Foals 2011

[triplev123]

PS. The old bag is still hangin' on. Hopefully today...tonight.

[triplev123]

...and Sunday night it was.
An American Ideal colt. Delivered him too so I'm already a bit more attached to him than most of the others.
Tall, long bodied, well conformed front and back, long legs, he's a really classy foal. Dark brown, has a head like his sire including a big star. His stable name is 'Justin' after Justin Bieber.
First time for the mare to a Western Hanover / Western Ideal line sire. Am VERY pleased. My brother is very happy too. He has always had a great deal of faith in this colt's sire (below) and he stuck to his guns to serve this mare. Couldn't have asked for a better result.

[justdoit]

Congratulations to you TripleV123 and family.
Great result.

[Don Corleone]

Well done to you all. Good stuff.

[Flashing Red]

Woohoo!

Don't think any of ours are due until November :'( 1 Art Major, 1 American Ideal, 1 Sir Galvinator (had 1 to Flashing Red but the mare died of colic a couple of months ago).

[triplev123]

G'day Troops & thanks to you all.
Now it's a few days down the track and I've been able to compose myself enough so...I got the fright of my life, my blood rang cold, when I went around to her back end and all that I saw was 1 leg sticking out up to the knee...and nothing else.
I got down on the ground and put my arm in up to the elbow, waited for the contraction to stop and pushed the foal back just a little piece, fished around a bit & located what I thought was the offside front (thankfully it was) so then I flipped it forward from the knee then from the fetlock & it went into line with the nearside front then I got the head back into the right position & it appeared as expected. Our friend Anne cleared the foal's nose/face of the bag etc. & with the next contraction I pulled down towards the mare's heels...& bugger me, out he came. It all happened so fast, it was over in a matter of minutes, I was on auto-pilot & did what I thought had to be done at the time, thankfully it was the right thing. It wasn't until about 6 or 7 hrs later when all was fine and dandy and I was driving back home that it really dawned on me as to how close we had come to a real mess...and that's when the wheels fell off.
You see, last year our mares knocked them all out like a Gum Ball machine dispenses chewing gum and it's easy to get to thinking all's rosey & it will always be so. This year, a nice old reality check, 1st cab off the rank was all my nightmares in one go. Everything I had dreaded was there. Leg back, head coming 3/4's on etc. I was very proud that I was able to fix it but it wasn't an experience that I'd like to repeat any time soon, if ever. That being said, having faced it and got it squared away, I'm a more confident foal watcher than I was Sunday night at about 10:59, a minute or so before the foaling alarm went off. You've got to be there when they foal, I can't understand anyone letting them foal alone by choice. We've had mares go early & totally unexpectedly/without any warning, I'm sure everyone has, it happens despite the best planning...but being there's a must if you possibly can. We'd have lost the mare & her foal for sure & it would have been for something that was, perhaps not easily but at least able to be corrected relatively quickly. Instead, we've got a lovely foal and a healthy mare and that makes all of the hopeful wandering around in the dark with a torch worth while.

[justdoit]

Awesome work TripleV123,
This time of year really scares me, any unassisted foalings should not happen and anyone that has a foal born in this way are just lucky if it goes well.

[Flashing Red]

Don't get me started on unassisted foalings.... some people do not seem to place the same importance on it as me.

[Flashing Red]

G'day Troops & thanks to you all.
Now it's a few days down the track and I've been able to compose myself enough so...I got the fright of my life, my blood rang cold, when I went around to her back end and all that I saw was 1 leg sticking out up to the knee...and nothing else.
I got down on the ground and put my arm in up to the elbow, waited for the contraction to stop and pushed the foal back just a little piece, fished around a bit & located what I thought was the offside front (thankfully it was) so then I flipped it forward from the knee then from the fetlock & it went into line with the nearside front then I got the head back into the right position & it appeared as expected. Our friend Anne cleared the foal's nose/face of the bag etc. & with the next contraction I pulled down towards the mare's heels...& bugger me, out he came. It all happened so fast, it was over in a matter of minutes, I was on auto-pilot & did what I thought had to be done at the time, thankfully it was the right thing. It wasn't until about 6 or 7 hrs later when all was fine and dandy and I was driving back home that it really dawned on me as to how close we had come to a real mess...and that's when the wheels fell off.
You see, last year our mares knocked them all out like a Gum Ball machine dispenses chewing gum and it's easy to get to thinking all's rosey & it will always be so. This year, a nice old reality check, 1st cab off the rank was all my nightmares in one go. Everything I had dreaded was there. Leg back, head coming 3/4's on etc. I was very proud that I was able to fix it but it wasn't an experience that I'd like to repeat any time soon, if ever. That being said, having faced it and got it squared away, I'm a more confident foal watcher than I was Sunday night at about 10:59, a minute or so before the foaling alarm went off. You've got to be there when they foal, I can't understand anyone letting them foal alone by choice. We've had mares go early & totally unexpectedly/without any warning, I'm sure everyone has, it happens despite the best planning...but being there's a must if you possibly can. We'd have lost the mare & her foal for sure & it would have been for something that was, perhaps not easily but at least able to be corrected relatively quickly. Instead, we've got a lovely foal and a healthy mare and that makes all of the hopeful wandering around in the dark with a torch worth while.

And well done, give yourself a pat on the back I could never do something like that (don't know enough about foaling myself).

[triplev123]

Nah, I'm sure you could do it Flashing, anyone could if they were faced with that same situation. You just take a breath and do what you have to do at the time & worry about what might have happened later. That's the first time I've ever had to actively assist a mare in any meaningful way. Never has to go reaching around before. I just tried to visualise what the situation might look like inside there and then did it. Btw, the foal's a bellringer. I'll post some photos when they come through.