Update on Sunday

Sunday is weaned and learning a bit about life on her own. She is a quick learner and a joy to train. She is in a stall next to her mother, so longer nursing, but still has her mother's company. Her mother is sold now and going to a new home in Aztec, New Mexico in the next few weeks. She will be part of a group of broodmares and enjoying milder winters.

Silly Sunday!

Sunday is growing so fast!! I sit and watch her while Audrey does my barn chores and I can't help but shoot some video of her crazy antics (I love the moves at the end of the video).

Another Update

Well, I have been away from the blog for a while. I had a little riding accident on Harley and broke some bones in my midfoot, so I have been out of commission. I was at a clinic and Harley spooked, got his legs all tangled up, and fell on my leg. I am on the mend now, but will not be weight bearing for a few more weeks. My trainer and I decided Harley could use some finishing touches, so he is getting ridden by Anne 6 days a week. He has spent quite a bit of time in "time out" for various rule-breaking behavior- (ex. playing when he should be working, pushing someone in order to get to his food, etc).

I finally took some more pictures of Sunday. She is growing so fast and getting more beautiful by the day! She is still friendly, but can get spunky too! Friday is doing well and has calmed down a lot. She is such a good mom and is so patient. I didn't know she had it in her!

Looking less like a rabbit and more like a horse.

Yee Haa!!

Lots of muscle, beautiful face

Next to her Mom you can see how much she has grown.

Trying to kick Mom, naughty Sunday!

Sunday Update

Sunday is growing so big. She is full of mischief and is curious about everything. She is always looking around for something new to investigate! Once in a while she gets a little far from Mama and she is called back. She turns quickly and kicks her hind legs in the air as a goodbye. 

We are working with Sunday on a regular basis. She lets us put her halter on and off and will let us pick up her feet and touch her all over. She is getting easier to catch and is starting to lead with the halter. We are making such progress! She is smart and picks up her lessons very quickly. She loves to be patted and fussed over (which is a good sign). Friday is settling down and not worrying so much.

We took quite a few pictures to get her registration papers prepared. Here are a few that turned out pretty nice.

Out For Some Fun

Today, I was finally able to let Friday and Sunday out in the bigger paddock. I had to encourage Friday a little bit, but once she was out she really enjoyed herself. Her front legs are still a little sore, so it was a bit of a challenge keeping up with her little one (6 days old today)!

This picture cracked me up! Sunday's legs are really long and a bit hard to control at times.

Momma didn't get to graze much. Sunday kept her on the move!

Break Time!

Friday is doing fantastic! She is feeling better every day and getting adjusted to having people around the baby.

I worked with Sunday today. She is very strong, and after several wrestling matches (which she often won!) I was able to handle her and get her halter on. She is STRONG! She is all muscle and when she pushes off with her back legs, it nearly launches us both. She finally gave up the fight and decided to lay down. While she was down, I touched her all over so she is used to having her feet, ears, mouth, and belly handled. She even fell asleep for a short while. I think she enjoys being touched and stroked. Friday wasn't happy about all of the wrestling, but she finally settled down too.

Later, when I came to check on her, she gave me a real long look and then just laid down. Could this be progress????

Sunday and Friday are Home!

Sunday and Friday are doing well and I trailered Friday and Sunday home yesterday. Friday was ready to come home and was excited when she saw the trailer. She ran right in! Sunday took a little lifting and encouragement. The trip home was slow and uneventful (I wondered if I should have one of those "Baby on Board" signs). At the barn I had help getting both Friday and Sunday out of the trailer. We walked Friday to her new paddock (a turnout area with a three-sided shelter) and my friend Anne guided a very spunky Sunday into her new home! Sunday loved all the space. She bucked and kicked her heals up in the air. After all of the excitement, she took a very long nap!

Friday seems so happy to be home! She is much more comfortable and relaxed. All of the horses at the barn went crazy when we arrived. Horses were whinnying loudly and trying to get a look at the new edition. They don't seem to be able to get enough of Sunday, and they watch her every move! Friday is keeping Sunday away from the fences and the other horses. I put Harley in the turnout next to Friday and Sunday today. He was so excited. He ran back and forth trying to get Sunday's attention, but she didn't seem to care.

"Sunday" Update

A recovery day for the horses. Friday is ever vigilant and Sunday sleeps, wakes up, stands, nurses, lays down, and sleeps. Friday licks Sunday over and over then checks her again. She is really listening to every noise and worried about anyone who comes near Sunday. I have been in the stall to work with the foal a little, but will do more tomorrow when things are calmer. It is always easier to get them used to things when they are foals, and not full grown horses!

The vet drew blood to see if Sunday drank enough colostrum (early milk) to get the full antibody load. If she didn't, they can give her a supplement. We won't be leaving the vet barn until he thinks her levels are okay. No problem so far and we aren't anticipating any. Keeping praying for her!

A loving mama!

Breakfast!

That was yummy!

Giving us some lip!

It's a Filly!

Introducing Sunday,  born last night at 9 pm (on Sunday!). She is very dark, looks black, but may be a bay (dark brown with black mane and tail), black or gray as she gets older. She is beautiful, with long, straight legs, and a star, stripe, and snip. She has one white sock on her front leg and a little white spot on her lower lip. 

Mom and baby did great. We got there just as she was born. The vet technician had to help a little bit since Sunday was such a big foal, but she said Sunday helped herself by wriggling around! I got a chance to imprint her, and she let me touch her all over without any real resistance.

She was up and nursing within an hour (way ahead of schedule)! We stayed and watched until she had a nap and then got back up to nurse. She jumped up so fast after her nap it startled us! I am glad Friday has a lot of milk.

Friday loves her new baby. She licks and licks her. She is such a great mother!

Newborn Sunday

Imprinting

Friday meets Sunday

Proud Mommas!

A Job Well Done

She Looks black, but may be bay, gray, or black when she is older.

Mommy Time!

First Nap!

More later when we catch our breath!


Oh, and by the way, the miniature mare won the race. She foaled earlier in the day. I have never seen a horse this small!

 

Update 8pm

Something is definitely up. She is streaming milk and restless. She is also yawning a lot (they call it the foaling yawn). We have gone home to get a little shut eye (this could take hours). The vet will call if she starts foaling.

Wax!

She has wax on her teats so her milk is foal ready! She is restless and up and down a lot. We took her out for a walk and to graze. She grazed for a while and then wanted to go back to her stall. She was kicking at her belly and looking uncomfortable. She should go in the next 24-48 hours. 

Her breathing is faster so we are going to run some errands and then go check back to the barn and check on her. The vet's staff is watching her closely. There is a miniature horse mare in the next stall that is acting like she is in labor. We may have a race on our hands!

Update

Well, the vet was sure she would go last night. Her bag is bigger, but she is eating everything in sight. She checked my pockets thoroughly today and then went back to her hay.  I found this cute "code" online. Enjoy!

“Foaling Mare’s Secret Code”

The mare’s secret code of honor is as old as horses themselves and is ultimately the species best kept secret. NO mare shall ever produce a foal before it’s time.

It’s time being determined by the following factors:

1. No foal shall be born until total chaos has been reached by all involved. Your house must be a wreck, your family hungry and desperate for clean clothes, and your social life non-existent.

2. Midwives must reach the babbling fool status before you foal out. Bloodshot eyes, tangled hair and the inability to form a sentence means you’re getting close.

3. For every bell, beeper, camera or whistle they attach to you, foaling must be delayed by at least one day for each item.

4. Vet check, add a day…internal, add three! If you hear the words, “She’s nowhere near ready…you will be fine, while I’m away for the weekend,” then wait 12 to 16 hours and pop that baby out!

5. Owner’s stress must be at an all time high! If you are in the care of someone else, ten to fifteen phone calls a day is a sign you’re getting close. When you hear the words, “I can’t take it anymore!”…wait three days and produce a foal.

6. You must keep this waiting game interesting. False alarms are necessary! Little teasers such as looking at your stomach, pushing your food around in the bucket and then walking away from it are always good for a rise. Be creative and find new things to do to keep the adrenaline pumping in those who wait.

7. The honor of all horses is now in your hands. Use this time to avenge all of your stable mates. Think about your friend who had to wear that silly costume in front of those people. Hang onto that baby for another day. Oh, they made him do tricks too! Three more days seems fair. Late feedings, the dreaded diet, bad haircuts, those awful wormings can also be avenged at this time.

8. If you have fulfilled all of the above and are still not sure when to have this foal, listen to the weather forecast on the radio that has been so generously provided by those who wait. Severe thunderstorm warnings is what your looking for. In the heart of the storm jump into action! The power could go out and you could have the last laugh. You have a good chance of those who wait missing the whole thing while searching for a flashlight that works!

9. Make the most of your interrupted nights. Beg for food each time someone comes into the stable to check on you. Your stable mates will love you as the extra goodies fall their way too!

10. Remember, this code of honor was designed to remind man of how truly special horses are. Do your best to reward those who wait with a beautiful filly to carry on the mare code of honor for the next generation of those who wait!

–Author Unknown
 

Tail Wrapped, Monitor On!

Friday is really miserable today. We sat with her a while and tried to make her feel better. She was resting, with one hind leg cocked and the baby gave a hard kick. The movement nearly knocked her over. She had to move quickly to get both hind legs under her for balance. She is not a happy camper!

No pictures today. Any photos of the foaling monitor are clearly X-rated, so we decided to skip those.

She is off to the foaling barn!

 





The vet moved Friday to the foaling barn today! Her milk bag is huge and she is a off of her food (even the grain). She has  a touch of sweat on her shoulders.  It was over 80 degrees today, so that may explain sweating and her loss of appetite.     

The vet is going to check her tonight and put in a monitor that will alarm (and page him) if the baby moves into the birth canal. She is pretty sneaky and I am fairly sure she will try to have the baby unattended (Good luck with that!)

Watched!

You can see from the pictures below that the baby had "dropped". This means the baby is now in the birth canal and Friday no longer looks like she swallowed a big beach ball when you look at her from the front. They also call this "slab sided". This is another sign that she is close to foaling.

Grace checking on our girl

Lots of milk!

Missing Harley Maybe?

Pregnancy Update

No change. She is adjusting to the Mare Hotel at the vets.

Update

It has been a busy Saturday. Today was the mock disaster that our students complete as their final activity in their disaster class lab. The mock disaster is a simulated earthquake exercise that involves 30 students (rescuers) and about 50 victims. It is an exercise that takes about 2 hours to set up and about 1 hour to complete. Mainly, it requires quite a bit of up and down stairs for me and I am generally worn out when it is over. After the mock disaster was completed, I was looking forward to a nice afternoon with a good book and a couch. I just had to go to the barn and check on Friday to see if she was doing okay.

Audrey and  I went to the barn to check on our sweet girl. We took Friday out of her stall to brush her and give her a daily pampering session. When I checked her, I was surprised to see that sometime in the last 24 hours she had decided to fill up her udder! I was shocked! She was making steady progress all week, but nothing too dramatic,  so I thought it would be a week or two before I saw a full udder. I checked with the trainer at the barn (who has been watching her with me) and she was shocked too. This was a definite issue and we decided to call the vet.

I called the vet and he recommended that we bring her in today. Audrey and I hitched up the trailer and got Friday ready to go. Friday was great about all the activity and loaded right into the trailer without a bit of problem. Audrey and I took her to the vet and she seemed to be adjusting to her new stall without problem. I was actually relieved to have her at the veterinarians. The vet and his staff can keep a close eye on her and make sure that if she decides to have this foal soon, there will be lots of help at the ready.

We could still be several weeks away from a birth, but a mare can have a foal anywhere from 305-405 days. Friday is at 319 days. Better safe than sorry!

On My Harley

Harley is doing excellent in his training. He has learned to collect himself (not race around like a crazy man) and to lead with the correct leg (most of the time). Here is a quick video Audrey took of Harley. He will slow to a trot with just a slight adjustment in the saddle (no pulling on the reins). I love this horse!

Link to Harley in Training

Friday is doing great today. She is getting a lot more milk. I was thinking of taking her to the veterinarian at the end of the month. I don't think we will make it........

We Are Getting Closer

As of today, Friday has been pregnant 313 days (the average gestation is 335 days for horses). Today I gave her the pre-birth required vaccinations and worming medicine. These help protect the foal. 

Friday was so dirty the other day that if you touched her, the dust would rise in clouds. Even though she is big and clumsy, she drops and rolls every chance she gets. It was warm outside yesterday so I took the time to give her a nice warm bath and let her dry in the sun. I braided her tail and trimmed her bridle path at the top of her head. It was a real spa day. She deserves one!

Getting some sun in the paddock

The side view

She is in good spirits, but is tired most of the time. In a few more weeks, I will take her to the veterinarian's place to have the foal. It won't be a long drive, just a mile or two. Harley will miss her terribly and we are already making plans on how to help him cope (someone suggested sedation). He is making some new friends at the barn, so maybe that will help.

Baby on Board

I have been slow in updating the blog this year. We moved to a new barn closer to our house and it required a lot of work and reorganizing and readjusting. The horses like the new barn just fine. Friday is in a stall now and is turned out in a paddock once a day. I try to get out several times a week as well and make her exercise. She is getting huge now and not very interested in moving around. She gives me that desperate, wild-eyed look when I put her on the hot walker or take her for a stroll. 

The baby is due May 8th. I am going to take her to the veterinarian's place to foal (he has cameras, alarms etc) so hopefully things will go well. Now I just need to time it just right. I am going to take her when around May 1st. Harley will be heartbroken!

Harley likes the new barn. His stall is right next to his bff Friday and that is just fine with him. She still puts her ears back every time he gets close, but I think she is starting to weaken a little bit. She is interested in where he is going and is glad to have him back. She just wouldn't ever let  him know that.