New Names

Having lots of babies from year to year for many years has made it difficult to come up with new names for everyone. So I have decided to go with a theme again this year. I have done this in the past and used a Car/Truck theme, our babies that year were: Rio, Ranger, El Camino (Ellie), Breeze, Trooper, Nash and Spider.

This year and perhaps next year, since we are not expecting very many babies, we are going to use Jewels, Gems, Precious Stones, Minerals or Metals. So, to get this party started we have decided to call our new sorrel Walkaloosa colt "Garnet", since he is very red.

Foal's First Attempt

This video clip is of our new colt's first attempt at standing on his own four feet, he did very well for a first time.



The sounds that you hear in the background of this video are: One of my hens announcing the arrival of my husband coming home from work. The sound of my husband's vehicle. My Miniature Schnauzer barking at my husband's vehicle. If you listen closely enough you can hear my husband closing his door and walking up to see the baby for the first time. Luckily he didn't say anything until after I stopped recording.

It's a Boy

It is a Walkaloosa sorrel colt with 3 stockings, a sock, a big spot on his forehead and a blanket, born at 4:50 PM. So, see there, mares do foal during the daylight hours, proof positive that mares do not only foal at night. Many of our mares have foaled during the day throughout the years, but the majority still choose to foal in the very early morning hours.

We went for many years without one foal being born with four socks or stockings, now we have had one born each year for the last three years. This colt has three nice stockings and his right front foot has a sock that comes up over the ankle but it is dirty in these pictures and hard to see.

The Wait

The wait has begun, both Giselle and Cinder are making nice milk bags. Giselle looks like she could go at anytime. Morning still is not bagging up and doesn't look as heavy in foal as she should, so we may have her due date wrong. She was our stallion's pasture mate, so it is possible that she was bred later. Dandee is already making a milk bag, she always bags up early and gives gallons of milk. We always get extra colostrum from her to freeze in case of future emergencies.

Here is the schedule of events:

Morning (the injured Black Tennessee Walker mare) Due - March 12th (Walkaloosa Foal)
Giselle and Cinder (Does) Due - sometime around March 19th
Sissy (Chestnut AQHA Mare) Due - March 28th (AQHA Foal)
Dandee (Bay AQHA Mare) Due - April 1st (Appaloosa Foal)
Collette, Paris and Calico (Does) Due - sometime after May 11th (if they are bred)
Quizzy (Sorrel AQHA Mare) Due - June 17th (Appaloosa Foal)

Sleepless nights, flashlights, batteries, alarm clocks, homebound, nervous, anxious, impatient, cell phone, kidding kit, foaling kit, towels, iodine, enemas, tetanus shots, tail wrappings, shovel, straw, manure fork, lounge chair, blankets, long underwear, heavy socks, face mask, gloves, carhartts, I LOVE SPRING!!