4 years ago today..

I helped a little baby foal come into the world!

My friends mare was "expecting" and I had a feeling she would have her foal that night (we checked ph of the milk). So my friend decided to take a riding student out on the trail (on her other horses) for a couple of hours before we would start "foal watch".

It was in the afternoon while I was brushing my mare that I noticed my friends mare laying down. She did that every so often to nap. She got up again and then laid down again right away. Uhoh... So I ran over there and sure enough, she was in labor. Of course my friend didn't tell me where she put her "foaling kit". I called her to get her behind back to the barn, while I ran around trying to find everything. Her mare kept getting up and laying back down and l started to get worried. With horses, you really want that foal out within 20 minutes of labor starting, or there could be trouble. I knew how much my friend had been looking forward to that foal.

So I went in and began pulling the foal out with the contractions. Thankfully she was in the right position, just HUGE. It was very difficult and I think I pulled a few muscles, but finally little "Chic" entered the world. I was able to make a couple of quick pictures for my friend who had been looking forward to this moment for so long. And was now missing it...

Right after Chic was born my friend came galloping back to the barn.

This little filly grew up to be such a good horse, too. She was really well behaved and never caused much of a fuss. Was easy to break, too! A year ago my friend moved to Colorado with her horses and I miss little Chic, my "god child filly" :)

Happy 4th birthday, Chic :)

http://photos.imageevent.com/morgens...66005067_o.jpg


same night, look how big she was...

http://photos.imageevent.com/morgens...44242177_o.jpg


with her proud owner

http://photos.imageevent.com/morgens...41186235_o.jpg


finally resting

http://photos.imageevent.com/morgens...44419203_o.jpg


next morning

http://photos.imageevent.com/morgens...53206180_o.jpg


a couple days later, running like the wind...

http://photos.imageevent.com/morgens...36385580_o.jpg


And Chic last winter in Colorado..

http://photos.imageevent.com/morgens...40012596_n.jpg

Just wonderful. Thank you for sharing.

You just made my day. :)

Such a beautiful horse!

Can I just say....AWESOME!!!!!

What a beautiful horse! How amazing to help bring a new life into the world [emoji4]


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Originally Posted by EmilyandArlo

What a beautiful horse! How amazing to help bring a new life into the world [emoji4]


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It was pretty amazing!! It was kind of funny, too. My poor friend had been waiting and preparing, reading books, getting excited and then she missed it..

Mares don't really have a "due date". There is a "probably" date, but that is just the middle of a estimated range. Pregnancy can be anything between 330 to 410 days long. There are some "signs", the way the belly looks, the bag, the milk, etc. Testing the milks ph is a pretty good indicator and that day it was low, and we thought, that night would be the night. They usually prefer to foal at night, when all is "quiet".

Never thought she would just lay down in the middle of the afternoon to try to have that baby. So my poor friend missed it. And I couldn't wait any longer on the mare to get it done, because we were past 20 minutes at that point with the head and upper legs out and nothing else progressing. It was VERY difficult to pull the baby out, but I didn't want to call for help. There were people all around, even a riding lesson going on, but no-body noticed us on the ground in the paddock, LOL. I didn't want to call out for help, because EVERYBODY would have come running and the mare was nervous enough, I didn't want her to get up again as she had been doing.

Chic was also incredibly long, so by the time I had her body pulled out I was on my knees but leaned back flat on my back with the baby on top of me ;) I left the baby's back legs still in the mare, because the blood still pulses in the cord from mare to foal for a few minutes and shouldn't get broken. Just cleaned her face and cleared her nostrils. Right after I took that picture my friend came galloping into the barn like the calvary has arrived. It spooked most horses incl. her mare who jumped up. Oops. Thankfully she didn't step on the baby, but the cord was then broken ;)

It was an all around incredible, funny, scary and amzing day. There is something about them looking at you when they take that first breath, and foals are just incredible. Once she was unfolded, it seems impossible they fit into the mare. They are so long legged, lol.

I experienced her growing up and growing into a sweet little lady. She was well behaved (my friend trains horses) and she has a great temperament and personality. Poor baby knocked 2 of her front teeth out when she was 6 month old. Making her a "Alabama" girl, hahahaha. She was also scared of thunder and liked to be comforted during storms..

Here is my mare watching the new foal trying to get up. She was a brood mare and loves babies..

http://photos.imageevent.com/morgens...56218595_o.jpg

How beautiful.


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