December photos/Equine Affaire: On Target Miniature 2012 foals

maybe she wants a new bucket, perhaps she wants a pink one?

It is no problem to have your girls up when I am here, it is good to get to know their routines that way I can notice if anything looks off.

P.S I do professional translations so I am not actually watching the girls I am working

(Just in case hubby reads this post )

2.30 am Sox is down sternal, Mira is hungry and Toffee is outside as usual

4.00am and all three girls are in, sox and toffee are standing and Mira is down sternal

6.15am then sun is up and the girls are out

LOL - thanks for the update. Actually I was up and watching some myself and saw all 3 in the stall. BTW, Mira is ALWAYS hungry, even right after her 3 hour ordeal in the hospital I mentioned above. Right after they got the foal out she started to paw and the vets were all in a panic that she might be colicking. I said I thought she was hungry, and sure enough, they put a pile of hay down and she immediately dug in!

Yes, as soon as the sun comes up they all go outside and stand in a favorite spot of sun.

Here is what the mares were doing today when they weren't in the stall:

http://s84.photobucket.com/albums/k29/targetsmom/?action=view&current=Pregnantmares.mp4

Now these mares are all between 270 and 307 days pregnant as of today! Sorry they are so small in this short video but I had no idea what to expect! Certainly not this much bucking. The video missed Sox putting on quite a bronco show too.

at 2.50am and three girls were standing quietly resting now at 3.00am Mira and Sox are standing quietly and Toffee has gone outside for an adventure cos sleeping is boring

Mira laid down and Sox resting in the corner and Toffee I am guessing is on guard outside 5.12am

Well Diane, maid service arrives every day, but not always the same time or person! This is pre-vet student Stephanie, who does most of the "maid service" but Becky is home from college for 2 weeks, so you can see her in there too. And of course, there is me. None of us leaves chocolate - we save that for ourselves - but we have started to bring them Frosted Mini Wheats (what else??) which even Toffee will eat out of my hand.

Speaking of milk, I checked udders this morning (and took pics which I plan to post later) and it looks like they are all in the early stages of a neck and neck (or is that udder and udder) race. I hope they separate themselves out eventually, but we can handle this. My worst fear is that one will require a trip to the hospital while another one is close to foaling, but we are even making plans for that.

I so appreciate all the eyes!!!!

Did anyone happen to see Mira's lovely bow (stretch) at feeding time this morning? It almost seemed like she knew she was on camera! Of course she couldn't get all the way down, with her big belly in the way...

3.10am Toffee and Mira are scratching each other, they look so cute

Hmmm, maybe it is just as interesting to watch 3 mares in a stall who aren't that close to foaling as it is to watch ONE that is overdue and not doing anything!! (From someone who has been watching Jewels @ Pacific Pintos for days). Anyway, I do appreciate the eyes! I updated the title to show Toffee is now at 310 days: Mira is about 290 days and Sox is 10 days behind her. Here are udder pics from yesterday. I realize that if the angle of the photo is not the same each day they are harder to compare - especially if nothing much is happening! But they do all look about the same to me, and they have all changed a bit since I started checking.

Toffee on 3/12:



Mira on 3/12:



Sox on 3/12:



They have been out on "pasture" this morning and just came in for lunch a little while ago. Time to turn the fan on. I think they are spoiled enough without the chocolates on the pillows!!

I have you girls up all night, I don't post that much cos I flick though the cams checking the girls are all well. As they get closer it is more important to post what they are up to.

I am bad about not replying on each thread but I watch and check in on all of the cams here on LB. I can't have them all up at one time on my macbook because I can't resize each page so I have to flick through them (such a pain.. if anyone knows how to resize webpages on a mac please tell me!)

I was upset earlier this week with the number of mares on MS and I felt like not many if any watched mine- who was progressing fast and making me super nervous I was sure to miss her at night. The ladies on this forum are WONDERFUL and made me feel so much better. There is A LOT of action on some threads on MS and not much on others. Can't help but be nervous when you don't hear much on there but thank goodness for LB!!

I have looked several times for your thread on MS.. do you have one? Maybe I am just blind and keep missing it! My mind shoots in every direction at times these days!

I like to take photos from under the belly and behind now and it is so much easier for me to track progress. I have to put pictures side by side lots of times to realize a good change! I post pics every time I see changes too to keep my threads up to date.

Our mares due dates are close.. good luck again with them all!

I totally agree that it is not important for you watchers to post all the time!!! But I will try to keep updates on here so you will know when or what to watch for Plus our 4-H Club is using this thread to get updates. I was taking photos from under the belly so maybe I will get back to that. I think the main thing is for the mares to start making udder changes!

I have not started a post on the Mare Stare Message Board and I don't think anyone else has either. Thank you for the reminder!!! I don't think many people watch there until there is a post on the message board and that it says the mare is getting close. When our mare foaled last year at 299 days on Mare Stare and the foal didn't get out of the sac, NO ONE CALLED. I really don't think a phone call would have helped, as I am sure it as Rhino, but now you know why I am so thrilled to know you all are watching!!!

I will start watching your mare Megan.

Mary, from your pictures I agree that all your girls look as though they are at the same 'stage'! Are you sure that they are actually that far apart date wise? Silly question, of course you are LOL!! But they really do look as through they will all be foaling at the same time!

I'm not clever enough to have everyone's cams up at once on my laptop - I'm too old to be techno literate - but I do have all I can on my favourites list and when I have the time to watch I flick from one to another trying to keep watch - doesn't give much time for posting though!

Megan I dont do the Marestare Chat Board either - not enough free time - but rest assured that although I dont post that much, Laney is on my 'specials' list and checked evertime I open my laptop.

Anna- They were all hand bred and dates were carefully recorded and my due dates use the last breeding date. HOWEVER, last summer the mares tended to have long heat cycles, so if some ovulated before their "last breeding date" then that could explain it. Or, just the fact that Sox foaled at 299 days last year and Mira had Max at 303 days gestation could explain it. I don't have much info on Toffee and since she was on fescue before her last foal I don't know how useful it would be. We do have 3 foaling stalls for them, 2 transmitters and one buzzer, and even one extra camera, so we can do this!!! Our plan is to move the CAMERA as needed and put the mares where they will be most comfy. Well, actually, we picked the stalls based on our previous luck: Mira will go into the stall where she had Max and Sox will go into the stall where she had Rusty. Which of course will involve some rearranging of the horses currently living there. So we could even be moving the cam before anyone foals if Mira or Sox look to go first!! Stay tuned.

Actually, they are mad at me today because I closed the gate to the lower pasture so I could ground drive Dancer in it. Plus I want them to start staying closer to the house where we can see them. But they let me know they are NOT happy about the gate being closed.

Mary, I love it when Toffee gets irritated with something, like closing a gate she thinks should be open. She trots passed, wagging her head with that attitude. Cracks me up!

You forgot "gorgeous trot floating over the ground". But Mira screams....she has the MOST attitude and personality of anyone and expresses it so well. She and Sox can still do really nice high bucks too, even as pregnant as they are. I love these girls!

2:45 AM and all 3 are in the stall.

I will tell Stephanie - thanks! And the mares are in the lower pasture today. Farrier just left and it turned cold again so not sure I will ground drive today.

Toffee's udder is making tiny changes, filling up a bit each day. Kind of like watching paint dry...

Ladies are chowing down with Mira just inside the door