How to get a 4th of July foal....

[Minimor]

Timie's Wonder Babe, who gave us our lovely Serenade last fall, wasn't due to foal this year until early August. We knew she wasn't going to wait that long, and had her figured to foal within the next two weeks. Since she got moved to the back paddock earlier in the summer she doesn't want anything to do with me walking up & copping a feel of her bag. Heck, she doesn't even want me LOOKING. If I go out with the halter she's fine, but to just walk up to her to look, nope. I've been spraying the horses for mosquitoes every night, so I catch her for that & check her then. Last night she seemed to have a ways to go yet.

Tonight about 6 I went out to have a look at all the foals & as I walked by Timie I was trying to sneak a peak--thought her bag looked a little fuller but not 'ready', she had her tail up some and her vulva looked TIGHT. Hindquarters weren't really loose last night, didn't look any different at 6 tonight. I thought well, I'll have a closer look later when I catch her.

Went in for supper, dawdled around cuz I didn't feel like going out & doing chores in all the mud we've got here. Got back out about 8:30, cleaned a couple sheds--saw Sherry (Timie's companion) go hiking into the shed, looking quite keen but I paid no attention to her. Got some hay to take to the 3 fillies in the front corral and happened to glance out to the back again. There was Timie, just outside the shed, with.....some little 4 legged creature that shouldn't have been there.

Ooops, I dropped the hay & dashed off to the house to tell Mom we have a slight problem... Timie had foaled in the shed, which isn't especially dry (nothing in southern Manitoba is especially dry these days) so I iodined the foal's navel (which didn't look like he'd gotten it in the muck in the process of getting to his feet, thank goodness) and traded horses around so that Timie & the baby could be in a bigger shed--which is drier. Unfortunately that corral is more muddy than the one she was in, but for now they are shut in their shed. Baby was only at 297 days, which is earlier than I like to see them born....had I known she was going to foal that early I'd have been worrying.

As it is, the foal seems very strong for being so early. His front legs splay out a bit from the knees but really not too bad & I'm quite confident they will straighten up just fine in a few days. We'll keep him out of the mud for a day or two--it is drying up again so if it doesn't rain now for a few days the footing will be pretty good by mid week.

Yes, this one is a colt--I'd been kind of thinking it would be and actually sort of wanted a colt off this cross this time around. We were hoping this foal would be a match for Serenade, a nice bright silver bay. Silver bay mom, silver dapple dad (JEM Ice Man) and this colt comes out BLACK. At least I think it's black, not bay (definitely no silver on this one!)--he was still too wet to tell while we had daylight, and by the time he was dried off, it was too dark to tell. Under artificial light he looks like a smutty buckskin, but that's impossible--I can see definite black points, lighter body, dorsal stripe, but the body color is very golden, not red at all. I still think black. We'll see better tomorrow.

I think his name might be Cedar Plains American Patriot, but that's not final yet.

I'll try & get some pictures after work tomorrow.

 

[REO]

She was determined to be sneaky!

I'm so glad he was born safely!

We've had foals born fine early like that. I'm glad your boy is fine!

I wanna see a pic!

Congrats!!

 

[ChrystalPaths]

Congratulations! She decided to be an independent momma!

 

[FFFoxyGal]

Hi,..I just had to jump on here and say congrats to you,......YAYYYYYY!

 

[kaykay]

congratulations!! okay where are my foals??? i was so convinced id have one on the 4th. we need pics minmor!!

 

[Rachel]

Congratulations on your 4th of July baby! Will be waiting for pics....

 

[Hosscrazy]

Congrats on your new little one! Can't wait to see pictures!!!

 

[Mona]

Congratulations on another colt. So glad all was well with his unexpected arrival!