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| Walking in the sunshine |
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| Loving mom |
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| Got Milk?? |
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| Sunbath |
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| Audrey taking Smoky for some exercise. |
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Wyatt
We only had to go out the barn one time today. Wyatt is nursing whenever he is awake now and his watery diarrhea is going away (I am convinced that I will never rid myself of that smell). With the help of several folks at the barn, we took Friday and Wyatt out to a large paddock for some exercise and fresh air. Wyatt was ready to go. He even tried to run a little bit!
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Sad, Then Happy
Our poor girl. I received a call about 11pm the other night that Friday had stillborn twins. Mares are not made to have twins and so it did not go well for them. We are just so thankful that we did not lose Friday as well, as this can happen quite easily. We had our tears and we all moved on. I went out to look at the twins. One was very small, too small in fact, and was not mature enough to breathe on her own. The other had a premature separation of the placenta (placenta abruptio) and was also born dead.
Friday looked good physically, but was sad and the barn manager said she was very upset when they took the bodies away. She was eating and quiet when we saw her. I called the vet to let them know what was going on and to get her postpartum check scheduled. I asked if they had heard of any orphan foals. They said that they knew of someone that had an orphan foal they had been feeding since he was born (six days ago).
About an hour later I got a call from the owner of the orphaned foal. He is a local Quarter Horse breeder who had a mare die when the colt was born. The foal was born breech (backwards) and had a lot of trouble. They were not having a lot of success trying to feed him. We knew it was a longshot, but we agreed to meet at the barn and see if Friday would take the foal.
Audrey, Grace, and I went to the barn to get Friday ready. I washed her udder and gave her a nice grooming and treats. I took a towel and got the scent of one of her dead foals on it. When the orphan foal arrived, it was quite an event. There were our barn people and their barn people. Lots of activity.
I held Friday in the corner of her stall so I could intervene if she showed any hostility to the new foal. She heard them bringing in the foal and she went crazy. They put the towel over the foal and carried him in. She nickered and whined and wanted to get right to him. I think she thought that we had finally brought one of her babies back to her. She licked him and kissed him. I was able to let her have her head since she was not acting threatening. The groom that brought in the foal helped him to start nursing and Friday let the orphan colt nurse! A big step.
The colt (boy foal) was weak and stressed, but we decided it was going well and he would stay with Friday. She kissed him and loved on him and became very protective. Our biggest hurdle was that was being bottle fed and did not know how to nurse. I talked to the colt's owner. He was still pretty heartbroken about his mare and the fact that he might lose this colt too. The orphan colt comes from a long line of talented racehorses and his arrival was much anticipated.
Grandma Judy and Dee came and got Audrey and Grace to spend the night with Grandma and Grandpa. To make sure that things went well I stayed with Friday and the orphan colt (we call him Wyatt). At first, we had to stand him up and drag him over to Friday and try and get him to nurse. When he stands up he looks Bambi on ice. Friday was so patient and such a trooper. She never gave up. By 10pm we I had him starting to nurse a bit on his own. I went home for a couple hours of sleep and Brooke, one of the trainers, got up at 1:30 am to help him nurse again. I came in again at 05:00 am. Wyatt was already looking stronger. I helped him stand and pushed him toward Friday and he nursed. Yipee!
By 10:00 am he was standing on his own and nursing. In between nursing he was sleeping. The storm was raging on and he started to shiver, so I put a blanket on him. He had a good day after that. Friday is a fantastic mom, and kisses and licks Wyatt constantly (see video). He is a fighter and we are hoping he will do well. Looks good so far.
Thanks to everyone for your heartfelt condolensces. It has been a difficult time for us. I am exhausted and hoping to get some good sleep tonight. We will check on Friday and Wyatt in the morning and see how things are going.
Friday looked good physically, but was sad and the barn manager said she was very upset when they took the bodies away. She was eating and quiet when we saw her. I called the vet to let them know what was going on and to get her postpartum check scheduled. I asked if they had heard of any orphan foals. They said that they knew of someone that had an orphan foal they had been feeding since he was born (six days ago).
About an hour later I got a call from the owner of the orphaned foal. He is a local Quarter Horse breeder who had a mare die when the colt was born. The foal was born breech (backwards) and had a lot of trouble. They were not having a lot of success trying to feed him. We knew it was a longshot, but we agreed to meet at the barn and see if Friday would take the foal.
Audrey, Grace, and I went to the barn to get Friday ready. I washed her udder and gave her a nice grooming and treats. I took a towel and got the scent of one of her dead foals on it. When the orphan foal arrived, it was quite an event. There were our barn people and their barn people. Lots of activity.
I held Friday in the corner of her stall so I could intervene if she showed any hostility to the new foal. She heard them bringing in the foal and she went crazy. They put the towel over the foal and carried him in. She nickered and whined and wanted to get right to him. I think she thought that we had finally brought one of her babies back to her. She licked him and kissed him. I was able to let her have her head since she was not acting threatening. The groom that brought in the foal helped him to start nursing and Friday let the orphan colt nurse! A big step.
The colt (boy foal) was weak and stressed, but we decided it was going well and he would stay with Friday. She kissed him and loved on him and became very protective. Our biggest hurdle was that was being bottle fed and did not know how to nurse. I talked to the colt's owner. He was still pretty heartbroken about his mare and the fact that he might lose this colt too. The orphan colt comes from a long line of talented racehorses and his arrival was much anticipated.
Grandma Judy and Dee came and got Audrey and Grace to spend the night with Grandma and Grandpa. To make sure that things went well I stayed with Friday and the orphan colt (we call him Wyatt). At first, we had to stand him up and drag him over to Friday and try and get him to nurse. When he stands up he looks Bambi on ice. Friday was so patient and such a trooper. She never gave up. By 10pm we I had him starting to nurse a bit on his own. I went home for a couple hours of sleep and Brooke, one of the trainers, got up at 1:30 am to help him nurse again. I came in again at 05:00 am. Wyatt was already looking stronger. I helped him stand and pushed him toward Friday and he nursed. Yipee!
By 10:00 am he was standing on his own and nursing. In between nursing he was sleeping. The storm was raging on and he started to shiver, so I put a blanket on him. He had a good day after that. Friday is a fantastic mom, and kisses and licks Wyatt constantly (see video). He is a fighter and we are hoping he will do well. Looks good so far.
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| Wyatt with his blanket on. |
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Wax!!!!!
Friday has finally developed wax on her teats (white dots at openings). This means her milk is "foal ready". This also usually means a baby in 24-48 hours (see photo). Don't worry, Friday is very comfortable with her body and is free and open with her udder, so is okay with me posting the photo.
She is definitely looking good, in fact better than she has in a week. She is affectionate and came right up to us when we climbed into the paddock. The baby has moved to the birth canal so she is not sticking out as much as she was before (note rear view shot). The barn manager is checking her at midnight and 4am, so we hope he catches her in early labor. The girls are sooooo excited. We want to see our new baby!
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| Note the big milk veins. Foals need a lot of milk!! |
She is definitely looking good, in fact better than she has in a week. She is affectionate and came right up to us when we climbed into the paddock. The baby has moved to the birth canal so she is not sticking out as much as she was before (note rear view shot). The barn manager is checking her at midnight and 4am, so we hope he catches her in early labor. The girls are sooooo excited. We want to see our new baby!
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| Health Mom! |
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| Not sticking out so much. |
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
No Baby Yet
We took a video while at the barn the other day. We spend a lot of time spoiling Friday. Maybe that is why she hasn't had the baby. She is a wise old broodmare and figures the baby will get all of the attention once she gives birth. Not a bad strategy, except she looks real miserable at the moment. Walking and eating are both pretty hard for her at the moment.
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Still Waiting
No baby yet. Who knew she get any fatter? Grace sings her a fat song which she seems to enjoy.
She is healthy, other than a bit of swelling on her back legs. She has decided that it is truly possible to stand in one place for up to 12 hours and never move. Our vet decided this was not ideal and now I must walk her a couple of times per day to help reduce the swelling in her legs and to improve her overall circulation. She is not impressed. To alleviate the boredom of this task, I put her on the "hot walker". She pleaded (by neighing and trying to make eye contact) with every trainer, horseman, or family member who walked by. Everyone stopped, laughed, and marveled at her huge size. She was not amused. I haven't put her back on the hotwalker.
We have her stall ready to go with clean straw, her pink bucket, and plenty of hay. Today she has decided she doesn't want any more hay. She only wants hand-fed treats or grain. We may be getting close......
She is healthy, other than a bit of swelling on her back legs. She has decided that it is truly possible to stand in one place for up to 12 hours and never move. Our vet decided this was not ideal and now I must walk her a couple of times per day to help reduce the swelling in her legs and to improve her overall circulation. She is not impressed. To alleviate the boredom of this task, I put her on the "hot walker". She pleaded (by neighing and trying to make eye contact) with every trainer, horseman, or family member who walked by. Everyone stopped, laughed, and marveled at her huge size. She was not amused. I haven't put her back on the hotwalker.
We have her stall ready to go with clean straw, her pink bucket, and plenty of hay. Today she has decided she doesn't want any more hay. She only wants hand-fed treats or grain. We may be getting close......
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Closer!!
We are checking on Friday pretty regularly now (at least once a day). Today she was definitely more tired (still willing to eat treats though). She is relaxing on the back end, her milk bag is bigger, and she is so big she can hardly walk. She just sort of waddles from one area of the paddock to the other.
I braided her tail yesterday, but won't wrap it until she is in active labor. This helps keep her tail hairs cleaner and away from sensitive tissue. She goes into her stall every night and is out all day.
The girls are getting so excited. I am too. I have been madly cleaning the house, sort of a nesting behavior I think.
I braided her tail yesterday, but won't wrap it until she is in active labor. This helps keep her tail hairs cleaner and away from sensitive tissue. She goes into her stall every night and is out all day.
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| Friday enjoying a snack. |
Monday, March 14, 2011
Gettin Close
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| Is that food you are getting? |
She is also shedding her winter coat and I have been dutifully brushing her almost every day. She enjoys being groomed (her one pleasure, besides eating) and nearly falls asleep as I go about my chores. I find it very relaxing to brush her and use that time to work through issues on the job etc. I get so relaxed that I am sure that someday Audrey and Grace will come find Friday and me laying in the paddock side by side, sawing logs....
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| Telling her paddock mate to keep her distance |
It is hard to believe we will have a little foal in the next several weeks. We watch the other mares and foals at the barn playing and I try to picture ours.
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| A new colt. He is too small for his legs! |
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| Valentine and her mom |
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