RB Foals...4 Colts!!!

[Michelle Clarke]

Oh you!!! The next mare due is Mari and she is bred to Hawk - will be his one and only foal. I've picked out Gavilan for a boy and Bahari for a girl - both meaning sparrow hawk!!!

[zhiaral]

See, I knew you had excellent taste in names! Now the foal simply must be a boy, and I'll get to admire Gavilan without having to wait until I find one of my own!

[Michelle Clarke]

So... Mari came in and her udders did not go down during the day. Baby was still not turned so I took her out to the hillside and stood her with her front feet lower so the baby could slip further back in and reposition. Wanted to trot her some but Zerlina was all in our business and got everyone else whipped up...so much for that.

However, when I brought her back in, the baby had moved for the better and she actually had either a bit of wax of a drop of milk on one teat. Please Mari....!!!!! It's about time we had that baby!

[zhiaral]

I hadn't read that - about standing them head-downhill to get a foal positioned better prior to labor. Thank you for the educational information! I had read about standing them head-up on a steep slope if they were having trouble during labor, to let gravity help out, and also that doing that requires somebody to catch the foal as it comes out and keep it from falling to the ground or breaking the umbilical.

[Michelle Clarke]

Mari just had a huge colt! Facebook page has a quick pic

[zhiaral]

Welcome, Gavilan!

[gotkiger]

Congrats. I am sure he is going to be a beautiful boy and he and Vegas will have lots of fun together. Congrats on yet another boy

[Michelle Clarke]

[kigerfan]

my goodness, he is a good size isn't he! Well, looks like Vegas will have a good playmate

[zhiaral]

That's a big boy. Mari must be very relieved!

[Michelle Clarke]

A few more of Vegas from yesterday...

[DianneC]

yeah, happy and healthy! Wonderful Spring with new babies.

[zhiaral]

Such a handsome pair. Is it just the pictures, or is Gavilan as staid as Vegas is adventurous?

[gotkiger]

I think of troy when I see little g boy

[Michelle Clarke]

Gavilan is kind of a serious fellow; although, he is working out his bowels right now. Last night before he even was up, he was straining to poop - making his umbilical bleed a lot. I gave him an enema and that helped but I could tell today he was still uncomfortable. I gave him another one, let him rest, then we went for a walk. That seemed to help and hopefully he will get better sleeps in. His resp. is still high but I keep forgetting he is not even 24 hours old yet!

Vegas is bouncing around and ready for action! Dr. Mary was out today working on everyone. She said Vegas had some pretty good atlas stress, so most likely had a big headache - that is why he is hyper-active. She also got his sacrum in better shape - yeah, so now he has figured out rearing and kicking!! Got some good work on Mari but she was being shy about her colt so we did not stress anyone by trying to work on him. Dr. Mary wants to come out this weekend and try again, so hopefully we can check him out for any structural stress - which I am sure he has after being shoved in that small space for so long!

Hopefully I can get a rest to do some other things around the barn that have been very neglected the last two weeks before Tasa and Joy foal. Joy is due Monday and Tasa Wednesday but I think they will hold off for awhile; well, I thought they would! I milked Tasa this morning and her milk is already white and cloudy, though thin. I'll have to check my notes from last year to see how she shaped up. I know she dripped milk the day she foaled.

Joy has not been too thrilled about learning how to be milked, so today we put her in the stocks and we were able to convince her she would live through the experience! Her milk is yellowish still, so not too close.