Foaling in the Field: A Natural Nativity

 

Our grandest plans were subverted.

 We waited eleven months for the exciting event, but we were surprised. We had every intention of bringing our beloved warmblood mare inside to a cozy breeding stall, softly bedded with fresh hay, when her time arrived for foaling.

 Of course, the mare had another plan altogether. In fact, she had a completely different timetable than the rest of us.

 According to the calendar, she was not due to foal for another few weeks. So much for modern science!

 

NOTE: Written by this author, this copyrighted material originally appeared on another publisher’s site. That site no longer exists. This author holds all rights to this content. No republication is allowed without permission.

 

Surprise in the Pasture!

 A friend went out to the pasture around 11 a.m. to collect her quiet gelding. He refused to exit through the gate with her. Instead, he practically dragged her to the three-sided shelter, across the pasture. There, she saw an amazing sight.

 Inside the lean-to, she found the entire herd. About a dozen horses huddled inside the shed, guarding and watching the mare and her perfect newborn filly, like an equine nativity scene.

 An hour earlier, the mare had been peacefully grazing outside. When she was ready, she simply entered the shelter and delivered her offspring on her own. Her pasture mates gathered and observed.

 Perhaps they were protecting the blessed event, or possibly, they were simply curious.

 My friend left her own horse in the field and bounded over the fence to herald the news to the barn staff. All hands came running to collect the horses from the pasture. When the coast was clear, they led the mare and her brand-new, full-term, bouncing filly into the barn.

 

That’s where we came in.

 Around noon, my kids and I drove through the barn gate and noticed the parade, headed for the foaling barn. We leapt out of the car and raced to the stall.

 Usually, a mare will guard her newborn foal attentively. She will place her own body between others and her offspring, making herself the physical boundary to keep others away.

 However, this time, it was somehow different. We’ve been together nearly ten years, and this was her third foal. The sweet chestnut mom quietly stepped behind her baby and welcomed us into their world. It was as if she wanted to tell us, “C’mon in. I trust you. Share our happy moment. Look what I have!”

 

“Please allow me to introduce my pride and joy.”

 A sturdy fawn-colored face, with a huge, crooked white stripe, fairly grinned up at me and my children. The friendly filly accepted our attentions eagerly, as her mom nuzzled her own baby and my human children as well.

 In that moment, I caught a glimpse of what it must feel like to become a flesh-and-blood grandmother, to watch your own daughter deliver a child. Pride and affection, adrenaline and tenderness, all mixed together.

The vet arrived several hours later and pronounced everyone exceptional.

 

What a day!

 

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Image/s: LAN photo – All rights reserved.

Herd helper: Morgan mare to the rescue

There’s one in every crowd, right? We’ve all known parents who loved to brag on their kids. And how many horse owners are particularly proud of their own horses?

OK, count me in.

I love arriving at the stables and being greeted with a good report about our horse. She’s a sweet Morgan mare, who is trusty enough to pack kids and adults around for riding lessons. She’s done some hippotherapy too. She’s that sweet.  (Morgans rock. But I digress.)

Sure, she can raise a ruckus, when she feels like it.

This past weekend, she actually spooked a bit. (It lasted about 5 seconds, while she scooted maybe 3 feet.) She’s a horse, after all, and it’s almost springtime. Plus, someone tossed up the big garage-like barn door without warning.

But this horse is well-trained and sort of senior and generally doesn’t seem to want to expend the effort it takes to kick up her heels much. (At this season of her life, she is willing to give me some good go, but I definitely have to ask for it.)

She was a hero the other day.

A barn staffer actually used the word “hero.” How funny is that?

This gentle mare is kind of bossy in the herd. We’ve never seen her rear or kick or bite. She doesn’t have to. She has mastered “the look.” You know. It’s the same look your toughest teacher had down. All she had to do with turn her head with that face on, and you knew she meant business.

That’s it exactly.

In this horse’s herd, there’s a chestnut mare who likes to play hard-to-catch at coming-in time. Maybe she forgets her filled feed bucket and a pile of hay await her in the stall. Perhaps she just loves staying outside. For whatever reason, she’s made this a game.

The other day, the barn staff had had enough of that.

The chestnut mare bolted and darted and wove her way around the pasture, while these folks tried to catch her. She was having none of it.

So one of these wranglers walked back into the barn and retrieved my horse from her stall. They led her out into the pasture again. They tossed some loose hay on the ground, and she began to munch it. Almost immediately, the errant one came alongside her turnout pal. The humans led my mare towards the gate, and the other followed. 

Soon, these folks were able to slip a rope over her neck and hold her for haltering.

That’s all it took.

Because sometimes it’s more fun to follow a friend home at the end of the day than to prolong the inevitable by breaking curfew. Something like that.

In any case, I was pleased with the good report about my own horse. She’s a keeper.

Images:

LAN photo. All rights reserved.

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NEIGH: 5 ways to support one whose horse has died

A handful of heartfelt hints for encouraging a grieving horse lover

Our long-time beloved family horse died several months ago, and I still miss him. This loss also revived my sorrow over losing my very first horse, a challenging, but life-changing and once-in-a-lifetime mare, several years ago. I just heard that a once-naughty little show pony, who taught me to jump fences, was euthanized yesterday. And a dear old gelding, belonging to a barn pal, is struggling to stay standing today.

To a horse lover, losing an equine companion can be every bit as grief-worthy as the passing of a human family member or a close friend.

What can caring folks do or say to support someone who has just lost a horse?

Here are five ways to reach out to a grieving horse lover. For simplicity’s sake, let’s use a horse acronym, “NEIGH.”

N = Never nicker.

Why do people always seem to practice verbal calisthenics, stretching for all sorts of inappropriate things to say when others are mourning? A grieving horse owner is not likely to be encouraged by trite sayings, lame platitudes, personal horror stories of lost horses, or even unwelcome advice while enduring the pits of grief.

E = Ears forward.

The most sensitive and caring friends offer to listen to the mourning horse lover’s stories of grief, veterinary nightmares and even happy memories shared with the horse that has died – even if those stories are repeated numerous times.

NOTE: Written by this author, this copyrighted material originally appeared on another publisher’s site. That site no longer exists. This author holds all rights to this content. No republication is allowed without permission.

I = Instincts are insightful.

Often, simply sharing silent moments of unspoken understanding can be a marvelous way of showing compassion for the one who has just lost a much-loved horse.

G = Gallop in with good deeds.

When a horse has died, several difficult tasks may await the equine’s owner. Helpful friends may offer to pitch in at such moments, if appropriate.

For example, the grieving horse lover may need assistance in cleaning out the horse’s stall, packing up saddles and tack, or making arrangements for the horse’s remains. These responsibilities can be extremely emotional for the one who is mourning, but a close friend may be able to help.

When my own horse died, two barn friends stayed with me by a front pasture gate, visiting with other favorite horses, while her remains were removed from the back of the barn. The sight would have been a difficult memory to erase.

H = Hearken the herd.

Equestrian stables tend to be notorious for grapevine gossip, like any other close-knit community. When a horse has died, the owner’s friends can be extremely helpful by minimizing this, while compassionately informing those who will most sympathize with what has happened (with the owner’s permission). By running interference, so to speak, for the grieving horse lover, these companions may enlist additional encouragers.

These five simple steps can go a long way towards expressing care and concern for the mourning horse owner. Naysayers may beg to differ, but equine experience speaks volumes on the subject. 

Find this helpful book on Amazon! https://amzn.to/36QCddr

During my own season of mourning the loss of my mare, I welcomed and valued the friends who offered no unsolicited advice, but listened, empathized, offered assistance, and rallied other supportive horse-loving friends to do the same.

Images:

Adapted from public domain photo

Book cover – Fair use

(This writer is author of the featured book.)

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