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.