I have been impatiently waiting for my Tiny Watch mare to foal. It was stressful because the temps were reasonable, but steadily rising and lord knows it doesn't take much to do a newborn foal in. I thought I had everything pretty well set up for Scamper. She's not a particularly easy mare to do things with. She is extremely buddy sour and does not handle change well if she doesn't have a buddy horse right there with her. Knowing how she is, I kept her and Beretta together all of this time. Thinking that since both of them were going to have foals, they would get along and yet not bother each other. It worked out well, as far as feeding and leaving each other alone. Sneaky (Beretta's foal) was a bit of a problem though. He was determined to be buddies with Scamper and she was having none of it. The older he got, and the more insistent he became about hovering around Scamper, the more I wondered if he was going to be a problem when she did foal. I did try moving Scamper to the round pen prior to her foaling, but she was making such a fuss, I quickly put her back in with B and Sneaky. I wasn't willing to risk her making herself so upset that she foaled prematurely. Stupid mare!!
As Scamper's due date came and went...and the days passed...and the temperatures got warmer...I began to make arrangements to take Scamper to a breeding facility to foal out. As luck would have it, we got several days of very moderate temperatures, so I pushed moving her back a little bit. I knew she was close to foaling and I figured if she would just foal during that cool spell and all went well, that everything would be fine by the time the heat came back. I mean, I do have a shade for the mares and misters set up, so it's not like they HAVE to stand out in the blazing sun.
On Sunday night, I knew Scamper was ready to foal. She didn't wax up, but all other signs indicated she was going to foal in the next 12 hours or so. I was up and down all night checking her. Nothing!! I knew at that point that I just needed to move her to the breeding facility to foal because the temps were going to rise rapidly over the next few days. At daylight I saddled up a couple of horses and went for a ride in the desert, planning on texting the facility owner when I got back and moving Scamper to her place before it got hot.
When I got back, I noticed Scamper standing off by herself, but nothing seemed unusual, so I just rode straight to the trailer and began unsaddling horses. I always throw everyone a flake of hay first thing in the morning, but don't really do chores until I get back from my first ride of the day. It just helps keep the flow going in the morning and I can get more horses worked that way.
As I was gathering up a wheelbarrow full of hay to put out, I noticed that Scamper was now standing up in a corner of her pen that the horses don't normally stand in. I watched a little bit and she seemed like she was acting funny. I thought...Oh, sure, NOW you are going to foal?
I walked over to the mare's pen and as I was going through the gate, I saw extra legs on the other side of Scamper. Well, that sneaky rip!! She waited until I rode out the gate to lay down and have her baby. Neither Beretta or Sneaky were bothering Scamper, until I went in to check things out. It was like giving them the greenlight. Both Sneaky and Beretta converged on Scamper and her new foal and the ruckus went into full swing. Scamper went after Sneaky and Beretta just swooped in and got between her and the baby. The baby latched onto Beretta's side and B just walked off with it. Before I knew it, everyone was a swirling mess and Scamper was loosing her marbles. Beretta wasn't deliberately trying to take Scamper's baby, but Scamper go so frantic she was freaking everyone else out...baby included.
I finally managed to get in there and get B caught, choused Sneaky off and Scamper was reunited with her foal and away she went with him.
Yes!! Another HIM. My 5 year colt streak is still intact. LOL. I guess the breeding gods has decided no fillies for me!! Hahahahaha....Well, I got news for the breeding gods...I WANTED a colt this time!! So Hah! And if all they are going to give me is colts...Then that must mean I am going into the stallion raising business. Double Hah!!
Well, after that, Scamper just wasn't settling down, so I finally had to move her and her handsome, little man to the round pen....
This is Rock!! By First Prize Stone, out of Watch That Scamper. And he is going to be my very first race horse!!
Well, things were still pretty stressful for the next 24 hours for lil Rock and he ended up having to go stay at the hospital for a couple of days. His breathing was very loud and he seemed a bit dehydrated. I wasn't sure if Scamper was milking or not. I mean, I know that she had a full bag before foaling and the foal nursed well the first day, but by the evening of the 2nd day, I wasn't getting any milk out of her and Rock seemed very hungry, so off to the vet's he went. I was taking no chances with this.
Rock responded to the fluids and being in a climate controlled environment almost immediately, but it took another day for his breathing to become normal. X-rays of his chest did show some inflammation in one of his lungs, so I suspect that by prompt action, I headed off a serious case of pneumonia (probably from the dust he inhaled when all hell was breaking loose immediately after his birth). He was given some antibiotics and released.
I took the pair straight to the breeding facility, where they are in a fully covered barn, with misters to help keep the temps bearable. Scamper has finally settled down and lil Rock is doing fantastic...
I am just so tickled with this little guy. He is just gorgeous!! Everything I hoped for when I crossed his parents. It's going to be very exciting to watch him grow up.
So while all of that was going on, I was also trying to get these assembled...
Covers for my 6 stalls. They are all up and have misters installed in them now as well. Just in time for the arrival of...HELL!!! Hahahaha
I won't be doing much riding over the next week or so. The temps are just too outrageous. The horses are getting lots of baths and I want to start taking them over to the lake in the mornings for some swimming and water therapy.
5 comments:
His name is "Twizzle Stix"
You can try and call him Rock all you want...but he is and always will be Twizzle Stix.
You are welcome.
Ahahahahaha!
Hahahahahaha!!!
That's one heck of an introduction into the world! He is one heck of a colt though.
So you are going to send him to the track? That's pretty exciting, it will be fun to watch his career.
Yes, I have every intention of sending him to the track. :-D. He'll go to his sire's owner/trainer. Obviously he's familiar with training/racing them, plus, he kind of endeared himself to me by complimenting Scamper on what a nice made mare she was and how phenomenal her pedigree was. Not everybody sees the qualities of this mare, which doesn't make me 2nd guess myself with her, but I do feel kind of bad for her that all people seem to see is her plain head and long back.
What a day. So excited for you and him, will be so fun to see him grow up. And you got what you wanted this time!!
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