Foal Watch 2021 - 'Tis the Season!

Best wishes to Arielle … chiming in as another lurker who has been avidly following her progress!

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I think you made the right decision. You can breathe a little easier now that she’ll have lots of veterinary help if she needs it. Good luck!
Are you hoping for a colt or a filly?

I wonder if the foal is going to be humongous being in there that long.

Thank you! This one is for sale, so I’m hoping for a colt to minimize my temptation to keep it. At this point, though, I’ll just settle for here and healthy!

That is also worrying me. Arielle is only 13.2! Of course, at the other end of the spectrum, it could also be very small and dysmature, which is an entirely different worry.

They’ll be able to ultrasound and see what’s up. When are you going?

Edited to say: My hauler just confirmed we are good to go tomorrow. So we should arrive at the vet school around mid-afternoon eastern time tomorrow.

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I bet it is bittersweet sending her off to UT…a relief of sorts, knowing she is in good hands in a worst-case scenario. But hard to give up the comfort of having her in your backyard. I will miss the updates, for sure!

Fingers crossed it’s just an extra long but normal gestation. Dysmaturity is of course a concern, but hoping it all works out well and worth the very long wait!

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Sending good thoughts for Arielle and her baby!

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Came to do my check on the thread and saw 16 new posts and got excited that Arielle had done something…

Hope all goes well at the better UT… :upside_down_face: TAMU grad here… :rofl:

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Another lurker jingling away for Arielle!! Release that baby, girl!! :rofl: I love seeing everyone’s updates and photos, this is the best time of the year :blush: good luck!!

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Arielle is all tucked in at the vet school. The foal’s heart rate looked good, and it appears to be in position for a normal delivery. She has a Foal Alert sewn in and a stall large enough for her to canter circles in should she so choose. The only other mare in the maternity ward with her is a huge Percheron; they make quite an amusing picture standing across the aisle from one another.

I’m glad she’s in expert hands. Maybe now I can get a decent night’s sleep for the first time in about six weeks!

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Glad to hear that the foal is in a good position and has a good heart rate. I can only imagine the relief you feel. Did they ultrasound?

Nice foaling stall ! Do you have the option of having straw bedding?

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They did a transabdominal ultrasound, yes. Since owners aren’t currently allowed to come inside the hospital due to COVID precautions, they were nice enough to bring the machine out to the receiving area and do it there so that I could watch.

They only use shavings for bedding at this facility.

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That was very kind of them. They sound like good people that will probably provide you with photos. :grinning:
What a relief for you (and those following along.)

I hope all goes well. However, there is a very down side to having an “adoring public” when and if things go wrong during foaling. More than one of our COTHers has lost a mare or foal this season.
Most everyone on COTH, experienced with sporthorse breeding have experience with the downside of foaling, including the death of the mare or the foal or both.
Your mare’s “adoring fans” on facebook, maybe not so much.

It’s a different day and age now, but given the ignorance that is rampant on facebook, I would think twice about sharing your mare’s foaling with the “adoring public” there, many who may be ignorant about everything that can happen when things don’t end up in the way that the “adoring” yet ignorant “public” expect.

I’m not a facebook person. I just hope that you aren’t letting yourself open to what could be painful, if ignorant, criticism by your mare’s “adoring public” if anything goes wrong. Many of them don’t understand the risks of breeding horses.

Hopefully all will go well and it will not be an issue.

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Yes, they’ve promised lots of photo updates for her adoring public! Lol.

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Another lurker here cheering for Arielle. So glad for the positive update- sending jingles that all goes smoothly from here, you must be exhausted!

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You are welcome to your opinion, @skydy, but I am well aware of the pros and pitfalls of social media. I am not at all concerned about a negative reaction. I have always been an open and honest person in both my professional and personal life. You can take the academic out of the classroom, but not the instinct to educate out of the woman, apparently. The vast majority of my (carefully curated) Facebook friends, horsey or not, have been very supportive and have enjoyed learning about the breeding and foaling process. With the very few ignorant or argumentative comments, I simply delete immediately rather than engage. If that person persists in trying to pick a fight, then I unfriend them. Problem solved. Works great for people who want to pick political fights, too!

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@Montanas_Girl she’s lucky to have such a thoughtful owner! Jingles for her.

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That’s good. I’m not acquainted with facebook or it’s workings, only hear complaints about the meanies and the dumb comments. I’m glad you won’t be affected by them. :slightly_smiling_face:

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The meanies are real, but my posts about Arielle, with a few exceptions, aren’t public - you have to be my “friend” to see them. So if someone crosses the line, I can either exclude them from seeing future posts on the topic or unfriend them altogether. If only the “ignore” feature on this board worked this way, right? It would be nice to be able to block people on your “ignore” list from seeing your posts. Think how much more peaceful it would be around here. :smiley:

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