the war effort. However, because warfare was becoming increasingly mechanised, there was less need for breeding warhorses and so The National Stud concentrated on breeding the thoroughbred breed, a specific bloodline that's known for its speed and agility. From its founding up until today, The National Stud has bred many famous horses, including a number of Derby winners such as Shirley Heights and Reference Point. In 2008, The National Stud ceased to be owned by the British government and is now owned by The Jockey Club, although its aims to breed pure-bred thoroughbreds remains unchanged.

Stay in Nearby Newmarket Hotels

As well as breeding horses, The National Stud aims to educate the public about horse breeding and, as well as running tours, has a number of family-friendly facilities, including Wavertree's Coffee and Gift Shop, which you can visit even if you're not taking a tour of The National Stud. There are plenty of top quality hotels located in easy reach of the farm, including several in Newmarket itself, such as the three-star Best Western Heath Court Hotel, the three-star Rutland Arms and the five-star Paddock's House, a magnificent 18th-century country mansion.

The market town of Newmarket is one of the liveliest towns in Suffolk, famous for its association with horseracing and breeding, and where you'll find The National Horseracing Museum and, of course, Newmarket Racecourse. The town enjoys good transport links and is served by numerous bus routes coming from nearby Cambridge and Bury St. Edmunds and Newmarket railway station.