Sassy and Laurietta's Story - Tragedy or Miracle - 4th Twin Pregnancy in Horses

Normally I write about Arabian horses because they are my passion and my joy. The stories, themselves, are usually about Arabian horses and what affects my dream of raising Arabian horses first hand. The lessons available in what I write usually apply to all breeds of horses and all types of horses. And that's why I write, for the lessons that can be learned.

Yesterday's post about the fighting stallions in China came about because I needed a picture for my post about my Arabian stallions fight. I needed a picture that portrayed the degree of violence when stallions fight, a pretty tall order. Explaining what was behind picture I used was just tying up loose ends since there was obviously a story there.

The reason I have chosen to write about this mare, Sassy, and her owner, besides it being such a compelling story, is because this is a scenario that I could live someday. I am drawn to be as educated as I can be so that I am better prepared to deal with life's little curve balls. I have already been thrown the pitch that was Arabian twin foals, the aftermath of that and what it means to my breeding business is still unfolding. I'm looking for all the help I can get to be prepared ahead of time for whatever dealing with a mare who has had twins might mean in the future. Thta makes this story personal for me.

It was hard not to be drawn into the story of this mare carrying her fourth set of twins. The phenomenon of twin foals in horses is so unusual, it can't help but intrigue. Then to add the fact that this particular mare had given birth to two viable sets of twin horses out of the three sets she carried. The surviving twins had grown to adulthood and are successful riding horses. Then the final hook, the mare herself is a twin. An incredible story with unbelievable odds presented to the viewing world on the Internet. It couldn't have been anything but a magnet for controversy and that it was.

I first became aware of Sassy (the mare) and Laurietta's (the owner) story on Mare Stare a couple of weeks ago. I don't remember the day I first noticed the thread. To be honest, I avoided it at first. The wounds of last year's foaling of twin horses are still fresh. While my twin horses have survived and seem to be thriving, the ordeal of their survival still weighs heavily upon me. So I avoided the thread for at least a week, maybe two, before my curiosity got the better of me.

I wanted to know everything everyone else did and maybe more. The how, the why, who, what, where and when that made this story. For me, because it's a part of my life, I need more information. With a mare that gave birth to twin horses, a beautiful twin filly that some day will be breedable, I needed to know more. I have decisions to make in the future. There are so few sets of twin horses that answers are hard to come by, it's a guess as guess can kind of game. Maybe that's part of the intrigue for some about twin horses, for me, it's the knowledge. With it I have hope that I can safely breed my mares and not live this nightmare again.

So I began digging through the many pages of the thread looking for the truth. I didn't want people's interpretations of the truth, but the real truth. Reading through threads is a great place to learn about a person's listening skills. Most people don't listen or even read the facts, they interpret them and then they post their interruption stating it as fact. That's how things get screwed up and end up with Joe Blow's brother's friend's wife had a fight and by the time ten people read or heard it it ended up in divorce when really they just had a little disagreement.

Such was the case here, as people came and went and made their posts on Mare Stare and other forums on the Internet. Some people had the facts, some people didn't have a clue, some people had questions and some had answers but few had experience from first hand knowledge. AND nearly everyone had opinions. The result was a horrible mix of well meaning people doing some real damage to the reputation and heart of a very valiant owner who was just trying to do the best for her mare and the twin foals she was carrying.

To be continued.....

Part 2

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