4 Mares due April - May

Hoping to have a foal announcement in the morning - good luck and safe foaling.

sending prayers for a safe and easy foaling

No announcements today She is still scratching like crazy and buckling her legs. It's obvious the baby is bother her, so maybe she should just get out, lol. She did have larger udders this morning so I'm hopeful.....

Omg i think we are foaling in rainstorm! Her water leaked. Some but vet said wait 30 min before checking position. Should i wait?

oh what!! wow, no get in there now and check to make sure that everything is ok... minis you have to work real fast as they dnt have much room...

I'm sure everything will go fine, oh how exciting!!

hoping you have a little foal by now!

how did it go Melissa? hoping you have a lovely little baby at foot now safe foaling!

Castle Rock Miniatures said:

You KNOW how I hate this waiting. I'm praying she's just enjoying her new little one, and that everything has turned out perfectly. But, I won't feel good until she posts and tells us. So, still praying............

Click to expand...

me to Diane, me to!! praying for you Melissa!! I'm also praying she is just distracted by her gorgeous new baby playing around... ahhh I hate not knowing.... praying for you Melissa!

Ok sorry so late! I just left a little colt and his mama. Actually he is quite big, 8" cannons. I didn't want to leave till all things were done (nursing, pooping, etc) and will post the whole story and pics tomorrow. Right now it's a couple hours sleep and then back to foal watch for the next mare. Oh, and maybe looking for a new on call vet, too. Thanks everyone, I know the prayers helped!!

oh so glad that you have a new little colt!! YAY! sounds like you had a bit of a rough time with it though... I'm just glad that they are all ok.

look forward to seeing the pics of your new baby, but at the moment rest, you deserve it!!

Congratulations I am so glad all went well. Cassie and Diane well done for being here for Melissa.

Eagle said:

Congratulations

I am so glad all went well. Cassie and Diane well done for being here for Melissa.

Click to expand...

haha wish we were actually able to help. but thank you anyway Renee

how are you and your gorgeous new baby Melissa? I'm guessing your having a good rest which is good! praying baby is ok this morning!!

well I'm headed to bed, hope to see the pics of your gorgeous new baby up on here when I wake up in the morning Melissa! can't wait to see your new little man!

Co.grats! Cant wait for pics and the story.

Ok, it's not a terribly dramatic story, but it really had me worried. I just settled in for another night of foal watch on the cameras with my mare acting fine. Then she decided to roll and she never rolls until late so I was just watching and wondering. Then she rolled again and got up and started eating hay. Since she didn't do anything else I assumed she was just getting the baby in position for another time, and watched her eat. But as the rain storm drew closer and I new I was all alone, I thought I'd just go and check on her in person and see that all was well. When I got out there she was still eating hay and acting fine but she had a puddle behind her. I knew she hadn't gone pee, so I started to worry. I watched her as I started getting all my stuff together and saw that the water was a slow stream. It wasn't a drip, it was definately a stream, just small. So I got my gloves, lubed my hand and figured that I needed to check. I tried but she wouldn't stand still for me. That's when I called the vet. My vet was not on call so I got some lady I had never met. I explained what was going on and she said wait 30 minutes before doing anything. I explained how I thought I should check the position because that could be why the water wasn't coming out completely. She advised me that I should never check the position until I see the white sac. I told her with minis we like to check the position before it's in the birth canal because there's a better chance of fixing any issues in there with more room. She advised me again to under no circumstances check the position until I saw a sack and to give it at least 30 minutes to appear. I knew I didn't agree with her, so I then started asking where she was and if she could come out if I needed her and when I told her where I lived her first response was that "they don't service that area". I thought that was a cruel thing to tell me knowing I might have a mini with an issue. She informed me she was 2 hours away and told me where the closest place was she would go to so I agreed that I could meet her with my trailer if I had to. We hung up, it started pouring down rain, and I started praying all would just work out well because I knew I was all alone, even with no vet for assistance. That's when I put the posts up (I apologize for the typos, I was rushing and looking for advice ) So.....after about 15-20 minutes Charlotte layed down and a bunch more water came out, although it wasn't all of it. I went in and checked and the baby felt in perfect position with two small feet staggered, and then the head, so I backed off and let her do her thing. I was so relieved. But Charlotte still was super uncomfortable, more so than just labor, and kept getting up and down and rolling. By the time she actually stayed on the ground, the baby had moved to where one leg was way in front, the head and then the other leg. I don't know if she shifted things with all the rolling, or why she kept getting up and down in the first place since the baby was in position, but it moved. One time she got up and I was so sure she was going to hurt the baby sticking so far out. I hate when they do that.....anyways, I managed to help her get the baby out in that position. I was so scared because I kept thinking what would I do by myself if this baby got stuck?? He laid behind his mama and no one moved for at least 5 minutes. It ended up taking an hour for him to actually get up, even though he did move around and broke his own cord. He has a lot of leg and I think he just couldn't figure them out. At one point, he was laying on the ground and Charlotte was laying next to him and I wondered if either of them was going to do anything. The colt started shivering, which also looked like convulsing, and since I've never seen that before I called the vet again for a little advice. Since it's warm here in Florida I found it hard to believe he was cold. I had to leave a message but she never called me back . So...he did eventually get up and nursed and seems to be doing quite well. My normal vet was here this morning and took his blood and said IgG was good, which is such a relief. He also apologized for the on call vet's answers and is going to speak to her. I, on the other hand, am trying to find a vet that would like to actually take interest in foaling out these little sweeties. So, that's my long story. Sorry to ramble, I was just so scared and it made me realize first, I am not in control and prayer is amazing, and second, things can go bad so quickly. Thanks for listening, here are pictures. We named him Titus.

glad to hear everything is ok, omg how scary for you!! the time when you really need vet assistance and they dont deliver!! grrr you must have been so scared but sounds like you handled everything VERY VERY well congrats to you!! he is SOOO gorgeous!! I love that pic of him standing over his gorgeous mum!! absoloutly stunning well worth it! I hope they both do well and you dont need to call that nasty lady again!

congrats again he is just stunning!

Wow, look at those legs! Titus a cute name for a big one like that.

So glad things worked out for you, I can only imagine how scary that was!

Castle Rock Miniatures said:

He is just beautiful. I wish I had known you were having such a hard time. I would have happily given you my number -- I've talked many through deliveries, but you did a fine job -- and I'm so glad you didn't pay any attention to that woman. When I saw that Cassie gave you the same information I would have, I just sat back and prayed.

He is just beautiful, and he really does have some l-o-n-g legs on him for sure! Just a beauty!!!!

If you need any help with your other mares, please feel free to call me any time, day or night. My number is 863-990-3210, and I'm always here if anyone every needs any moral support during foaling. "Speaker phones" are wonderful things!

You did great!!!!!! CONGRATULATIONS on a healthy little boy!!!!!

Click to expand...

That is so nice of you to give me your number. My next mare is the smallest of the four at 30" and I just may take you up on that offer if something happens. I hate to bother people and ask for favors, but I may be desperate......

griggsmel said:

That is so nice of you to give me your number. My next mare is the smallest of the four at 30" and I just may take you up on that offer if something happens. I hate to bother people and ask for favors, but I may be desperate......

Click to expand...

please take Diane up on her offer, she has a wealth of knowledge and has helped many of us out already (secretly I think she loves it hehe but shh dont tell her LOL)

I so hope your little girl foals nice and easy for you! you deserve it!!

how close are your other three? can we see some more piccies of Titus please?

Wow not an easy foaling to be hit with! Sounds like you handled yourself really well though so congrats for that.

I'll second Cassie's "never worry about contacting Diane" she's a champ But don't tell her I said nice things about her or she might get a big head

I give all my foals a quick rub down while their mum recovers, I find it great for jump starting those little bodies and lets face it we all want an excuse to touch these babies I always use a clean towel so no other smells to upset mum.

With my problem filly we also milked some colostrum from her mother and syringed it into her, it's a great idea for any trouble births because it gets that important stuff right into bubs without as much effort as getting up and working out how to feed.

I am so sorry you had such a scary time but so glad to here that momma and baby are doing well. You did a great job and managed well. Your colt is just beautiful and he is a big boy! Can not wait to see more pictures of him! I pray that your other girls have a safe and uneventful foalings!