2022 Foal Watch?

[Montanas_Girl]

Sydney checked open again this morning. There was a small pocket of fluid, and she still had a CL from the last ovulation, so we think she might have conceived this time but lost the embryo. Sigh.

So I think I’m going to swap stallions and give her one last shot. We’ll throw the kitchen sink at her this time, and then I’m out. I’ll try Arielle once with this stallion after foaling - at least I know she’s super fertile, and I won’t have to ship her or use frozen, so there’s that.

Ugh. What a year.

[cripplecreekfrm]

I’m so sorry! It is so frustrating trying to get them in foal. Good luck!

[4horses]

Yes he is a buckskin.

This is his sire. I’m not sure he will get as dark as the sire but it will be interesting to see what happens when he sheds out.
http://connemaras.com/nails/topgunphoto.html

[cripplecreekfrm]

Thanks @LaurieB! We are really happy with her! She is exactly what I was looking for with this cross. Hopefully she will be my next hunter.

[AnastasiaBeaverhousen]

Thanks.
Love me some buckskin.

[EventerAJ]

Ugh, sorry to hear about Sydney. I had bad news as well: Moms Image resorbed on her 30-day check, Magic is not pregnant from her foal heat cover, and two of our mares in KY are still open (both slipped earlier and have gone 0-fer since). We have had more dirty cultures overall than I could imagine and vets are getting frustrated.

Of course the 3yo cribbing wench who bites and kicks has a heartbeat from her “lets just try” 1 cover…so there’s that.

Still counting days on Entice from her KY cover date. I am super excited with our choice, but I won’t reveal it unless she catches. Fingers, toes, and eyes crossed.

We decided to give Barb the year off and start early next year. At least no risk of disappointment from her!

[EventerAJ]

Top Gun is super cool! What a nice foal.

[Montanas_Girl]

Geeze, @EventerAJ, what a terrible breeding season! I’ll keep my fingers and toes crossed that things turn around for both of us soon.

[Texarkana]

@4horses and @cripplecreekfrm your foals are perfect! I’m so glad both are doing well. Especially @4horses after the rough start.

I am so sorry to read about your frustrations @EventerAJ. If it’s any consolation, I have heard about more problems with dirty cultures this year than ever. What on earth is going on? Why are all these mares suddenly cropping up with infections? It almost makes me wonder if there is a problem with something in the medical supply chain— something improperly sterilized (but what? The culture swabs themselves?), contamination in the lab (but that wouldn’t explain all the mares who don’t catch), etc. Or maybe some other outside force? The problem doesn’t seem to be limited to one geographic area and it’s not like the spring weather has been particularly bizarre.

[LaurieB]

@4horses, wow, what a nice stallion and a handsome colt.

@Texarkana, I keep hearing the same thing too. Almost everyone seems having problems this year with some part of the process. @EventerAJ I’m sorry you’re affected as well.

[EventerAJ]

My vet in FL has privately shared a few concerns with me: as with most businesses, some of the breeding sheds are struggling to keep help, and it may be that some of the new, barely-trained employees are doing an inadequate job washing mares (and/or stallions). Our mares had current clean cultures prior to breeding, and then subsequently came up with e. coli two weeks later. Sure, it happens, but poor sanitary technique may have something to do with a common intestinal bacteria ending up in the uterus of multiple mares. Just saying. And I have personally watched a stud farm here in FL wash their stallion simply by sloshing a half bucket of water at his penis.

Mares that I have bred myself, whom I washed properly, bred to my stallion that I washed, have not had e. coli. Small sample, yes, but it makes sense.

[weixiao]

Very pleasantly surprised to hear that my mare checked in foal today! Not sure yet if they will stay at the vet’s through the 28 day check or if they will come home sooner, but glad to get good news today at least! Hopefully it is smooth sailing from here, and hope everyone else is getting good news soon too!

[Texarkana]

@EventerAJ

My vet in FL has privately shared a few concerns with me: as with most businesses, some of the breeding sheds are struggling to keep help, and it may be that some of the new, barely-trained employees are doing an inadequate job washing mares (and/or stallions). Our mares had current clean cultures prior to breeding, and then subsequently came up with e. coli two weeks later. Sure, it happens, but poor sanitary technique may have something to do with a common intestinal bacteria ending up in the uterus of multiple mares. Just saying. And I have personally watched a stud farm here in FL wash their stallion simply by sloshing a half bucket of water at his penis.

Mares that I have bred myself, whom I washed properly, bred to my stallion that I washed, have not had e. coli. Small sample, yes, but it makes sense.

Interesting. I’m the past I’ve watched some pretty big name KY farms sponge a mare with the same bucket of water and sponge they have used on every mare all day, then do nothing more than spray a hose on the stallion for like 10 seconds. So this isn’t necessarily a new problem.

But it does make me wonder if we are dealing with a new or resistant strain of E. coli spread more easily or is more difficult for the body to clear.

[Texarkana]

Bogo has been doing fine, but ever since her illness she has been kind of… boring. She lost her zip. I go back and forth if it’s ulcers and should I resume treatment. But physically, she is fine and normal and not showing any symptoms except being more interested in sleeping and eating than playing most of the time.

So to see if I could get more pep in her, I started turning them out with my donkey today. Jesse HATES my donkey ever since day 1 on the farm. She was turned out with her prior to foaling and doesn’t do anything but make the ugliest of faces at her. I was worried she may show actual aggression now with a foal at her side, but she was fine, more worried about the donkey in her own bubble than in the foal’s. “Play with the kid, just don’t come near me.”

Bogo was never brave enough to really interact today. But it was good to see her with some energy!

[Montanas_Girl]

Arielle is at day 317 now and starting to kick things into gear in the udder development department. If she follows last year’s pattern, I’d estimate her at roughly two weeks out at this point. I’m not sure I trust her to do anything predictable this year, though, so we’ll see about that!

Her varicose veins are back with a vengeance. I really thought we were going to avoid having to deal with them this year (she started bleeding at around day 150 last year), but no such luck.

[DiamondJubilee]

My leased mare is just overdue now. I haven’t seen her since last fall since she is a bit of a distance from me, but her owner says she has started to bag up and is looking huge.

I’m planning on a camping trip in 2 weeks up in the area so I can hopefully pop in and see my new foal. So fingers crossed its born soon. Come on Glamour and release that hostage!!!

Thank you everyone for posting pictures of your beautiful foals. I just love seeing them everyday on here. Makes my day!

[LaurieB]

@Texarkana, I often feel like our foals run and play when they’re very young (less than a week), then sleeping and eating takes over until they are faced with more stimulation–in our case when they go from a single paddock with their dam into a big field with half a dozen mares and foals. So what you’re seeing may just be a normal progression. I’m glad Bogo continues to do well!

[Texarkana]

Thanks @LaurieB. I hope so! She is just soooooo much quieter than any foal I’ve ever had and she sleeps like the dead!

[4horses]

My colt likes to play first thing in the morning and right before sunset. The rest of the day he is either eating or napping.

A funny thing happened today. Maybe it’s just coincidence, maybe not. My boss mare Harmony went over to the fence and kicked the fence with her foot, and scared Paris (his mom) away from the fence. After I put Paris and the colt away, Paris was not wanting to share her hay with the colt, so he takes his foot and kicks the fence twice, like he’s trying to see if he can scare her away too. Not that she was impressed by this at all.

He’s incredibly smart for his age. Makes me a bit worried he’s going to be a handful when he gets older. Not sure having him around Harmony is going to be the best role model, as she deliberately chases him away from the shared fenceline, but at least he leaves when she says get!

They are pretty funny to watch, as Paris will posture right back and tell Harmony to leave my baby alone. My gelding pretty much just ignores all the drama. Harmony is very jealous of the colt, as Paris is usually her best buddy. Harmony is not too happy, not being the center of attention around here.

[Montanas_Girl]

How low can we go?

319 days today. I have a camera crew coming next Wednesday afternoon to film a promo clip for work on pregnant mare care. Will I still have a pregnant mare by the time they get here? TBD