countdown to Fantasy's foal

[fantasykiger]

Just 1month and 9days left until her due date
I went out and got some pictures of her today. She has yet to start and bag up, I suspect alot of changes should happen starting next month if not then she will mosty likely carry into April. Fantasy's last breed date was April 20th of 2007, so we pretty much figured she should deliver anytime from March 31st to April 20th.
Fantasy front

side profile


Fantasy was bred to the Fournier's Jack called Boomer, it is not the best picture of this sweet Mammoth Jack but you get an idea of his coloring. Not to mention his big beautiful ears ;D

[JoanMRK]

Yea! Can't wait Tiffany! ;D

[nrly]

wow long ears is correct, now do you think she will have some of his coloring or all of mama's.

[fantasykiger]

I have my fingers crossed for a dun. Matt (the owner of Boomer) bets the foal will be black. I have seen some of Boomers mule foals and from a chestnut mare resulted a bay mule, from a palomino mare a dun mule. I was told a very loud dun factor mule foal was born from a dun Kiger mare sadly the foal passed away. A black donkey was born from a spotted grey jenny. From a homozygous TWH black and white mare was a black mule with high white legs. So what will Fantasy have ? will be a surprise and there is always the 50% chance it will be gray in the end.

[nrly]

well no matter the color, as long as momma and baby are healthy and fine that is all that matters. can't wait to see the pictures of the new arrival when it comes.

[JoanMRK]

Hmmm... I always heard that the mule foal takes after it's mama's coloring. It's interesting to hear all the variations that Boomer has sired by different colored mares. Learn something new every day! ;D

I'm guessing black fading to gray.

[fantasykiger]

Fantasy got her first bath as the sun was shining and it finally got a bit warm. She is shedding like crazy a good sign but still her udder has yet to show any signs of change. I am VERY excited, I must keep myself occupied lest I will go nutz with anticipation...LOL. Fantasy is already annoyed with all the poking and prodding of her belly to feel the mules movement. She does however greatly appreciate grooming sessions to remove her ever shedding coat. It is evident just at a glance at my pasture every place she has rolled or slept by the piles of white hair...LOL.

[JoanMRK]

Oh yes, all of my girls, while prego would love a good groom and bath. Belle was very prego w/ Lucy (had her the next day) and it was a hot May. She looked miserable out there so I went and just turned the hose on her and after a little bit I took the lead rope off her halter and she literally turned for me to where she wanted to be cool! She would start on her side then her butt then her front and then her other side. Once she was cool enough she walked off and started eating again! LOL These funny mares are great when they're prego... I always got a kick out of mine. ;D

[Michelle Clarke]

Funny Joan! I love the prego mares too! They know they are spoiled and enjoy every minute of it. Ours always enjoy a "beauty day" when they are getting close to foaling...

Right now they are still back on the 75 acres and it has been very warm here lately...every night at dinner time they just KNOW it is time to come up by the barn and start getting spoiled!

[fantasykiger]

Oh my gal is getting big, I got some new pictures today to show of her belly We started rearranging panels in the barn as well, so it will be ready when she is to start spending
her nights in there.

you can really see her sticking out on both sides with a hind view....

and WOOHOO ;D finally some change in her udder, means we are on the right track

Still I think she will wait until the end of the month or first week of April. I won't bring her in for the night until she starts to wax up or drip milk. Last time she dripped milk for 2 weeks before she gave birth. But her dam Salsa taught me each foal is individual so don't think each birth will be exactly the same as the last.

[fantasykiger]

Fantasy is coming along great she just keeps getting all around bigger. Her disposition towards me has taken a turn from grumpy mare to absolute love. She follows me around and does not seem to mind all the fussing I do at grooming time everyday. I took pictures before grooming time so you can see the suttle signs on her white coat as to what she has been up too. She is dirty, she has been rolling, you can see where she has been biting at her sides. The rubber band has moved down on her tail braid for she has been doing alot of tail swishing, from warning other horses they are to close to her. I brush her everyday and rebraid her tail, as I am trying to keep it clean.
She has moved into her foaling stall every night now and waits every evening by the gate to go in. I started putting her in when I noticed she was distancing herself from the herd more.
new pics'...

[Michelle Clarke]

Fantasy is looking very "motherly"!! Can't wait for the long ear to appear!

[lindad]

My mare never did wax up or drip milk and wasn't even bagged up 10 hours before delivery! Her utter never went down completely after nursing Bolero. Her teats were not prominent or full, but her utter was getting larger but nothing like the fullness of bagging, waxing and dripping I had observed on my previous mare days prior to delivery. Spring was not due for 2 weeks. She had been pushing her butt against the barn that day to relieve pressure, and didn't want to be bothered so I was watching and expected to see changes in her utter. At 10:00 PM she was not bagging up at all, still no wax or milk, teats were soft and empty, no protrusion. We had a big storm that night, and my husband was the first to go to the barn in the morning, and there was a just born filly still in the sack. The transformation to Spring's utter over night was truely miraculous. It was huge and squirting! My vet said that the pressure changes from the storm likely triggered the early delivery. Good thing because Chica was a large foal. So if storms are on the horizon, be prepared, you just might be surprised.
Linda D

[fantasykiger]

I don't know that Fantasy will be the same with this foal as she was with her first. She dripped milk for 2 weeks before she delivered Wickee, had me so worried I called the vet. Of course she delivered the that night after he saw her. I always joked she was waiting on doctors orders to give birth. All I can do is wait and watch, I was there for her first foal I can only hope I will catch her having this foal as well. I do have a camera and she is monitored from the house at night.

[fantasykiger]

A crazy thing happened today for the first time EVER my 11yr old mare Fantasy who is in her 11th month of pregnancy and is a tad bit on the grumpy side, for the first time ever in her life went after her own 26 yr old dam. She had her dam cornered and bit her when I caught a glimpse of the action, when I was at the barn. She had spun around and was about to kick her dam, who was blocked in a corner by a tree, when I hollered out her name and that stopped her and made her move off. That gave her dam the chance to get out of the corner.
Fantasy has never acted aggressively towards her dam in all her years that she has lived with her and this is Fantasy's second pregnancy. Fantasy is stalled at night in the foaling stall but placed back out in the herd during the day where she has commenced these past few days in to terrorizing everyone. Very few have escaped being marked by her with a chunk of hair missing from their bum.
I imagine it is for the best, for when I move her and foal out into the herd eventually the herd will need to fear Fantasy so she can better protect the foal and relax knowing the other mares in the herd will move away. But I tell you it was so odd to see her go after her own dam. All signs we are getting closer to foaling with every passing day