Solidare...............Updates

Part 1

Well, these last posts have just been the first fourteen hours with Solidare and her new foal. From there the constant checks were exhausting and Dave's back and mine are still pretty darn sore but we got through. We are now at day six and things are looking up.

Solidare is one happy mare. She loves her baby so much. Her eyes are sparkling and she's acting more lively than we've seen for a long, long time. This foal has done for this mare exactly what I had hoped when I made the decision to breed.

Solidare loves nothing more than being a mother and this year she doesn't have to cry for another's baby, she has her own. Having a baby to look after brings her great joy. All's right with her world, even if it's not with mine.

Each day Solidare looks better. She is putting on weight and actually moving around. Because she wants to keep her eyes on her new baby, she's following him around and actually getting some exercise in the process. It's probably not good for her injured leg but it's been good for everything else.

The foal, however, is not what I would call thriving. He's getting along ok but just not flourishing like I'd expect. I still am monitoring him closely to be sure he's nursing like he should and sometimes I have to get him up to remind him it's time to eat. He doesn't seem to initiate any kind of play. He's pretty much about eating and sleeping. He does kick at his mother and his people if he's interfered with but he's really just doing what he needs to survive.

BUT the good news is while he isn't thriving, he's not going backwards either. He seems to be making gains, even though they are slow. That's a good thing. Any kind of gain is good. Even if it's not as much as we'd like. Having dealt with preemies and dysmature foals, I know the routine. We are definitely on the right track.

He is a strong little bugger. Yesterday I had to have help to wash his cute little b*tt. He nearly knocked Lindsay on hers trying to get away. Lindsay giggled at his outburst as she chased him down and he did a pretty good job of avoiding her. It was good to see the resistance for a change.

For Solidare it might even be best that her colt is not as active as normal right now. He is compliant to her wishes and that avoids stress for her. She's getting the opportunity to build up her strength to deal with an active foal. Who knows, by the time he's where he needs to be, she might be right there with him. We can only hope.

I can just imagine her following behind him muttering for him to do what she wants as he runs off to explore the world on his terms........not hers. Her lower lip will be flipping, a sign of her frustration, as she tries to convince him she's in charge. I suspect the call of the outdoors will deafen him to her pleas as he explores a world he someday will want to rule.

The comments indicate people think I should be relieved at this point and maybe I should. However, I'm not. There is still the big unknown with Solidare's injured leg. I can't help but worry about the welfare of the mare and the foal as long as the possibility of further injury hangs over us. I know all too well the possibilities of failure.

Still as I see Solidare improve, I think maybe there is a possibility my mare might actually live to see next winter and even beyond. Yet even the vet believes it is too soon to tell. When he tells me we are out of the woods, then I will relax. In the meantime I'm going worry while I do everything I can for my mare and her foal.

Unfortunately, the weight of this situation has affected me. Normally I am bubbling over with joy at new arrivals around here. Currently I have no energy left for bubbling. Between worrying about my mare and now worrying about issues with her foal I am in survival mode.

It's odd to be in this situation. Even before the breeding, I knew this would be Solidare's last foal. Considering the place this mare holds in my heart, I expected her last foal would be particularly dear to me. Now, I don't know if it's the fear of losing the mare or even fear of losing the foal, my heart seems to be protected from connecting with him. It is an odd feeling.........unknown to me.

I take care of him as intensely as any foal I have 'reared.' That part hasn't changed. It is the joy.........that isn't there. All I seem to feel is a weight........on my heart............except for one little thing..........

With all the commotion going on, I'm pretty sure I haven't got to mention this colt really looks like his full brother, Scandalous Rhythm. He may be a different color and have a bit different markings but other than that he could be a double for his flashy older brother.

I suspect the attitude will follow when the colt comes out of this fog he is in. God knows the matched set between his legs are comparable to Rhythm's. I can't imagine the attitude will not reflect that. At this point I might actually welcome some of those outbursts dear sweet Rhythm pulled as a babe. I know I think I should begin halter training....... just in case.

I'm going to try to get some pics that show what I see so I can post comparison pics of Rhythm and this new colt. So far most of what I've taken look like Legs as a foal, but there is that angle of the colt's head that is Rhythm. No other foal born here has had that particular look except this colt now.

It will be interesting to see if this colt grows into the beautiful horse his brother would have been had he not had that accident as a foal Not that Rhythm is not a beautiful horse.......because he most certainly is........but Mother Nature intended him to be more exotic than he looks before that accident filled in the depth of his dish. We've always wondered "what if" Maybe we're going to get the chance to find out.

Note: In this pic you can see the dried milk all over the colt's face. Currently I think he's actually getting more of it in his mouth now than those first few days. His face no longer looks like it's covered with spun sugar.



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