SOME PLACES ARE difficult to put into words, not because there is nothing to say, but because what makes them special is something you only really understand when you are standing in them.

That was my experience the first time I arrived at Abbeyleix House and Farm. Long before the house was built in the 1770s, the land had already been shaped by the Cistercian Order in the 12th century, farmed carefully, with animals at the centre of daily life.

Horses at the rescue farm. Suzi Walsh Suzi Walsh

Animals have always been part of this place, but what has changed over time is not their presence, but their purpose. Now, they are here not for production but for care, recovery and a better quality of life.

The farm is home to over 60 horses and ponies, six of the most wonderful dogs you’ll ever meet, four pigs, 11 goats, four donkeys, three deer, two geese, countless hens, eight rabbits, four guinea pigs, as well as cats, alpacas, sheep, cows and runner ducks.

Suzi Walsh Suzi Walsh

The vast majority are rescues, each with its own history and needs. It is, to put it simply, a lot of personalities in one place.

Doing this differently

Ireland has a complicated relationship with the way it treats its working and farm animals, and places like Abbeyleix House and Farm matter precisely because they ask a different question entirely: not ‘what can this animal produce’, but ‘what does this animal need’.

I had originally been asked to come down to help with the dogs, which felt comfortably within my remit. After more than 20 years working in animal behaviour, there is a structure to that work I am very used to: assess what is happening, build a plan, implement it and adjust as you go.

Suzi Walsh Suzi Walsh

A multi-species rescue farm doesn’t quite follow that format, and if I’m honest, I wasn’t entirely sure how useful I would be in that setting. This wasn’t about fitting animals into a system, but about improving how they experience their day-to-day lives, and that felt like a very different place to begin. I went down, met the team, and it became clear quite quickly that this was never going to be just about the dogs.

The goats were among the first I had the pleasure of becoming acquainted with, and they are a good example of how misunderstood an animal can be when people rely on received wisdom rather than observation.

They are often described as animals that will eat anything, which is not quite accurate. In reality, they are selective browsers and far more cognitively capable than most people assume.

Goats are some of the most misunderstood animals. Suzi Walsh Suzi Walsh

Research shows they can solve complex tasks and retain those solutions over time, which in practice means they learn quickly, remember what works and are excellent at identifying........

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