Foal Watch on the Arabian Horse Farm

With a foaling date of May 18(figured on 345 days gestation) Bint Gamaay Rose (barn name Lucy after Lucille Ball) isn't due for about three weeks but someone forgot to tell Lucy. In true Lucille Ball style she is doing this on her own terms.

The mare was currently listed on the Mare Stare site on the Rising Rainbow Live Web Cam. There is also a thread with updates

Lucy has a very bad case of edema and has been left to roam in and out of her stall during the daytime hours to help alleviate this some. Due to the wetness of our land and her closeness to foaling, we will be keeping her in from this point on. I will hand walk her throughout the day and hopefully that will help keep the edema in check.

The mare is bagged up and has white, white milk. She is also broken down around the tail head (see picture of this phenomenon here)
and her vulva is totally relaxed and sloshing when she moves. (Sorry Abraham, I know this information boggles your sensibilities but it's an important signal that a mare is closing in on foaling.)

The foal also looks to have moved into the correct position although with the bad case of edema this mare has, it is hard to tell if the foal is moved all the way up against the cervix. It is obvious from her tail carriage that she is experiencing a lot of pressure.

The mare normally carries her tail straight and when she is standing quietly the tail is down. Currently she is carrying it to either side a lot and it is "up" more than it is down, even while she is standing quietly. Sometimes she is even holding it like it is a stick in an awkward looking manner. All are signs that her behavior is changing and foaling is imminent.

This early stage of labor can actually last for days but that would not be the "norm" for Lucy. She's been pretty good at being predictable for me. Now that I have said that, she will write a new chapter in her book but that is part of the fun of this whole adventure.

So everything else on this Arabain horse farm is on hold while we wait for the newest addition to our herd. This is a very special foal we are waiting for here. I can hardly wait to see what we are going to get!
Breeding Season Finally Gets Started at Our Small Arabian Breeding Farm has the information about breeding mare and links to her story with me.

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