Names..........Mares...........and Solidare.........

I was asked in the comments about the name for this new foal and that gets my brain going in all sorts of directions. Anyone who knows me knows I have this thing about names. It can take me months to get to the right place for a foal born here.

Each horse has a story that goes along with the name. Some are simple like Storm and some not so simple like Doc

How Rhet got his name was pretty complicated but then anyone knowing me would know there definitely was a meaning there just hearing the name. Rhet's registered name defintely tells the story of how he came to live with me. Understanding how he got his barn name must first go to the filly's story of how her name came to be Scarlet Once that name was in place it seemed like fate that the new colt's barn name would compliment the fateful pair. More on the Secret Name

The colts of my third foal crop had an assortment of names.
Then there are so many stories about names I haven't even posted yet.

Sometimes on their own the names of foals have become categorized with a particular mare. Bey Aana's foals, aside from that first red one that Dave and Lindsay named, began in a vein of the difficulty it took getting her first foal. Somehow from there we'd gone on into the P's. Chase to Pursuit always made sense and Persuasion for the smooth, suave red colt did too. Then Lindsay picked Patriot for the holiday he was born on. You can bet if Aana ever has another foal it will have a P name.

Lilly's foals after the loss of the first colt got onto a vein of their own. Hope was followed by Faith, I'm sure you can see where that was going. The second colt was a mirror of the first so he carried that first colt's registered name even though his barn name was changed but any more foals after this will certainly go back to that theme.

Since themes are the thing you might be wondering what kind of a theme might have developed with Solidare. Her first foal was named after her bloodlines since they mean so much to my breeding program. The "Dare" line of mares are found on both sides of the pedigree in foals with Legs and Solidare as their parents.

AFter that first foal we somehow managed to get off onto a musical theme. Although Rhythm got his name from his irregular markings it fit his movement as well which is fluid and easy, even melodic. Dancer was named because of her movement too and before I even realized we had Rhapsody. A musical theme was definitely taking shape even though it was unintended at first.

So what to do........what to do about Solidare's last foal. Since it is her last foal I was thinking a tribute to the mare might be in order. Instead of the usual Scandalous as the first part of the name, I have been considering using the mare's name instead.

I told my friend, Wendy, my thoughts. She thought my "creation" sounded like it should be a filly instead of a colt. What do you think of Solidares Last Dance? Colt name?? Filly name?? Or maybe there's something else that might fit for a foal from this mare.......

Solidare's Foal's First Outing

Normally I wait until a foal is five days old before any kind of turnout. Because the vision of newborns isn't all that good, I find waiting this time avoids problems with them running into wire fences or taking a swim in the creek or pond although newborn vision didn't deter Legend those years ago.



With the issues surrounding Solidare and her new foal, I didn't rush to put the two of them outside either. I was worried about the usual newborn antics feeling the first real freedom. Solidare would have difficulty trying to keep up and I sure didn't want any more damage done to her already compromised back legs.

The weather wasn't co-operating either. I didn't want to take any chances or either of them getting a cold. With this colt acting like a dummy foal and not really doing much but eating or sleeping at first, I didn't want to chance he might stumble into some kind of trouble because of his lack of interest in his surroundings. There were lots of things to consider.



As the colt got stronger and began acting more normal, I knew the day was getting closer when he would finally see outside that stall. Still I waited on weather and forming some kind of plan to deal with Solidare in case her baby made her frantic exploring his new world.

Our spring has been more like winter making our fields pretty muddy and slick. Solidare doesn't need slick with her issues either so inside they stayed until this last week.Finally we had enough of a break in the weather to dry things out enough to make the front field safe for Solidare and her colt.



I expected the colt might not want to step outside into the unfamiliar because I have had new foals refuse to leave the safety and comfort of their stalls. That was not the case with Solidare's colt, however. He didn't think much of the halter or lead rope but following his mom outside he didn't give a second thought. He was outside on the concrete pad in front of the stall in an instant and in another one he was following his mother into the grass. The only thing this colt was worried about was getting to far away from his mother.



True to his "dummy foal" status he did not race around acting like some kind of fool which most colts do on their first turn out. Solidare's colt was cautious and stuck close by his mom. There was no running around at all. Just quiet exploration within a foot of two of mom. He never did get any farther away from her than what you see in these pics.

Update on Solidare and Her Foal

While I really needed the break, being gone to the Daffodil All Arabian Horse Spring Show with Solidare and her foal not completely out of the woods was difficult. I couldn't help but feel guilty that I was leaving my mare and her baby when I am still so worried about them.

I'm not always a big fan of my cell phone. It seems sometimes to me to be more like a leash than a help but this weekend having the means to check on Solidare and her colt made being away much more bearable. It gave me the opportunity to check in whenever the two horses crossed my mind instead of having to wait for reports when I got home.

Sometimes when I checked in there really wasn't much new happening. Other times there were little tales of colt activities that made me think maybe, just maybe, we were rounding a corner with him.

The first tale was of the little varmint kicking at his mother for no apparent reason that Lindsay could see anyway. I figure the mare probably corrected the colt for something he didn't like but either way, protesting is always a good sign in the newborn.

The next favorable report was the colt was actually caught scampering around his mother. Running in circles, just for the sake of running, is always a good sign. Even though I didn't "see" it myself, this was the first ever play like behavior seen from this foal. It did my heart good.

Sometime Saturday, the little delinquent tried to kick Lindsay. This was a first for this colt as well. He's shown no sign of aggression towards his human caregivers up to this point. I can tell you that's NOT normal for any colt born here. Usually the aggression begins within the first hour.

Then, today, the colt decided he didn't like Dave coming into his stall. He challenged the man, no less, puffing up big and tall and stomping his feet. Dave scolded him, "What do you think YOU're doing?" and the colt wheeled and turned running off behind his mother.

Funny how normal unacceptable behaviors become welcome when "normal" anything is better than nothing. Not that we condone the colt's behavior, the little squirt was immediately reprimanded in all cases but it's a relief to see signs he's coming around.

As for Solidare, she is still revelling in her new baby. Everything about her behavior is bright and happy. She's moving more and definitely improving every day. She loves her baby SOOOOOOOO MUCH............and will probably dote all the more as he turns into the little devil colts on this farm are expected to be.

We still have the first turnout to look forward to. With Solidare's leg injury I'm not really sure how we are going to manage it so his exercise doesn't interfere with her needs with the tendon issue but we'll get something figured out. We always do.

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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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Solidare............the Fall

Part 1

Unfortunately, when Dave and Lindsay went out to the barn to feed grain that night, Solidare tried to get up and the colt jumped up at the same time. The foal crossed her path and the mare stumbled trying to avoid him.Solidare was unable to regain her balance and managed to fall landing with her bad leg underneath her. Once again the mare was in a situation where she was unable to rise.

Dave put in a frantic call to me in the house to come help get the mare up. I understood the emotion in his voice because it's exactly how I felt knowing the mare was in jeopardy again. Both of us understand all to well, the possibility of a catastrophic injury in getting Solidare to her feet.

My daughter had come earlier in the evening to check on Solidare and see the new foal. As it turned out she was just getting ready to leave when this situation arose. Instead she joined me heading to the barn to see what we could do to get Solidare on her feet.

I knew immediately when we reached the stall, we had our hands full getting Solidare up this time. Instead of being right in the middle of the stall she was near the wall we would be rolling her towards. It didn't look like there was much chance we could get the mare turned over without getting her caste once again.

We tried tucking her legs underneath her and rolling her over the top again. Yet, again, Solidare just really didn't want to cooperate. I was stripping off layers of clothing with sweat dripping everywhere and we were no closer than when we started. There was no point in wearing ourselves out on a method that just was NOT going to work.

Because of Solidare's proximity to the wall, we tried to pull her away from it before we even tried to roll her over. Solidare wasn't really happy about that either and such she wasn't stuck, she fought our attempts. We were unable to make any progress getting a better distance between the mare and the wall.

The only thing left to do was go back to the method that had worked in the morning. I fastened a lead rope around Solidare's left fetlock and got myself inside the people door in that stall wall. Dave went to the mare's front end getting a hold of her left front leg and on the count of three we pulled the mare over onto her back and into the wall.

Solidare fought in the middle of the turn. She did quite a bit of rolling to and fro resisting the turn. My heart sank into my stomach as I saw this resistance. From all the conversations with the vet, I knew this was our biggest enemy.

We did get the mare's body to complete the turn. Solidare was now scrunched up into the wall much tighter than she'd been earlier that day. I studied her position for a time trying to figure out the best way to get her free. Solidare laid there quietly waiting to be saved, yet again.

Because the mare was so tight into the wall, we were going to have to pull her around much farther than we had earlier in the day. Then there had been some room for her back legs. Now they were jammed as tightly into the wall as her front legs were.

Just looking at the mare in this position made my back hurt. I think Dave felt about the same way. We knew we had to get her pulled around but we really didn't know if our backs could handle it this second time. Even with the third person to help, we had a lot of dead weight to move.

At first there was no way I could push off from the wall like I had earlier in the day. Nor was there any way to use the mare's front legs for leverage. We would have to get the mare moved enough to create that room first. Then we could proceed like we had earlier.

To start off, that meant all three of us were pulling on the mare's neck. We tried to get as close together as we could so we didn't cause any residual harm. The closer to the base of the mare's neck we could be, the easier the pull would be on Solidare.

The only problem with that was it made for some uncomfortable reaching for us. The more, we humans, stretched to get a hold of the right place on the mare, the worse it was going to be on our backs BUT from what I could tell, it was probably the only way we could get her moved.........so we went for it.

On the count of three, we all pulled on the base of Solidare's neck. Ever so slowly the mare's shoulders eeked their way towards us. The amount of exertion it took to gain an inch felt like that last push of childbirth, where every ounce of energy you have gets directed into that one movement. The strain pulsed throughout our bodies until we hit the point there was no more to give. Then we rested for a moment and surveyed what we'd accomplished.

Unfortunately, we hadn't accomplished much. It took us three attempts to get enough room for me to get in against the wall so I could push on Solidare's shoulder. Then with my daughter's help we managed to get Solidare out far enough in one movement the mare jumped up which I dove for the opening in the door.

With the mare back to her feet, all looked good but we were back on watch for a torsion. That meant it would be another long night with regular checks for signs of colic in the mare and monitoring the foal's nursing behavior..

To be continued..............

Updates



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Solidare............a Routine for the Foal

Part 1

Last year, I am the one that made the mistake about what gender the foal was. Now it was Dave's turn to take the heat. There's nothing I like more than getting the opportunity to "catch" Dave in a mistake. It doesn't happen often, not that he doesn't make them, because he does. It's the catching him in one that doesn't happen often.

Dave can finagle his way out of most anything but it would be hard to get out of this one. His wishful thinking about having a filly had jinxed me and set him for a fall. He saw what he wanted to see..........instead of what was really there. I'll be rubbing it in for a while.

I had to be the one to break it to Lindsay. "Serenade" is not my idea of a colt name. That meant back to the drawing board on names for this guy. As much as Lindsay was disappointed, I think she was excited at the possibilities of colt names too. So far she's had no recommendations but I'm sure they're coming soon.

While I finished cleaning the stall for the second time, Dave went back to work trying to teach this foal to nurse. This time I heard his mumblings followed by giggles about "stupid colts." Dave was building his rapport with this dude no matter what gender and getting frustrated at the time it was taking.

Not long after this, Dave did finally get this colt to nurse. I watched carefully and listened even more carefully. This colt was just not "latching on" like he should nor was he nursing for any length of time. There was good reason to believe he wasn't getting all the milk he needed.

Not that Solidare didn't have enough milk. From the time the foal touched a nipple the milk was streaming. The colt was getting more milk on his face than in his tummy, I suspect. That made it important to keep him on task. When he'd wander away wanting to lay down, we'd turn him back towards mom. It was just like the early days with the twins making sure they were nursing long enough to get what they needed.

Because of this lack of focus and weak suckle reflex, I checked the colt every two hours to be sure he was up and nursing. I'd also watched for behavior that said he was getting stronger........not weaker. Dummy foals can "forget" to nurse or go off task before they've gotten enough fuel to sustain them. They can go down hill really fast.

Running over the regime in my mind, I realized I'd been so focused on Solidare, I'd forgotten to iodine the foal's umbilical cord. I also had not gotten to an enema yet. While I knew the colt's bladder was working normally, there were no signs that anything else was. At least for the moment, the focus was shifting from Solidare to the foal.

Before I left for the house again, I thought about Solidare and the way she's lain in this stall for months. It's been a consistent protective position. She's always laid with her butt facing Dare's stall (so a herd mate had her back) keeping her face turned towards the road (the most likely place a threat might come). I thought these facts could work for us in keeping Solidare safe from injuring her leg.

I realized the foal was once again laying in the corner tucked in under the water buckets. I knew if he stayed there, when Solidare laid down she would probably lay down so she could keep an eye on him and still maintain her protective manner . That meant she'd be laying with the weak leg underneath her so I pulled the foal out of that corner and laid him in the one where Solidare could see him laying with the strong leg underneath her hoping I could influence how she laid down.

When the mare did go down, she went down just as I hoped. The colt was still laying in the corner I'd moved him to and Solidare laid down in her usual spot. She had a perfect view of her new baby and her strong leg was underneath her.

That's pretty much how most of the day went. I monitored the colt for his nursing habits and strength as well as his position when laying down. I was hoping we could "teach" this colt to lay in one place so we might avoid Solidare laying down on her weak leg.

Most of the time when I checked I had to rouse the colt to get him to nurse. Once up he seemed to find the udder pretty easily but he still wasn't nursing as strongly as I thought necessary. He did, however, seem to be strong enough for his age, although still way too quiet for my liking.

A couple of times I found the colt up and the mare down. Solidare didn't want to get up and the colt was too young to have figured out how to nurse from a laying down mare. I suspect it won't take that long for Solidare to "teach" him how to accomplish this, however.

I did notice that even in the first day, Solidare was teaching this colt what she expected. By the end of the day, if they were both laying down and people arrived, Solidare would "tell" her foal to get up and move behind her. She didn't have to get up. He just did as he was told. One nicker and the colt got to his feet taking refuge behind her. He wouldn't come out unless the mare told him it was ok.

Half the time I found the colt down he'd be in the corner under the water buckets and I'd move him out to the "right" corner. The other half he'd be in the corner I wanted him to use. At least we seemed to have just the two choices. I was beginning to think maybe we could get him trained about where to sleep without a further incident with Solidare.

To be continued..........

The Fall



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Solidare............The Foal

Part 1

With Solidare now standing, I called the vet to confirm we had managed to get the mare to her feet. He gave me a time table of what I might expect if a torsion had occurred in that process and a few other things to watch for with this mare. Until the mare's uterus quit contracting, there was also still a possibility, although slight, her uterus could still prolapse.

With that out of the way I focused on getting the wet stall cleaned up. I didn't want there to be any slick spots that might be a risk for Solidare or the new foal. The wettest part, of course, was underneath where Solidare had lain. That's were all the amniotic fluid had collected. I went to cleaning out all the wet straw and getting new bedding down while Solidare visited with her foal. Once I got the bedding done, I headed off to the house to cook the mare her bran mash.

Dave stayed at the barn keeping an eye on the two, playing with the foal. That's the part he likes best. He loves those funny new babies on their teetering legs and he's very good at getting them to nurse. He has lots of patience for this task and I'm more than happy to leave it to him since patience is not my thing in this particular situation.

For foaling mares I like to make my mash with more bran than grain. I stopped by the other barn and picked up a bucket filling it with two scoops of bran and one of rolled oats. Once in the house I also woke Lindsay up telling her the news and asking her if she would feed breakfast to the rest of our herd. Then I went to the kitchen to finish the mash.



I added about a half cup of molasses and chopped up some carrots (I normally add some beet pulp and apples but we were out of the latter and I forgot the former). I put the whole thing in a big pot. Added lots of water and then put it on the burner. I like to heat it until it's steaming, stirring the whole time so it doesn't stick and burn. Once it's cooked I poured it back into the bucket for transport to the barn.

When I returned to the foaling stall, Dave still had not managed to get this foal to nurse. He had been close several times but was having trouble keeping the foal on task. By this time I was thinking this foal really reminded me of Chance. I guess I should have realized then what was going on.

When I walked into the stall, Solidare began nudging me to get her mash. I couldn't pour it fast enough into the feed pan for her. The mare tried sticking her head into the bucket making it more difficult for me to pour, then stomped her foot at me for taking so long. It was good to see Solidare was already feeling better.

While Solidare slurped down her hot mash, Dave and I worked at getting this foal to nurse. First off it looked like it was going to be fairly easy. Dave made comments about how smart fillies are because the foal was right there where it belonged. The only problem was the foal sucked every place on that udder except for the nipples and it easily lost focus.

Right from the start of working with this foal to nurse, I was concerned. While the foal had a suck reflex it was not as strong as I like to see. The overall demeanor of this foal was a little more subdued than what I expect too. I was beginning to suspect that this was a "dummy foal" not to the extremes...... but enough to make the going tough, complicated if you will, as in needing more human intervention. Again, I thought about Chance.

Lindsay stopped by a few times on her way back and forth cleaning stalls checking in to see how things were going. It was on one of these trips she told me she'd been thinking that "Serenade" would be a good name for Solidare's foal. Since the last three of the mare's foals have had musical names, Serenade sounded good for a filly. Lindsay was pleased. Her names are not always the ones I pick.

After a couple of hours.........and I do mean hours of trying to guide, coerce or whatever other way we knew how to do, coax this foal to nurse I gave up and I quit letting Dave tell me it would be ok. The clock was ticking and we still had no colostrum into this foal. Not knowing exactly what time this foal had been born, we only had a ball park figure on how old this foal was. I didn't want to waste anymore precious time without getting colostrum down the foal.

I went back to the house for a clean container and a large dose syringe. When I returned, I rewashed the mare's udder and then milked enough colostrum off the mare to fill the syringe. Then I hand feed the little varmint. The last thing I wanted was a foal that needed to be transfused because of low IgG scores.

It took Dave's help, however, to get the liquid down the foal. It's not that the foal was fighting me but it wasn't willing participating either. Dave had to hold the foal's head in the correct position as well as hold the mouth open so I could manage the syringe without spilling any of the vital fluid.

It was necessary to go very slowly. This foal wasn't spitting out the sticky foamy fluid but was not visibly swallowing it either. The upside was the foal wasn't choking on it. The fluid was going down.........but ever so slowly. It worked more like a plugged up drain gradually diminishing than a foal swallowing the precious colostrum.

I had to gauge my additions of more liquid by the level of bubbles in the foal's mouth. I've never been all that patient but at times like this I seem to muster up enough to get me through. I managed to not get ahead of this foal so we didn't get into any choking. None of the precious fluid rolled out of the mouth. Only a little got wiped off on the foal blanket when Dave once lost his grip and the foal rubbed its face across the blanket. Other than that pretty much all I milked off the mare got down the foal. At least that was good.

Even though it was a slow protracted process the foal got the much needed colostrum. We managed to get six ounces down. I figured, guessing at size and weigh, based on what we'd done with the twins, this would be right for now.

Then we went into the house for breakfast and to give the mare and foal a break from our intrusions. I hoped when we returned, the foal might be a little more lively......... a little more vigorous.

Once back out at the barn, there was more stall cleaning. I was glad to see that Solidare had actually pooped while we were in the house, not just once but three nice piles. That spoke volumes about the condition of the mare. We were probably out of the woods for colic and maybe even torsion. I worked at getting the piles cleaned up before they got mushed into the straw.

It was while I was working on cleaning the stall this second time, I spied something unusual on the foal. Well, unusual for a filly......... I went closer, lifting up the tail and sure enough, there they were. Two of them, nice big testicles hanging down for all the world to see. Another Legs colt born with both testicles down. Whodda thunk!.........especially when it was as quiet as this one. Just another reason for me to suspect I was dealing with a dummy foal.

To be continued...............

A Routine for the Foal



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Solidare..........the First Hours after Foaling

Part 1

Once I was finished checking on the mare's status, I turned my attention to the foal. Shivering in the cold morning air, the partially wet foal was nestled up close to the mare's face. Solidare was content with the closeness. From what I could tell things looked pretty normal except for a rattle to the foal's breathing, a tell tale sign of inhaled amniotic fluid.

I toweled the foal down, rubbing briskly to add some heat. I checked respiration to be sure the rate was normal. I wanted to be sure the rattled breathing was not a sign of a bigger issue. I also kept my an eye on Solidare wanting to be ahead of her if she should attempt to rise.

The mare was shivering too. Dave was worried about that. I assured him it's a normal occurrence after foaling. The loss of the foal and placenta mass causes an abrupt drop in the mare's temperature. It takes a while for the system to stabilize and the mare's body heat to return to normal.

I reminded him of those days when we had babies and the nurses with hot warm blankets trying to keep me comfortable. I sure wish they had warming ovens and towels big enough to accommodate mares. I always feel so sorry for them as they shake. Another one of those things to add to my list of wants should I ever win the lottery.

Solidare had tried a couple of times to get to her feet before I'd joined Dave at the foaling stall. Just the thought of the quivering muscles of her left leg made me wince. There wasn't much chance the mare would make it up with that injured left leg underneath her but there was a good chance she might do further damage in her now weakened state. It just was not safe for her to be attempting to get up on that leg so soon after foaling.

Solidare, however, was not as worried about her leg as she was about her foal. I could see her motherly instincts kicking in as she considered getting up. As long as the foal was standing some internal clock told her she needed to rise for her foal to nurse. It was driven by a sense that needed to be accomplished soon. If we didn't intercede getting her good leg underneath her, the mare would be attempting to rise without our help. Whether we were ready or not we needed to get this mare to her feet.

It helped that at first the foal was unsteady. There really wasn't a protracted period of time standing for the little one so Solidare's inclinations to rise came and went with the attempts of the foal. While the foal seemed strong enough, the interest in the task wasn't really all that strong.

It was hard to know what the balance should be in this situation. The mare needed to rest as much as possible. The foal needed to be nursing sooner, better than later. Nursing required the mare be standing. Standing required the mare be turned over to the other side. All of these things needed to be accomplished in the manner that was best for the two horses.

Because the foal didn't seem to be that interested in really figuring out how to use those mile long legs, I was worried about how long it might take to teach such a foal to nurse. With the clock ticking on how long colostrum can effectively be utilized, there was a sense of urgency to this task.

I figured the longer I could keep Solidare down, the better off she'd be. I suspected once she got to her feet she wouldn't lay back down easily. So my first priority was going to be getting this foal comfortable on its feet while still keeping Solidare down. Once we knew the foal could stand well enough to nurse, then we would work on getting Solidare turned.

Dave and I both worked at helping the foal find balance. Caught up in the task at hand, I never even thought about what sex this foal might be and I don't think Dave did either. When it became clear that Solidare was intent on getting to her feet our focus turned once more back to her and we still hadn't discovered the gender of this new little one.

Solidare was not happy about the prospect of us rolling her over to get her good leg underneath her. She'd not been particularly fond of our assistance the other three times but her resistance had been minimal. Now we found the mare was determined not to cooperate and it was easy to see why. Solidare did not want to take her eyes for one second off her foal. The mare co operated to the point she'd lose sight of her foal and then she fought.

At first the foal was right there in the thick of things. Still trying to get up or lay down, it didn't matter. Mostly it was about staying near the mare while Dave and I tried tucking her legs underneath her so we could work on turning her over. In the midst of all this, I mentioned to Dave that we still didn't know what sex this foal was. He bent over taking quick look, or so I thought, and said, "It's a filly"

The foal was too unsteady on those spindly legs to be anything but be in the way while up. We decided the best thing to do was move her out of the way. Down, safely tucked in the corner, we wouldn't need to worry about smushing the foal as we turned the mare so that's what we did. We moved the foal to the corner with little resistance and tucked those mile long legs up underneath. At least one "horse" was in the right position.

The only way we could possibly roll Solidare with her legs underneath her required her active participation or at least total submission to the process. Without tucking her legs up tightly underneath her we couldn't even make an attempt to push her body up and over. With the foal now out of the way, it was much easier to get all four of the mare's legs in the right position.

Solidare was fairly good about leaving her legs in the correct position once we got them there. When it came to moving her neck and head into the "right" position that's where the mare balked. One toss of her head was enough to undo all our work and we were back where we started.

Solidare couldn't see the foal all the way through her changes in position. If we'd had more sets of hands we'd have been able to move the foal through the process to keep her in Solidare's sight. Instead we had to figure out how to convince Solidare the foal would be safe out of her sight for that brief instant or we had to find a way to get the job done even with her resistance.

It soon became clear we weren't going to be able to accomplish our task in this manner. We were going to have to go with the more dangerous method of rolling her with her legs up and going over the top. While the quieter the mare was in this process affected how safely the task could be accomplished, it was possible to get it done with some resistance from the mare. Since Solidare wasn't going to stay quiet if she couldn't see her foal even for a brief moment, this was our only option.

Having pulled the mare over before, Solidare knew when I put the rope around her left fetlock what was coming next. She popped up onto her barrel in rigid attention. At least for the moment she was more concerned about losing sight of her foal than she was getting herself up for him to nurse but we couldn't accomplish what we needed either. To roll her over we needed her flat out on her side.

We talked to her, petted her trying to soothe her into relaxation. The foal dozed quietly in the corner and the mare finally laid back down onto her side to take a brief break. We tried to take advantage of the situation to roll her over but the confines of the stall put Dave in a bad position. We ended up with another aborted attempt and Solidare once again sitting rigidly upright in a protective mode.

This time in addition to soothing the mare, Dave and I conversed about where each of us needed to be when the next opportunity arose. With me having the rope on the mare's fetlock, I needed to be behind the mare's back in the small people doorway. Since Dave was grabbing onto Solidare's front underneath leg for leverage he needed to be on the opposite side from me moving into the mare as we turned while still managing to stay out of the way of those flailing legs.

The next time the mare laid flat out we tried again. Again we had logistics problems but we were closer this time. When Solidare popped back up onto her belly we strategized some more.

We did manage to get the mare turned over but only on our third attempt. It went smoothly this time but unfortunately the mare ended up too close to the wall. What we now had was a cast horse. While I had suspected this possibility we hadn't planned on how we might handle it. Luckily, Solidare laid there quietly while we figured out how to free her.

I got on the phone to see if I could round up any help. Sliding the mare far enough away from the wall so she could get her legs underneath her wasn't going to be easy for just Dave and me. We sure didn't want to be rolling her back over again. I did find help but no one close so we decided to see what we could do by ourselves.

It's funny what adrenaline can do for you. Don't ask me how, but Dave and I managed to slide the mare around enough she could get up. It wouldn't have been possible without Solidare's total co operation.

I wedged myself between the mare and the wall pushing on her upper legs right near the shoulder while Dave pulled on the base of her neck. Solidare laid there quietly keeping me safe. The mare's body moved slowly like a compass pivoting on it's point. That got us a few precious inches at her chest. away from the wall.

Those inches allowed me to pull the mare's legs into a position like a handle with her forearm parallel to her body that I could "use" from the mare's back side, right next to Dave. Dave kept his position at the base of her neck. Together, we pulled and pulled, counting and breathing and pulling and groaning in unison. Ever so slowly we pivoted the mare's front end away from the wall.

Once Solidare got enough room to unfold her legs she pushed off on the wall and bounced to her feet while still being careful not to know either Dave or I down. As we moved out of the mare's way, Dave and I both struggled to get to our feet, our backs done in by the process.

To be continued..........

The Foal

Solidare's new foal framed in her flowing mane.



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Solidare...........

Part 1

The cobwebs were forced from my head by the adrenaline released by my recognition of the meaning of the ringing phone. Grabbing for it I asked an urgent, "What?" There was no time for more words, I needed to know what the situation was with my mare. I wanted to hear Dave's voice....... not mine.

Dave's response, "You need to get out here. There's a foal on the ground." There was urgency in Dave's voice but not desperation. That meant he wasn't alarmed but he needed help. Dave doesn't have the experience to do much for the mare without instruction still I asked about Solidare's condition.

The mare and foal looked ok. Solidare was still down. She was laying with her bad leg underneath her. Everything else I would have to find out for myself.

Springing to my feet, I couldn't get ready fast enough. I was wishing I'd laid down with all of my clothes on instead of being only half dressed. It seemed like each piece of clothing took on a life of its own not wanting to cooperate as I tried to put myself together. The whole process couldn't have taken long but to me it felt like forever. I wanted to already be with my mare and I was just heading out the door.

Running to the barn seemed like a better option now. There was no secretive mare to disturb. I nearly tripped over my own feet shaking my head at my clumsiness as I imagined landing on my face and further delaying my arrival at Solidare's side. I tried to think about my feet instead of the urgency I felt.

The sprint to my barn is farther than my asthma will allow. I made it as far as the hay barn before I had to come to a walk. Wheezing my way towards the far barn, I realized the only sound I heard was me.

The silence in the barn yard was staggering. Normally this time of the morning every horse in the place would be sending a morning greeting wanting to be fed, yet not a sound was to be heard. There was not a nicker, a rustle, the fall of a foot, a chomp of teeth on wood walls......... nothing. If I didn't know better I would have thought there wasn't a horse on the place.

Something magical happens when a mare is giving birth...........the entire herd goes quiet....... waiting............wanting to hear the precious sounds of new life. It's one of the things Dave uses to tell him the mare is "getting close." He knows the herd will know before any of we humans and they will stand at attention........... listening for the outcome.

Normally it is the first call of the mare to her new foal that will arouse a response from the other horses. The new foal will be greeted in quiet but joyful chorus. Then the silence resumes as the herd listens intently for the response of the foal and any other clues of what's going on.

On this morning the silence of the horses really struck me. Usually I am the one already at the foaling stall. Something about the walk this morning brought new perspective to me. My alarm was soothed a little by the silence.

The horses know when something is wrong. I remember the night Vee went into labor with the twins. You could have cut that silence with a knife. I was running around frantic to find a vet and the herd seemed to have a sense of the urgency. This silence with Solidare didn't have that kind of tension that comes when things could be going horribly wrong.

I greeted Dave at the door of the foaling stall. He was standing there looking in, watching the mare and foal. I glanced over the half door to see that Solidare looked calm and relatively comfortable. The nearly dry foal was laying right in front of her.

Still I didn't trust without looking for myself. I needed to check the pool of material I could see laying behind the mare underneath her tail. I needed to know status before I called the vet.

Carefully I entered the stall through the little side door. I carried a bucket with me to put the afterbirth in. Then I reached carefully for Solidare's tail. Lifting it ever so carefully to see if there were any signs the mare's uterus was protruding from her vagina. Was the placenta the only thing there outside the mare?

Every thing looked normal. Without the pressure of the foal inside the mare, the lining of the vagina was no longer exposed. There were no external signs of the uterus but I couldn't believe it. After all the worry and stress I had to lift the mass laying beneath the mare's tail to see it was what it was supposed to be. Then and only then could I believe we had probably dodged a bullet.

I immediately called the vet to give him the status on the mare. We talked briefly about the jeopardy of Solidare laying with her bad leg underneath her. If at all possible we needed to roll her with her legs underneath her. Otherwise there was an even greater risk of a torsion now because of the "looseness" caused by the vacany left by the foal inside the mare.

Symptoms for a torsion would manifest similar to those for colic. Colic is also a possibility in the post parturition mare. The vet suggested if I had bran to make a mash to help insure that didn't happen. A hot bran mash is always part of my after care for foaling mares but we'd have to get Solidare to her feet before I could go cook.

To be continued............

The First Hours after Foaling



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Heritage.........Watching......Waiting..........

Part 1

Since I began using a barn cam, I've always had the luxury of streaming on the web. For me the advantage of this has been those extra eyes streaming makes available. However, as MareStare has grown there are now so many foaling mares on cams it has diffused the number of "capable" observers to a point it's hardly useful. I learned that during my foaling last year.

With Dave being out of work for over a year and a half now, I didn't really think live streaming was worth the expense. We would have to set the barn cam up for closed circuit instead. That would give me a bird's eye view of what was happening without disturbing the mare.

You would think if you could stream live on the internet that converting to a closed circuit on the computer should be easy. Well, at least that's what I thought. I should have known better. Nothing for me on the computer has ever been easy and we still haven't figured out how to do this.

The next option was closed circuit with a TV set so Dave went to Goodwill to buy a used set and then on to Radio Shack for the coaxial cables needed to get the cam up and running. From there it should have been easy BUT it wasn't. The barn cam, sending unit and receiver will all have to be uninstalled and sent off to see if repairs are possible. In the meantime, there would be no closed circuit assistance for foaling at the time we really needed it.

With Solidare's due date set using a 345 day table, the mare's actual due date is April 19. Her past performances have put her all over the place in regards to the "when" of birthing. The mare has gone anywhere from 335 days to 370 days so there was no help in the guessing game there. Watching and waiting were the order of the day.

Dave is as worried about Solidare as I am so he decided that he would help in this current foal watch. This is something he has volunteered to do only rarely and he's really not taken it seriously enough for me to believe I can count on him. However, Solidare really did scare Dave in the field on Saturday. The last thing he wants is to see me loose this mare and he really did step up in ALL ways this time.

We mapped out a schedule for checking the mare so we could maximize on our sleep. Alternating back and forth allowed us to "stretch" our forty winks. Hopefully neither of us would end up so sleep deprived we wouldn't be useful when the time actually came.

For me the biggest indicator of foaling in my mares has always been the status of their milk. I've been fortunate to not have mares that would stream milk for days while not producing a foal. Once that milk turns to white, it's pretty much been a given a foal will follow sometime soon if the mare is not disturbed. This put monitoring Solidare's milk foremost on my list.

The changes had begun early Saturday morning but they were subtle and nothing to get excited about yet. The liquid was amber but just a hint cloudy. By Saturday evening there were more changes but still very subtle..... just a hint more cloudy. I was looking for a change from amber to white.

When I'd talked with my vet about his current concerns, there had been no more changes in Solidare's pre-milk at all. I don't know if all of the excitement and having the vet stalled the mare but clearly she was not progressing. To be safe we were watching the mare like a hawk watches its prey.

Solidare was not happy with the interruptions during the night as Dave and I took our turns checking on her condition. This probably didn't help speed things along either but I knew she would get used to our routine.

It's a known fact a mare can "hang onto" her foal if she feels threatened in any way. Only once she's into that second stage of labor will it proceed despite external forces.

Because the mare is so sensitive to our presence, I've learned sleeping in the barn does not work with her. If we sleep in the barn, Solidare has always managed to hold onto her foal until we take a needed potty break. She has held out for days waiting for that break to come.

If this foal was ready to be born, we wanted that to happen as soon as possible. The sooner the mare was relieved of the extra weight, the better off she would be. While sleeping in the barn is actually easier for me, it wasn't going to be easier on my mare so we opted for staying in the house and doing frequent barn checks. The mare seems to tolerate those better than the move in.

Sunday night came and went followed by Monday night too with no changes at all in the mare. It wasn't until Tuesday afternoon that I detected any more changes to Solidare's pre-milk. Even though those changes were not "normal" for this mare, there were significant changes. I still had golden but slightly cloudy liquid just like there had been Saturday evening. The only difference was it's consistency........and it was now very very sticky.

For those not familiar with all this foaling stuff, it's important to know from the time there is fluid that can be extracted from the udder, it is always rather sticky so "sticky" alone is not a clue of imminent foaling. However, there was a very noticeable change in how sticky the liquid from Solidare's udder had become. It was that change that made me suspect we were closing in of parturition.

By Tuesday evening the color of the liquid had only made a slight change but that consistency and stickiness really had my attention now. I wondered if Solidare would hold on to her foal throughout the night only to foal sometime early morning like she has in years past. While I wasn't positive foaling was imminent, I knew the mare wouldn't be holding out much longer. We were getting down to more serious stuff.

I kept playing scenarios over in my head. The "What if's" were killing me. What if the foal was born , the uterus came with it and the vet had not arrived? What if the mare managed to foal when we weren't right there and every thing all came out together? What if we couldn't reach the vet? What if........

All I knew was I didn't want any surprises. I knew from lots of past experience, the odds of catching this mare right at the entry from the first stage of labor going into the second were slim to none.
Because the mare does little moving around because of the torn tendon in her left hind leg, the tell tales signs of pacing are totally removed from the equation. Without those, the odds of catching her were even worse. Still, I tried to keep the faith, be calm and wait for Mother Nature to grace us with her presence.

Dave and I discussed our strategy before our late night shifts began as the intense watch sifted to accommodate a little sleep for the watchers. On my turns it was hard not to run to the barn. I knew running would only cause problems but my heart was running.........as was my head.

Each time I checked the mare that night there was no sign. I reluctantly put myself to bed and prayed. The prayers disappeared into sleep until something intruded through the dreamlike awake state that comes with too much worry and not enough sleep, ..............my brain jolted at the unexpected intrusion.

WTF IS that?........... OMG, the phone......... Dave!................ Solidare...................

To be continued...................

Solidare


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Heritage.........Problems

Part 1

I was riding my stallion at the park the next day when my cell phone rang again. On the other end was my vet.I figured he'd done his thinking and now he was ready to tell me what his thoughts were on this whole situation. I took a deep breath hoping I was ready to hear what he had to say. Then I answered the phone.

As I expected, the vet started off with, "Now that the cobwebs have cleared and I have a chance to think.........." Then he proceeded to explain his concerns about the mare's collapsing vagina.

This collapsing vagina is not something I have ever seen before. I did know that the mare's vulva seemed to be changing in appearance but I didn't know what was causing the change. Now it makes sense the changes are from the loss of support inside the vagina. As the muscles collapse, they're pushing outwards.

This is what I got from the vet's comments. It is the structure of the vagina that keeps the uterus in place during the birth process. With that structure being compromised there was a distinct possibility the mare's uterus might prolapse (come out along with the foal and placenta) as she was foaling.

I've been doing this foaling thing long enough for fear to be my immediate response at the mention of a prolapsed uterus. I know that mares die from a prolapsed uterus....... not always........but often enough. If there was any possibility this might occur the mare's best shot would be to have the vet come at the first sign of foaling.

Having the vet present at foaling is one of those things...... easiest enough to plan.............. not so easy to carry out. Predicting "when" just isn't all that successful when it comes to foaling. We'd have to hope we could catch a normally very sneaky mare. The only times I've ever caught Solidare before a foal was born was when she needed assistance.

Then there was the other issue the vet mentioned. A pregnant mare rolling can cause a torsion of the uterus. It's extremely dangerous. A torsion can kill the foal and/or the mare and somehow, that I still don't understand, my vet felt Solidare might also be at a higher risk for a torsion during her foaling.

We have rolled this mare over a couple of times in the last weeks because she gets down with her bad leg underneath and she can't get up. Even with intervention we've been unable to get Solidare to her feet without rolling the mare over completely.

Doing so is an absolute last resort, and we cringe each time we do it. Also, we try our best to support the mare and the foal during this process hoping the foal rolls with the mare. It's when the foal floats inside the mare as she rolls that a torsion is caused in the uterus. Even by supporting the foal there are no guarantees. It's dangerous, that's all there is to it.

At this point I really didn't feel like riding anymore. What I really wanted to do what go somewhere and hide, maybe climb into bed pulling the covers up over my head, but what I really needed to do was have some thinking time of my own. The best way for me to deal with stress is to ride...........so ride I did but only after I got on the phone and called Dave telling him I really needed my barn cam up and running.

That cam has saved me lots of grief when it comes to tracking foaling mares. Having the cam probably saved Bey Aana and Patriot's life and I was counting on it now to help save Solidare and this foal. Wouldn't you know it, this was the year my barn cam decided to die.

To be continued.....................

Watching......Waiting.......

This is another archive photo of Solidare. The foal at her side is Dare, her first foal for me. The pic was taken when Dare was 4 months old.



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Heritage.........Heading Home for Answers

Part 1
I was on the road heading home from the Northwest Heritage All Arabian Horse Show when my cell phone rang again. This time it was the vet calling saying he was nearing my street. He wanted someone to open the gate at my farm before he got there because the rig he didn't think the rig he was hauling would fit in my drive.

I knew Lindsay was gone and Dave was sitting with Solidare but I told the vet I'd see what I could get done. Then I called Dave to see if he could leave the mare to get the gate open for the vet. Dave seemed reluctant to leave Solidare but that didn't surprise me. When the man gets stressed he tends to immobilize, moving in any direction is tough let alone one he hadn't expected. Assuring him he'd have the vet's help quicker if he opened the gate seemed to give Dave the added push to get it done.

Before we got off the phone I asked my mare. Dave's response was the mare looked about the same. I asked what she was doing and his response was "Eating grass."

Immediately my mind did a "WTF..........something here doesn't fit." If the mare was in labor she probably wouldn't be eating grass. At the very least this behavior said the mare wasn't stressed. That was a good thing. It seems to be an old breeder's adage "The mare will tell you if something's wrong." I told Dave to remember to breathe the vet would be there shortly and if Solidare was laying there having a little snack, things would probably be fine.

While this wasn't a huge relief for me it did take the edge off a bit. Things with this mare have not gone right in the last trimester of this pregnancy, I wasn't trusting this might be nothing more than Dave being rattled by something totally explainable. Still I couldn't help but wonder what "red" Dave was seeing. Was the mare in labor or not? If she was,could it be a a red bag delivery? I continued racing on towards home. One thing was for sure, I was really dreading having bred this mare.

Throughout my drive home I kept thinking about what needed to be done when I got there. If the mare was indeed foaling, her stall was not ready. I do special bedding for foaling mares and I hadn't believed Solidare was close. I did have the supplies in the barn but would I get the stall ready or would Dave be able to handle that task. Even these questions all seemed to depend on what was happening with my mare. I just couldn't stop my mind from going round and round.

I was coming up Webster Hill when I came upon two motorcycle riders. I am always leary about them even when I'm not in a hurry. While my heart still seemed to be thumping loudly in my chest, I sat back, took a deep breath and settled in behind those bikes. There was no way I was putting them or me at risk by trying to pass them on this road.

Wouldn't you know it, those bikers stayed right on the same route as me. I got stuck behind them until I finally reached my street. It was only then I was able to pick up my pace again and speed on down the road. By the time I reached my farm it had been only twelve minutes since I'd left the Tacoma Unit. I figure anytime soon I'll begin receiving my speeding tickets in the mail from the overhead cops in helicopters out there in my state's latest crack down on speeders.

The gate was still standing wide open and I whizzed through driving straight up to the barns. Looking back I don't know why I didn't look over in the field to see if I could see Solidare as I made my way through, but I didn't. All I could think of was getting there as fast as I could.

As I pulled the car up to a stop, I saw Dave coming around the corner walking Solidare towards her stall. The vet was heading towards the water trough to wash off his arm. My mind was racing all directions as I looked over to where I figured Solidare must have been laying. There was nothing but a pile of her white hair showing where the mare had laid........... no signs of a foal or foaling anywhere.

I can't even explain the questions racing through my head as I tried to assimilate something from what I saw. There was no rhyme or reason to any of this. The vet was the only one with answers so I headed straight towards him but I wasn't prepared for what I heard.

The first thing the vet said was the mare's vagina was collapsing. The blood that Dave had seen was actually the lining of her vagina showing, turned outside by the pressure created by her laying down. Also, the foal was still down deep inside the mare and yes, the foal is still alive.........and kicking. It was not up close to the birth canal. While that didn't mean the mare wouldn't foal soon, it did mean she wasn't in the process of foaling at that moment.

To get the mare up, the vet and Dave had had to roll the mare over. The vet was just as concerned about that as we had been on the two occasions we'd had to do that. Shaking his head with concern at the possibilities that can be caused from this intervention. It's a catch twenty-two and we all knew it.

The vet finished cleaning up his arm. Then he headed to turn his huge rig, complete with a tractor with back hoe around so he could leave. I knew he was "thinking" of the possibilities and he'd let me know when he had answers.

I joined Dave to see my mare. She seemed unhappy to be coming in from the field. Even dinner wasn't enough for her to stop pouting. I checked to see if there was progress and milk hoping for something that could tell me what was going on............. The fluid was going from golden to cloudy but nothing near white yet.

The only thing I knew for sure Solidare was safe for the moment anyway. It was going to be a long night and I wouldn't be heading back to the show.
Other than that there were no answers..........only a lot more questions.

To be continued...................

Problems

For those of you who don't know, this is a pic of Solidare from my archives.




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Heritage.........a Hasty Departure

It was not the first time Dave had called me at the horse show about Solidare. We had begun turning horses out before I'd even left for the Northwest Heritage All Arabian Horse Show. Dave and Lindsay had finished up the task without me.

Lindsay had turned Solidare out without thinking about it. Then after the fact thought maybe she shouldn't since Solidare is beginning to bag up. Lindsay called me to see if it was OK Solidare was outside. While the mare is getting closer to foaling she sure wasn't close enough to be left inside so I told Lindsay she did good, let Solidare be.

Dave is nervous about being left in charge with Solidare getting closer to her due date. He knows how much the mare means to me and that this last part of her pregnancy has not gone well. Dave freaked when he saw Solidare out in the field and immediately called me not realizing that Lindsay had already checked things out with me.

I could tell from the sound of his voice Dave wasn't too sure about the mare being out in the field and for a good reason. The mare has laid down outside a couple of times in the past weeks with her bad leg underneath her so she has been unable to get up by herself. We've had to resort to rolling her over to even be able to get the mare to her feet and that's not good. It is a tactic neither of us likes to use and it takes both of us to get it done safely.

However, Solidare hates being cooped up. She loves being outside and even more loves when the sun is shining like it was on Saturday. Depriving the mare of time out in the sun just didn't seem fair. There's just as much chance she will further injure her bad leg in her stall as there is outside so I opted to leave Solidare outside enjoying the sunny spring day.

Dave called me later to find out when I planned on coming home. Lindsay was gone for a night out and she'd left with all the mares still outside. Dave was hoping I was on my way home so he'd get some assitance putting the horses back in before the evening meal. With the show schedule being so far off, the classes I was hoping to see hadn't even run yet so Dave told me to stay at the show and he'd work on putting the mares in by himself.

The next time my cell phone rang, it was again Dave. This time I could hear the panic in his voice. Solidare was down and couldn't get up and Dave thought she was in trouble. I got the impression that Solidare was trying to foal because he said there was blood all over her back end.

At the sound of those words, Dave was not the only one in a panic. I was beating myself up for staying at the horse show instead of going home sooner as I headed for the door. All sorts of scenarios ran through my head about what kind of trouble Solidare could be in. Before I pulled out of the Tacoma Unit parking lot, I put a call in to my vet.

Even though it was Saturday AND his day off, my vet answered with only two rings. I appreciate he sees my number and answers instead of letting my call go to his answering service which most other vets would do.

When I told him about Dave's call, the vet said he was on the road in Eatonville heading towards home. That made him much closer to my farm than me. Although he wasn't in his vet rig which meant he didn't have drugs or tools, he would be more help to my mare than Dave or me. The vet heated straight to my farm.

I was relieved to know the vet would reach my farm before me but that didn't stop me from "beating feet" to get home as quickly as possible. The half hour drive from the Tacoma Unit to my farm seemed like an insurmountable obstacle. I was determined to cut that time down as much as possible.

Normally, I am not a speeder. Well, I can push that 5 miles an hour they say most cops will give you but other than that I pretty much respect the law. However, there are those situations where we pretty much all believe that are exceptions. Knowing my mare was in trouble was definitely one of those. I was flying down the back roads.

I got bogged down in traffic in a couple of different spots. I'm not one of those people comfortable with pushing the envelope passing traffic when it's not safe so I just hunkered down and tried to contain myself. My heart was pounding out of my chest and I had to fight those hysterical thoughts that by the time I arrived my mare would be dead.

I kept running over in my mind what I had seen that morning when I checked the mare. There were no indicators the mare was anywhere near foaling. It just didn't seem possible that she'd do such a jump in progress in the middle of the day. That has just not been her pattern in the past.

Sure mares can and do DO about anything to upset the apple cart when it comes to foaling. There is no such thing as a predictable mare. Any one who believes that usually ends up with egg on the face but still seasoned mares just don't seem to make the kind of leap this looked like unless something is seriously wrong. That thought wasn't much comfort.

To be continued..........

Heading Home for Answers



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Getting Ready for Spring - - The Results

Part 1

It was nearly a week before we began to see signs that Solidare was gaining weight. Subtle changes made the mare not look "quite so bad" at first. It was more of an impression than anything clearly measurable but it was all we had to gone on.

At first it was hard to trust this belief but as each day went along it became a little easier. By the end of the second week there was no doubt Solidare was gaining weight at an appreciable rate. Her ribs were not quite so exposed and something about else about her looked better too although I couldn't quite put my finger on what that was.

Along with the weight gain, the mare was acting as if she felt better too. Solidare still wasn't moving around much with her feet unless asked to move but she was turning her head to see what was going on her about her. This was something she hadn't seemed to care much about just a few short days before.

Before long I also noticed Solidare's appetite seemed to improve with the amount of time she was hand walked. I stumbled across this information by accident. Checking on the mare before I loaded horses to go work, most mornings I'd find her hay strewn all over the place. A couple of mornings I found the mare had completely cleaned up all her food.

When I went searching for clues to explain the difference between these mornings, I discovered on the days Solidare had finished all her breakfast, Dave had handwalked the mare while Lindsay feed the rest. On the other days she wasn't hand walked until sometime in the middle of the day.

I decided to track this information to see if or how the hand walking was really affecting her meals. At first we just tracked the time of the day of the walking and what effect it had on her eating. Then we got more specific and tracked the actual time walked compared to her consumption of food.

What i learned from this was the mare definitely ate her morning meal much better when she was hand walked before she was fed. If she wasn't handwalked before that meal, it affected how she cleaned up her food throughout the entire day. If I added a second bout of hand walking i could actually increase the mare's allotment of food and she'd clean it all up.

That's when I began to suspect this whole problem with Solidare losing weight had been caused by her lack of movement. It made sense that her immobility could affect her gut. If her gut slowed down it would not utilize her food like it should. That would explain how the mare could be eating as much as she was yet still losing weight.

I called the vet to talk to him about these observations. He was totally in agreement that the mare's immobility could very well be at the root of her poor condition. There is really no other explanation for the improvement in the mare's condition.

The other good news is that Solidare's body is beginning to show some signs of improvement in muscle tone. Obviously we have a long way to go, but there is definitely evidence the hand walking is affecting more than just the mare's appetite. For the first time in weeks, it looks like there is a light at the end of this tunnel.

To be continued................



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Getting Ready for Spring - - The Next Step

Part 1

As we discussed that terrible decision I know is coming some day, both the vet and his assistant nodded their heads. Both saw the sadness and discomfort in the mare's eyes but both also saw her looking to us to fix it. We were all in agreement. The mare had not given up.

Armed with that information I took my mare home to make the best of her treatment plan. This whole thing still felt out of control and totally unexplained but I would have to make the most of what I had. I had to think we were on the right track even if I didn't really believe it. For now it was all we had.

The following morning I called the vet to get the mare's test results hoping to find some answers. Everything seemed normal except the mare was ever so slightly anemic. However, the thyroid results were not in so I crossed my fingers hoping it was that. Normally an improperly functioning thyroid in a pregnant mare is an easy fix.

I decided to put Solidare on Red Cell to treat the slight anemia. The vet had mentioned it even though he didn't consider it to be absolutely necessary. Both of us figured it couldn't hurt to give the mare the added boost. With the way she looked, I was willing to do anything.

It wasn't until the next day the results of the thyroid test arrived. The mare's thyroid function was normal just like her liver and kidney functions had been. We still had no idea what caused the weight loss issue with this mare.

The vet recommended I give the mare a couple of weeks with her diet changes, the Red Cell and the hand walking to see if the mare would come around. Of course, that meant if she continued to decline we would have to act on that immediately. Otherwise, it was going to be a waiting game.

A part of me groaned at the prospect. Trusting the mare would get better without added intervention just didn't seem possible but he's never let me down in some pretty desperate circumstances. I acquiessed to his opinon although I feared waiting and watching would be unbearable.

In those two days waiting for the test results there had been no further deterioration in the mare. At least there was that to hang onto. I knew the evidence of gains would take longer to notice. It was reasonable to assume we were on the right track.

The hardest part of this plan was the hand walking. Forcing the mare to move when she really didn't want to was not going to be easy. It felt the same as the experience of either watching or participating in making a colicy horse move. You want to do what's best for that horse but your heart breaks all the while.

With each step I grimmaced for the mare and frankly, I finally took the easy way out. I just couldn't handle watching my mare in such shape so I asked Dave to do the hand walking for me.

It probably turned out better for the mare that I did that. Solidare could feel my pain and was getting stressed by it. She walked with me but she worried the whole time.........wondering what the problem might be. Her lower lip quivered and flipped and sweat broke out on her neck....... all because I was so worried about her.

With Dave the mare was able to focus on her walking and the world around her. Within a day or two it actually began to look like Solidare was enjoying these outings even though she was being forced to move. The mare would hear Dave coming and knicker at him softly at first. Then when she'd hear him pick up her halter the greeting would become more intense. That was our first sign that maybe things were turning around for Solidare.

To be continued.........

The Results



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Getting Ready for Spring - - The Discovery

Part 1

Once we were sure the foal was alive, the vet took Solidare out of the palpation chute to look her over in her normal stance. It was then he discovered the reason for Solidare's recent lack of movement.

Just the way the mare stood with one hock stretched out behind her told him the mare had probably torn the tendon over the back of her left hock. When he examined the hock more closely he confirmed the diagnosis. The change in Solidare's gait and her reluctance to move were the result of this new injury.

This diagnosis put us in a catch twenty two. For the hock to heal the mare needed to stay as quiet as possible. Yet, if the mare and the foal were to survive, the hand walking needed to be continued to restore the lost muscle tone so the mare had a shot at a normal foaling.

The foaling issue would have to take precedence over the tendon issue. There was no question about that but there were added risks if the tendon did not heal. The more compromised the mare's legs are the more likely she will harm herself getting up or down. There was the likelihood she might tear something else. If that happened it would most likely be catastrophic.

I know first hand from the dislocated fetlock back with Lindsay's therapy horse that a horse with weak ligaments or tendons is at risk of further injury. That horse had a mild strain to his suspensory ligament that led to that dislocated fetlock.

From what we could tell, the horse laid down with the weak leg underneath him. Then when he tried to get up, the suspensory ligament couldn't support all his weight putting part of it onto the collateral ligament. Not intended for such use, the collateral ligament blew out allowing the bones of the fetlock to spreak all over the place.

Luckily for us Solidare is wiser than that gelding. I'd noticed recently she has been exclusively laying on one side as evidenced by a stain I keep fighting on that side. The mare is not laying down with her weakest leg underneath her. The question is how long her already compromised legs will hold up to the abuse they're taking because of these injuries.

The vet did recommend some changes in Solidare's diet. He wanted the mare to be getting more fiber so I was to cut back on the alfalfa and feed her at least half of her forage in grass. Also, her senior feed was changed to T.A.C.O. but the ration remained the same. Minor adjustments really so I was left still worrying about my mare.

Before I took Solidare home we talked some about the big decision. Watching this mare the past months, it has been at the forefront of my mind. When is that time? When enough is enough? When does an owner make the decision to put a horse down?

For me it is about the horse. It is not about my own discomfort looking at her condition. It is about what Solidare thinks of her life. As long as she has that twinkle in her eye that says she's happy to be alive, I will respect that and give her the time. When the day comes that she tells me she's had enough, I will respect that too.

This day at the vet was a hard one for me. While the mare's eye clearing showed her discomfort, it did not say she was done to me. I thought it was clear she was looking to us for help. The mare wanted to be better. She believed she could be better. I needed to believe it too.

I guess I needed to know I was not reading something that really wasn't there so that's why I began talking to the vet about that difficult decision. I wanted to know if the vet saw the same look that I saw. I wanted to know I wasn't prolonging this mare's life just to save a foal. I wanted to know that Solidare had a chance and that she wanted that chance.

To be continued...................

The Next Step



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