Monday, February 09, 2009

The Shape of Things to Come


Poor Twiney, me posting photos of her, in her current state. You can almost see the foal moving into position. Can't be too much longer now! At least it sounds as if we're going to have warmish weather all week. Tonight would be good, Twiney. Today was completely messed up so I didn't get any sleep in, which means this coming night could be a long one! Finny did his best to help, but couldn't move the hay off the truck into the shed no matter how much he mustered all his superpowers. ;-)


As I was writing that, I was running upstairs every ten minutes or so to check the barn camera. I had been watching Twine more closely after coming in from the barn after feeding, and was pretty sure it was only a matter of time. It's amazing how quickly things go. I probably checked at 8:30pm and she was quiet; checked again at 8:55 and knew it was game time! Her water had broken and I had just enough time to dash out to the barn (a bit of a challenge because of the ice the warming trend has left us with), grab the tail bandage and wrap her tail, and she was going down. A quick check to make sure the foal's presentation was okay, and it was time for traction! Fifteen minutes later a beautiful bay colt was lying behind his momma wondering exactly what planet he'd arrived on.


I still haven't really slept, so I'm a bit numb right now. There are dogs coming and going today, the requisite vet visits for new baby, and no one to get me out of doing stalls. ;-) So for now, a few photos of the new arrival. Check out that shiny sleek coat of his! I think he may have mistaken our February thaw for Florida!

7 comments:

Kim Ratigan said...

Wonderful!
And with the milder weather coming this week it certainly was perfect timing on Mom's part!
Congrats to all! :-)

(Hey Linda; when a dog gives birth, you're a whelper helper; any kind of cool title for an equine mid-wife?)

Linda Shantz said...

I think 'foaling attendant' is as exciting as it gets! Mom does get big points for picking the warmest night of the winter, esp. seeing as I was out at the barn for seven hours all told!

Jennifer MacNeill said...

Oh my! What a gorgeous colt!! I managed a TB breeding farm for 8 years. Foals are what I miss the most.

JPJ said...

Hi Linda! what a great surprise to see that adorable foal ..... you made my day...Congralations to all ! Now can you get some sleep?
oh yeah....what about a name?
Joan

Linda Shantz said...

Hi Jennifer, Joan! Foals sure bring out all the stress and fun in this game, that's for sure! No name yet - the owners haven't been out to see him yet, and they like to pick the barn names. And yes, I can sleep like a normal person (I hope!) tonight!

Karen Hargett said...

Great pictures! Beautiful colt! Good job mom and you too Linda. Hope you get some sleep tonight.

Pattie Wall said...

Thanks for sharing such a great happening. I follow your blog - and love your horse art - and am excited for you!