I’m so sad to hear your news about Sydney and her foal. I know you love that mare and will always do right by her.
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Thank you, everyone. Sydney is very sore today (as am I), but she is doing as well as could be expected otherwise. I put her back out in the field with her mother and sister, and that seems to be helping a lot. Interestingly, Sydney is sticking to her mother’s side like glue. Arielle does not normally tolerate other horses in her space, but she seems to know better than Sydney what happened yesterday. She was whinnying and fretting the entire time we were working on Sydney here yesterday and, from the looks of things, paced the fence while Syd and I were gone to the clinic. Never underestimate the instincts of a veteran mama mare.
Neither Syd nor I are feeling particularly photo ready today, so here’s my favorite one of us together. It was taken in 2020, when she was just a two year old.
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Sorry for the loss of Sydney’s foal. That is a lovely photo.
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I’m sad for the loss. That’s a rough way to have to hold yourself together for you and for her. The breeding thing is a tightrope. A flip of a coin. Shit happens you can’t influence or stop. HUGS.
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Managed to snag a nice picture while DH was handwalking Hop and Stork. He is very naughty and Hop has already decided she is over him, lol.
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Oh Montanas Girl, I’m so sorry for the loss of Sydney’s foal. 
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On days like this, it helps to have friends who are 100% in your corner and understand completely how responsible you feel for your girls. These are some comments from a Facebook friend of mine who has two young special needs sons:
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No no no no no… I came back to this thread after a busy weekend to what i was certain was going to be new foal pics from you, @Montanas_Girl… instead my heart sank and my eyes welled up.
I am so sorry… there are no words. Just hugs.
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So sorry for you and Sydney. I know this heartbreak all too well after my disastrous 2023 season. It is so emotionally bruising. You do everything you could do, and sometimes that still isn’t enough, but it’s so hard to accept.
I had a huge foal twisted upside down in 2022, but luckily the mare was not a maiden. I’ll never forget the feeling of seeing the soles of two front feet pointed up; reaching in and feeling the underside of the jaw instead of nostrils. I managed to get the mare up and walking (multiple times, up and down), it allowed the foal to side back down enough that I could assist in getting him turned. It was still an agonizing 30-minute process, and I was fortunate to have my husband there to help steady the mare while I worked. We walked her outside, and foaled her outside on the grass because she kept positioning herself against the wall in the stall. Open space really helped in our situation. I know there is nothing else that you could have done differently for Sydney; but hopefully reading this helps someone else in this group.
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I hope you and Sydney are doing better today. Thinking of you guys!
Huge bay colt finally made an appearance here last night. Everyone doing well so far.
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So so sorry @Montanas_Girl. I am glad your mare is okay.
Well our mare who is still pregnant did not cooperate and foal while we were visiting. She was starting to wax up and her belly is definitely dropped so I was hopeful we’d get to see baby, but oh well! She is 342 days today and in great hands, plus constantly being watched on cameras. This will be her 4th foal.
Fuego seemed to grow a few inches while I was out of town 
and is continuing to get stronger and wilder. He has another follow-up appointment on Saturday so hopefully he will get cleared to at least live in a bigger pen!
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I’m thinking of you @Montanas_Girl. Very glad that Sydney came through it OK and I am so sorry for the loss of the foal.
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Umm…photos, please?
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Oh, what a sweet face! Quite the handsome little guy. Congratulations.
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Oh, WOW!!! What a beautiful little man! No wonder you were keeping those pics to yourself. Congrats!
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I realized that with Lola happily settled in Michigan, we won’t be going to her former barn with the 2 Lusitano fillies again. So here are DH’s last photos of them from Saturday.
Lola’s former trainer has purchased the buckskin, who is a diva in waiting. The bay is for sale, and is a very curious little lady.
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What a classic Lusitano head on that beautiful little girl!
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