The High Cost of Saving Twin Arabian Foals Part 2

The beginning of the twins saga begins hereReflections on Foaling Season 2006

Yes, my twins survived but not without heartbreak. I've been telling a couple of my friends for a while now that I really needed to do a post about the price I've paid for saving the Arabian twin foals, Scandalous Trouble and Scandalous Surprise. To me that price is as big a part of the story as the details about the twins and the myriad of things I did to care for them.

I don't want it to seem like I would do anything different, because I wouldn't. To my way of thinking giving it everything I had to save these two foals was the only way to go. But that decision came at a great price, both emotionally and
financially and I am still paying that price.

The emotional drain caused by each crisis took its toll. Sometimes the crises with the twins were daily, even hourly. By the time the twins were out of the woods and out of confinement, I was deeply depressed.

I've battled depression over my lifetime but have not seen any form of it since I began with horses. I've known how to deal with the "normal" causes of my depression but this time was different. It had a totally different cause. I was so spent, I hadn't a clue how to replenish. I was exhausted both physically and emotionally and there was nowhere to turn for help. The twins still needed ongoing care and I had the rest of my heard to deal with. I had to force myself each day to get out of bed and face the tasks ahead of me. I went to the doctor. Nothing helped. It was a long, wet, black winter .

All the time I was dealing with the depression I was also fighting with what little energy I had trying to keep my dream alive. It had never occurred to me how caring for the twins would affect that dream.

Those of you that follow this blog know that it's always been my dream to breed Arabian horses. And not just any Arabian horses, I wanted them to be the very best!. That's been a pretty big challenge for a couple of blue collar workers from a small town in Graham.. Top quality horses are like anything else top quality, hard to come by and expensive.

But I haven't let that stop me, I've chased my dream with a vengeance. I knew going into it that it would take time. Horses have to grow up and be trained and shown to be able to get them sold. All of those take time and with life's little bumps here and there the time can stretch out longer than expected. They also take money or energy. I knew from the beginning to make this successful I would have to do most of the work myself. I couldn't afford trainers and show fees both, so I was going to have to do my own training to get my horses into the ring.

The birth of the twins took all of my time, my energy and my money. I also borrowed money so I was now in the hole. Time I couldn't borrow. Everything else stood still. My other four foals from last year didn't get their halter, leading, clipping and bathing lessons. My five year old gelding that was ready to show Western Pleasure Junior Horse didn't get ridden, let alone shown. The horses behind him that were finally mature enough to be started didn't get started. I didn't get my herd sire in the ring, yet another year. The list goes on. The effect of not getting those things done was I didn't get horses sold.

Starting out as a new breeder there are no shortcuts to success. You have to do it by the book. Breed them. Raise them. Train them, Show them. Then you get to sell them. Doesn't matter how great the horses are, no one sees them because they don't come out to the your farm if you haven't proven yourself already. The horses have to get in the ring and when they get there, they have to be doing their job and they have to win. Once the first foal crops have done that, things get easier but that first push can make or break you.

So the time, energy and money the twins took, all was taken away from my dream. This is the first year since I started breeding horses that I do not have a foal crop coming next year. I missed my target getting a horse in the ring. The plan was to get him to Nationals as a junior horse. Now he is six and must go into the full bridle. That means another year before Nationals is even a possibility. I have two more coming up behind him that didn't make the ring as junior horses this year. Now they will need to be in the bridle before they can show.

Fortunately, I have sold a horse but half of what he's worth. That money won't pay my expenses for this operation for six months. If I don't figure out how to get more horses sold, my dream may be coming to an end. The weight of all of this has, of course, added to the depression.

I realize that the twins by themselves aren't responsible for the collapse of my business. It was built on a shoe string. The problem with that is the bumps in the road can kill you. And this one maybe has. I knew going into it I was taking a big risk.

While I love the twins as much if not more than I love any of my horses, they are the straw that may have broken the camel's back on this dream of mine. With all of the things over the years I thought could interfere with my dream, I can tell you having Arabian twin foals was never one of them. The fact that they have had a devastating impact on my life doesn't mean I would change one thing but I just think people should know. Twins may be joyous and wonderful and fun but they can be heart breaking too. It's important, I think, to know that.


A Twins Story

The High Cost of Saving Twin Arabian Foals

The beginning of the twins saga begins hereReflections on Foaling Season 2006

It's ironic that I have been writing this week about my twin Arabian horses that were born in 2006 and there was a set of twin colts born in Holland last evening. While the mare was on a live Mare Stare web cam, I was oblivious to the mare foaling.

The way I found out was through an e-mail from a Mare Starer who felt I should be part of the event. I really appreciated her consideration because, like everyone else, I do find myself drawn to stories about twins. However, I'm pretty sure my reaction is not like everyone else's. While I want to know and help out if I'm needed, I'm consumed with a heavy feeling of dread. I would imagine that's because I know first hand how bad it can be.

So last night after I got the email, I went looking for the thread and the webcam for these miracle twins. On the thread I found there had been problems with the foaling and the cam had been shut down for a while. When it came back online, the world was presented with twin bay colts.

There were few details about the birth or the condition of the twins. The webcam took a special user name and password to access so I set about trying to get someone to PM me that information so I could see for myself. As it turned out the owner had bandwidth issues and even with the password I was unable to access the cam last night. I did get to see some pictures of the new foals that were posted on the thread.

I went to bed pretty upset. When my head hit the pillow I burst into tears (I might add here, I'm not normally a crier!) and a flood of emotions overtook me. I laid there for a long time contemplating the source of my agitation.

This morning I was able to get the cam up and take a look at the new foals. They appeared to be large and in pretty good shape. It was obvious to me from the shape of their heads that they are not totally mature foals but from what I could see their legs looked pretty good and they seemed none the worse for wear from their birth. A thorough check by the vet confirmed they are healthy foals. I am happy for them and their owner.

Most people hear twin horses and they think it's cool. There is some kind of romantic notion about what it must be like to raise twins. Granted the twin foals that usually survive are ok at birth. Once you get past the usual post foaling tasks of nursing, pooping, peeing and taking care of the umbilicus, they can be just like raising a singleton.

It is the twins that have a difficult birth or that are born with the issues of premature foals that usually do not make it. Those are the heart breakers. Those are what my foals were.

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

High Cost Part 2

What Does the Future Hold for the Arabian Twin Foals, Trouble and Surprise

The beginning of the twins saga begins hereReflections on Foaling Season 2006

Someone asked me in the comments to post about my future plans for these two unusual horses. Frankly, I've spent so much time just trying to get them to the place where they are like other horses, I haven't really thought much about their future.

As a breeder I don't really think about the future of any of my foals. I take care of them and wait for them to grow up. Then I assess them and try to figure out what they want to do and then I try to make that happen. I am guilty of not assessing the fillies quite as readily as I do the colts. I have visions of getting to breed them someday and if I don't get them broke, I don't have to worry too much about them selling.

With the twins it's the focus has always been just trying to get them to normal. While they are healthy now and their leg issues are nearly fixed, there is still the issue of their growth. Unfortunately, I don't have any control over that, all the care in the world isn't going to make them grow to full size. That will be totally up to Mother Nature.

As I have said in the past, I don't expect that the filly, Surprise, will grow to her genetic potential. Crushing Syndrome seems to be the reason that twin horses do not grow to their full size. It is Mother Nature's way of protecting them from the ravages of arthritis that goes hand in hand with Crushing Syndrome. The smaller the animal (weight) on a compromised limb, the less impact the arthritis will have on that limb.

However, the reason I wonder about Surprise at all, is because the experts said she would never be sound. Not only is she sound but she doesn't do things to protect that hock at all. She is a master at sliding stops and rollbacks, not to mention the rearing she does from time to time. All are things you would expect a horse with an injury like Surprise's to never do!

After she engages in such activities, her limbs don't swell and she doesn't show any signs of lameness. The aggressive play doesn't seem to phase her at all. It seems to me if that is possible, it is equally possible she might grown to her full size. But until I know that for sure, I will not put her into any exercises program that calls for forced exercise. And even if she does grow to full size, I don't think I would ever ask her to be a show horse without doing some x-rays and such to establish the exact condition of that hock.

Now with the colt, I think we have a better chance of him growing to normal size. I have been free lunging him with the other yearling and it doesn't seem to cause him any problems. But at any time during this year if it looks to me that he has stopped growing, I will stop that form of exercises because that will mean he has Crushing Syndrome as well.

So I guess what this boils down to for me, is their future depends on their size. If both turn out to be little horses, they'll probably spend their lives here with me. Although I have had inquiries about both of them and will probably continue to do so. I would sell them to the right homes but don't think I would even consider that until the question about their size is answered.

If Surprise does stay with me, I will breed her. There is no reason to believe that she will be anything but an awesome producing broodmare and an excellent mother. True black mares as correct and pretty as Surprise are hard to come by. Not to mention she has an impeccable pedigree. So it would not break my heart to end up with her as part of my broodmare band.

And if it turns out Trouble stays here as well, that will be ok too. They certainly have been an attention getter here and what breeder can't do with a little of that. He is a sweet horse and fun to have around.

There may be lots of questions as to what will happen to these two remarkable young horses but one thing is for sure. They will always have a place in our hearts and we'll be doing whatever is best for them throughout their lives.

The High Cost of Saving Twins

Horse Lovers Blog Festival Today ! Arabian Horse Twins Born at Toskara Arabians

First off, don't miss out on the Horse Lover's Blog Carnival today hosted at Horse Approved. There are lots of great horse articles posted there.


After all of the heaviness of the unfortunate foaling of Sassy, the mare (horse) carrying her fourth set of twins (horse foals), I thought it might be refreshing to hear a twins (horse) story that has resulted in a much better outcome for the horses and the people involved.

On March 20, 2007 twin Arabian fillies (horses) were born at Toskaha Arabians. The mare (horse), Angells Essence, is a MHR Nobility daughter. She was bred to the stallion (horse), Psylebrty. Both horses are owned by Brenda and Art Laurel of Laurel Arabians in Fort Worth, Texas.

While the size of the mare before foaling had caused some concerns, twin foals (horses) were not suspected. The mare (horse)had not been ultrasounded because the horse had been sold and the breeding was done by the new owner. Due to an unexpected tragedy the buyer was unable to complete the transaction and returned the mare (horse). The ultrasound and twin pregnancy slipped through the cracks in the confusion.

Both foals (Arabian horses) were fortunately delivered in a normal position. (The number one cause of death in twins (horses) who do survive alive to term are the complications arising from dystocia.) The delivery was an easy process for the mare and both foals (horses). The presentation of the second foal(horse) caught the attendants totally by surprise.

As you can imagine, the startled owner made a frantic trip in middle of the night to see the newest additions to her Arabian horse herd. Even after the 1.5 hour drive to Toskara Arabians, her hands had not quit shaking enough to take pictures. She tried, but her shoots all cam out too blurry to use.

Both foals (horses) are fillies. One (horse) was larger and stronger and soon nursing on her own. The second filly (horse) was weak and needed to be bottle feed in the beginning. She, too, was standing and nursing on her own within the first 24 hours. The mare(horse) has taken to her two charges like a champ and is producing ample milk.

Both fillies (Arabian horses) had low IgG scores and were transfused with plasma. The second set of IgG scores after the transfusions were in normal ranges. . The pictures look like there are some minor angular limb deformities but othre than that both foals apear to be doing fine

You can read more about these remarkable foals on ABlackHorse on their thread on twins arabian foals
There is also a video on utube that was taken when the twin Arabian filiies (horses) were a few days old. Twins video on U tube. The owner was frustrated because she didn't notice until after she'd shot the video that she had an old date stamp on the camera. So the date stamp is not correct.

While most foalings of twins (horses) do not end in this kind of outcome, it is a relief to see that all twin pegnancies in horses don't end in tragedy. Having dealt with my own set of miracle twins (Arabian horses), I know the extreme emotional and financial ramifications of twin foalings gone awry and am grateful that these people don't have to deal with the more extreme costs that seem to be inherent with twins.

For more information see Basics about Twin Foals or read about my own, not so smooth adventure with surviving twin foals, Scandalous Trouble and Scandalous Surprise read Reflections on Foaling Season 2006

Arabian horse Arabian horses horses horse twin foals twin horses

Sassy and Laurietta's Story - Tragedy or Miracle - 4th Twin Pregnancy in Horses Part 5

Part One starts here

Later on Mare Stare we were to learn that the delivery had started off badly with a red bag. Laurietta (horse owner) had indeed taken something to the back corner of the stall. It had been the first foal (horse), small and mummified. She had told us earlier on in the tread if there was a mummified foal, she would wisk it away because mummified foals (horses) are very disturbing in appearance. The second foal (baby foal) had its head and neck turned back, wedging the foal (baby horse) and preventing it from moving into the birth canal. The care givers had tried everything they could to get it into the correct position but it kept slipping back to the original postion.

At first the large foal (horse) had been alive but as time went by with the lack of oxygen caused by the placenta detaching prematurely, the foal (horse) died. It had actually died a short time before the vet arrived. I've heard before that dead foals (horses) are much harder to remove from a mare (horse) than live ones.(Supposedly, a live foal will work with you and the dead one can't.) Maybe that partially explains the duration of this dystocia. The other factor was the size of the second foal (baby horse), a beautiful filly, weighed a whopping 148 pounds. Sheer size alone would have been enough to cause a delivery as difficult as this, let alone having it's head and neck turned backwards. This tragic foaling had nothing to do with twins (horse) and everything to do with an abnormally large foal (horse) and a very bad malpresentation. Life and it's quirks had dealt Sassy and Laurietta another devestating hand.

Was this a tragedy brought on by a thoughtless owner or a miracle perpetuated by a woman's devotion to her mare? I think that everyone will have to decide for themselves. But for me, I know what I think. I know that veterinarians encourage breeding mares(horses) that have had twins. They believe the circumstances can be managed. The success rate for delivering healthy single foals (horses) from mares (horses) that settle twins are actually considerably higher than for those that don't double ovulate and settle twins. I have experience with both twins (horses) and foalings. I know lots of horror stories. Most of them, like this one, have nothing to do with twins (horses).

I didn't need a vet to tell me this mare shouldn't have survived this delivery, yet that's exactly what Laurietta's vet said. the odds were against this mare, the dystocia was that extreme I watched in awe as 5 dedicated people gave every thing they had to save this mare (horse). Pulling a foal that doesn't want to come is exhausting work for even a few minutes, let alone 3 hours. . Even when under attack from a phone call by a heartless intruder, they did not allow the assualt to interfere with their determination to save this mare (horse). Despite the odds, they never gave up.

Neither did the mare. This mare who had a history of abuse and neglect causing her to distrust people when she was first purchased by Laurietta had hung in there and trusted her humans to save her life. They didn't let her down. To me the fact that this mare (horse) survived this delivery is a miracle and directly related to her owner, Laurietta, and her care and planning for her mare (horse).

For me the tragedy of this event was caused by the few ignorant people who took advantage of the accessibility of the internet and attacked a mare (horse) owner who was just trying to do her best for her horse. They decided she didn't have the right to breed her mare and everything after that was a result of stupidity. They appointed themselves judge, jury and executioner and administered their sentence at the most inopportune moment possible as the owner was in the throws of trying to save her beloved mare. The results of this behavior had multipe effects on the the internet community and the owenr. Those are the real tragedy here.

While the experience of watching Sassy's dystocia was horrifying it was equally educational. How brave for the owner to allow it to continue to be broadcast across the internet so people might learn. It would have been much easier to turn off the cam and not give any more fodder to the vultures. Because of the attacks levied upon the horse owner, there are mare owners who have made their web cams private, afraid of being attacked like Laureitta. Who can blame them? The result is those webcams are no longer available for the public to share in the triumphs or the heartbreaks of mares foaling, an incredible learning experience that only a media like the web could provide.

The effect of this trash talking has spread past the internet and spilled out into the community as well. I was at a small horse show last weekend and the ordeal was being discussed even there. Of course, the facts were not correct, a well meaning person was repeating what she'd read on a horse thread on the internet and trashing Laurietta. Not one to tolerate injustice, I set the record straight there, like I'm setting it straight here. The woman doing the talking had no idea she was spreading gossip. She had relied on people she trusted to be honest yet nothing was farther from the truth.Their remarks were based on personal opinions and assumptions with little regard for the truth. My guess is that Laurietta will be bumping into this for a very long time. As a breeder she takes her horses to shows as part of her program. With the large scope of coverage on the internet, the damage has been done and the attacks are far from over. I expect she will continue to be assaulted by uneducated people believing they know what's right. I hope I'm wrong.

The people who know me would tell you I"m a tough critic. My standards are high and I hold my horses in high regard. With that being said, I respect Laurietta as an owner. It was her right to decide whether to breed this mare or not. Once she made that decision, she relied on the experts to help her take proper care of the mare. Whether or not those people were as knowledgeable as others out there, we'll never know. It is my opinion that she did everything that was humanly possible to protect her mare and keep her happy and safe. My hat is off to her.

And to those people who expended such energy in trashing Laurietta and exploiting the story of the mare in foal with her fourth set of twins, I feel sorry for them. Not even a post by one of their own consitutiens who said " It seems the tragedy of the lost foal and the earlier diagnosis of twins are unrelated." was enough to stop their rantings. People who expend such energy trying to destroy other people and their reputataions are not only pathetic but usually miserable themselves.

As of today, Sassy is doing well. She has been depressed over the loss of her foal but her health is good. With the help of viewers on Mare Stare, Laurietta located an agency that takes orphan foals. She went to find a foal for Sassy to replace the foal the mare is pining for. (Laurietta came home with 5 foals because she couldn't bear to leave their fate to chance, that's the kind of person Laurietta is.)

Two of the orphan foals are living right next to Sassy and the mare is beginning to warm up to them. She's no longer standing depressed in the corner wondering where her baby is. She's visiting the foals. Some mares are happiest when they're mothers and Sassy seems to be one of those horses. But then that's obvious, she happily raised two healthy sets of twins. Whether or not Sassy takes one, both or neither of these foals is up to Sassy. Laurietta is again just trying to do what is best for her mare, to see her happy. Today, Sassy was happy out in the field with both foals.

In the meantime unscrupulous people harassing Laurietta gleaned the information from the mare stare thread about the ophan foals. Then called the adoption agency the foals came from and tried to make trouble for her there. There seem to be no limits to their cruelty. So unfortunately the tragedy continues.



Arabian horse Arabian horses horses horse twin foals twin horses

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

Part One starts here

By 12:30 PST some postings on the thread on Mare Stare about the mare(horse) in the midst of her fourth delivery of twin foals (horses) had gotten ugly. There were at least 3 people openly attacking the horse owner while others came to Laurietta's defense and her right to make her own decisions for her horse. After several warnings moderators locked the thread and then deleted it. The parties responsible for trash talking about the horse owner were banned from the site. A new thread about the mare (horse) foaling twins was started with warnings to keep things positive or leave.

On another well trafficked horse site, the vultures circled their prey, then swooped in a feeding frenzy attacking the overwhelmed horse owner. One woman went so far as to send Laurietta an email and even to call her on the phone attacking Laurietta while the woman was in the midst of fighting to save the life of her mare (horse). Although no one on the horse thread openly took responsibilities for these actions, word for word the email and phone call mirrored a particular outspoken individual's posts from the locked thread at Mare Stare and those written on the other horse thread.

Watching on the Internet, onlookers speculated on the sights and horse before them. Some individuals on other horse sites posted like they had an inside track to the gospel truth, when in fact their "information" was purely conjecture. No one really knew for sure the details about the horse or foaling. All anyone knew was what they could see with their own eyes. The lighting was poor, the stall crowded and the mare (horse) turned facing towards the web cam.

Along the way viewers thought they saw things but couldn't be sure. Did Laurietta take something and put it in the corner? Maybe, maybe not. Was the dedicated team taking a break or giving up on the horse? Were the lights that crossed the stall really a truck and trailer preparing to take Sassy (horse) to OSU? The questions were as varied as the possibilities. No one knew, it was all speculation.

Many of the Internet participants had no idea how critical the sight they were witnessing really was. Those of us who did know on Mare Stare kept our speculations to ourselves. The focus was on sending as much positive energy and prayer as possible to help save this valiant mare (horse). Many held out hope that the foals(baby horses) would survive as well.

Finally, approximately three hours into this drama, something looked like it was pulled from the mare (horse) and placed on the ground behind her. The speculation immediately began again as the workers returned to the backside of the mare (horse), doing what looked like checking her internally again. Many watchers tried to figure out what was happening with the object on the ground but their vision was blocked by the position of mare and the people in the stall. However, at one point a portion of the object was visible. It was definitely a foal (baby horse). No one was tending to the foal (horse) and before long it was obvious why. A wheel barrow was brought into the stall and a very large limp foal was placed into it and removed from the stall. The foal (baby horse) was dead.

Soon the people in the stall were cleaning out the soiled bedding and putting down fresh straw. It was over. The people who had followed this mare faithfully on the Mare Stare site were going to have to wait for answers. There was more speculation, even some that there had never been twins at all because of the huge size of the dead foal (horse). Probably a lot of tears were shed for what could have been. Me, I was too numb to cry. For 3 hours I had re experienced the feelings of helplessness that had overwhelmed me last May as my own mare (horse) had labored with twins. All of the terror and desperation I'd watched on my computer I knew intimately. Now knowing they had only been able to save the mare (horse), I could only imagine their grief.

While the "Mare Starers (as they call themselves) tried to make sense of the event, they decided to set up a fund to help Laurietta pay for Sassy's (the horse) vet bills. The people back at Laurietta's barn took care of Sassy (the horse), having no idea what was being done in the heroic horse's name.

Meanwhile the other thread boiled over with rage attacking the horse owner and even Mare Stare spewing their contempt about something they never really understood. Even after the fact, continuing their rant, they kept the anger alive posting that Laurietta had had the gall to ask for help with the horse's vet bills

I can only imagine they did this to keep others on their horse thread angered and away from Mare Stare to avoid exposure for their own heartless behavior.(the email sent to Laurietta is posted openly on Mare Stare) By convincing their peers what a terrible, greedy, heartless person the horse owner was and how unreliable a source Mare Stare was, they wouldn't have to fear being exposed. From what I can tell, they didn't ever make an honest attempt to understand the situation. Instead they exploited it to build their own status among their horse community.

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

Part 5

For a upward lift on the subject of twins in Arabian horses read
Rare Twin Horses Born in Graham

Arabian horse Arabian horses horses horse twin foals twin horses

Sassy and Laurietta's Story - Tragedy or Miracle - 4th Twin Pregnancy in Horses Part 3

Part One starts here

Laurietta was undaunted trying to provide the best possible care for her mare. She knew it was not humanly possible for her to watch the horse as closely as this difficult situation warranted. She knew that her own fatigue and the fatigue of her staff were also enemies so she put her trust in those faceless observers on the Internet who expressed a willingness to participate and be relied upon in monitoring the mare(horse). Laurietta was motivated by love and concern for her mare (horse). A point the naysayers unfortunately continued to overlook. Despite a boatload of snide remarks Laurietta and Sassy pushed on getting closer and closer to the mare's foaling.

As the mare's due date drew closer, there were examinations by the vet as well as consultations with the veterinary experts at Ohio State University. Contingency plans were made for a multitude of possibilities including the extreme of transporting the mare to OSU if needed. Each consultation seemed to fuel the excitement and drama of the impending foaling. Although the exact extent of the consultations and contingency plans were never posted, they were mentioned in generalities by both Laurietta and an associate. A fact that should have soothed some people but only seemed to be used later for more fuel.

By the time the mare (horse) finally would go into labor the only thing anyone on the Internet knew for sure about Sassy's current condition was there had been two viable foals at 6.5 months. One foal was alive and seemed to be facing the correct direction. The fate of the second foal was in question. The weather had turned horrible complete with ice storms. They were trying to stall the mare's labor, if possible, so they could transport her to OSU if needed. The mare (horse) was looking tired and uncomfortable but always perked up at the sight of her owner. It was clear that Sassy and Laurietta had an amazing bond.

March 16, 2007 at approximately 11 am PDT I tuned in to find that Sassy was in labor. There were people in the stall and the vet had been called. The thread on Mare Stare was growing by leaps and bounds as anxious people tuned in to watch the now infamous mare foal. At one point there were 221 users online at Mare Stare alone. The web cam was not hosted by Mare Stare so the numbers didn't reflect the number of people tuned into the cam. With the other threads devoted to the subject there is no way of telling how many people were actually witnessing the drama unfold.

Most people, even most veterinarians have never seen twin foals (horses), let alone be present at their birth. The servers were clogged with horse people and non horse people alike anxious to witness the historical event. Many were praying for a favorable outcome, others were lurking for an opportunity to strike while their target was the most vulnerable. To say it was a three ring circus would be a gross understatement. The comments on threads were flying fast and furious as the scene unfolded and the anticipation built.

Unfortunately, for the mare (horse), her labor did not progress quickly. It soon became obvious to me that the situation was dire with what I guessed was a badly malpositioned foal. An hour turned into two and two drug into three and there was still no resolution. I couldn't even tell you when the vet arrived for sure, it all runs together.

At one time there were as many as five people in the stall, each taking turns adjusting, turning and pulling on the foal. In freezing temperatures, the incredible crew was down to their shirt sleeves as they tried every possible thing they could think of to the get the foal out of the mare(horse). There were multiple phone calls for input from the experts since the roads were too treacherous to take the mare to them. I was never even clear on exactly which person on the cam was the vet. Each and every person took their turn trying to reposition the foal and find a way to get it out of the mare (horse).

One of the things I've learned over the years is you can trust the mare (horse) to tell you if she's in trouble. If the mare is taking things in stride you're ok, you can deal with the dystocia. I watched in amazement as the time ticked by and the mare (horse) continued to tolerate the pain of the contractions and the interventions on her behalf. The major thing the mare seemed to have going for her in this devastating situation was her relationship with her owner, Laurietta, and the dedication of the people trying to save her. That bond with Laurietta seemed to continually feed the mare with strength, confidence and trust through an ordeal that would have killed most mares (horses). Every time Sassy would look back at the people trying to save her, the horse's ears were up and her demeanor relaxed, as relaxed as a mare in labor can be.

To be continued......

Part 4

For a upward lift on the subject of twins in Arabian horses read
Rare Twin Horses Born in Graham or visit my webcam and see the newest addition to our herd on live webcam now. He's still nameless but we're working on it.


Arabian horse Arabian horses horses horse twin foals twin horses

Sassy and Laurietta's Story - Tragedy or Miracle - 4th Twin Pregnancy in Horses Part 2

Part 1

There was never enough information on the threads to know for sure how long Laurietta has owned this mare. The only things I knew for sure, Sassy (the mare) had not had twin foals born since she had been with Laurietta. All three of the previous twin pregnancies had occurred in the care of another owner. Also, there was information that the mare had come with a lot of baggage. She had been neglected and abused and had very little trust in humans. In addition the mare found it very difficult to cope with being moved to new circumstances. Changing her location and/or routine would easily send the mare back to her unsure and highly stressed behavior.

Laurietta had bred the mare once before. The result had been a healthy singleton birth, a colt. The colt was the result of a twin pregnancy with one pinched off. The mare retained the other embryo successfully resulting in the singleton birth of the colt. Exactly what the vets and any critics out there would call proper management.

Last Laurietta bred the mare and carefully followed all of the steps she had done the previous pregnancy. The mare was ultra-sounded repeatedly at all of the appropriate times so that a twin pregnancy could be avoided. This time Mother Nature (and that good ole boat rocker, life) didn't co-operate with human intervention. Despite three, possibly four (the uncertainty is my memory, not Laurietta's care), ultra sounds at the beginning of her pregnancy, the mare settled a twin pregnancy that went undetected by the professionals.

Unfortunately, the twin pregnancy was not discovered until six and a half months into the horse's pregnancy. Some have suggested that the only smart thing to do was to abort the twins (horses) at that point. I don't know what Laurietta or her vets thinking was on this subject, it was never posted on the threads that I could find.

It was suggested on another thread that the responsible thing to do would be an abortion as soon as the twin pregnancy was detected. However, I'm not sure that even is a viable option. I have never heard of a veterinarain suggesting or performing such a procedure on a mare. I do know a couple of owners who are in the predicament of discovering mid term a twin pregnancy. Neither of these parties veterinarians have even considered abortion as a viable option. The plans are to monitor the mares as closely as possible to manage the best possible outcome.

Certainly with a mare's history like Sassy's there is considerable evidence to support that the twin pregnancy could end with a favorable outcome. Having successfully carried two complete sets of twins to term is pretty amazing and speaks highly of the mare's ability to deal with this unusual circumstance. While there might be discussion about what exactly a favorable outcome might be, for me it would mean the mare coming through the pregnancy healthy and intact.

Laurietta and her vet decided to monitor Sassy (horse) as closely as humanly possible. They paid particular attention to her nutritional needs including vitamins and supplements to assure the mare would be as healthy as possible at the time of foaling. Whether or not Sassy's body would abort the twins at around nine months or carry them to full tern was in the hands of Mother Nature, the same hands that had slipped these twins by the watchful eyes of knowledgeable professionals.

As Sassy (horse) got closer to foaling, Laurietta installed a webcam and enlisted a hosting service for foaling mares. From that, the word spread quickly, but not necessarily accurately, about this mare carrying her fourth set of twins. Many people tuned in to watch the drama unfold as the mare's belly grew larger and larger and the foaling date loomed closer.

Threads about the controversial pregnancy sprang up all over the Internet and armchair critics hashed over the story with righteous indignation about a subject they knew little or nothing about fueled by the inaccurate postings of excited followers not keeping their facts straight.

Through all of the criticism Laurietta continued faithfully to post updates on the condition of her mare (horse). She answered any and all questions trying to help people understand the situation and hoping to keep the people watching well enough informed so they could do of some service to the mare (horse). Repeatedly over the weeks, Laurietta requested help in watching the mare (horse) in a constant watch 24-7. Some of the onlookers took that responsibility quite seriously following the progress of the mare closely. Learning her behaviors so they would know when her behavior changed. While others passed on an assortment of misinformation around the web which was then used as more fuel by the critics to feed their already smoldering rage.

To be continued......

Part 3

For a upward lift on the subject of twins in Arabian horses read
Rare Twin Horses Born in Graham
Arabian horse Arabian horses horses horse twin foals twin horses

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

Arabian horse Arabian horses horses horse twin foals twin horses

Why Are Twins Rare in Arabian Horses?

Whether a mare is an Arabian horse or another breed, the odds of carrying twin horses to term are rare. I wrote about the statistics related to the occurrence of twin foals in horses in my post Some Basics About Arabian Twin Foals. This post also covered the usual outcome of a mare carrying Arabian twin foals but didn't address the physiology responsible for it, the WHY of Mother Nature and horse twins.

Many species of mammals are equipped for multiple pregnancies, twins or more. If you think about it, those species have offspring which are very immature at birth. They usually are blind and unable to defend themselves for days, even weeks. They are usually smaller animals with denning behavior that hide their young away from predators pretty easily. Even if predators do find their den, the gestational length and the time it takes for these species to mature is short enough that the population is constantly replenishing.These offspring continue to mature in their nest or den after they are born until they are able to protect themselves.

On the other hand the Arabian horse, like other horses, is a large animal, even at birth weighing in at approximately 100 pounds. Size makes it difficult to hide a newborn foal for any length of time from predators. The length of gestation in the horse is about 345 days. Horses don't usually mature to breeding age until about two. Given all of these thing, the horse foal needs to be born more mature than the offspring of multiple pregnancy species. The horse foal must have the capabilities to defend itself and keep up with the other horses for the survival of the species. Horse foals are born with some semblance of sight(shadows mostly so they can dtect movement), great hearing, and swift flight reflexes. Horse foals have the ability to stand and defend themselves by fleeing, biting, kicking, rearing or striking in just a matter of an hour or two, sometimes a little longer. Without these capabilities newborn horses would most surely be lost to predators. Without surviving newborn horses, the species of horses as a whole would be lost.

To accomplish this miraculous feat, Mother Nature designed the reproductive system of the (Arabian) horse and other horses. This system carries the equine fetus a much longer gestational period. It also gestates the Arabian foal (or other horse foals) to a much greater degree of maturity than the offspring of multiple birth species. The equine uterus provides the large blood supply needed to accommodate this amazing growth through the placenta. Fetal development is dependent on this long term rich nourishment for proper gestation. What that translates to in layman's terms is simple. In the horse if the blood supply to the developing foal is compromised, then the development of the foal compromised.

In the normal horse pregnancy, the placenta of the foal is attached to the entire uterus of the horse. The blood supply is established through a network of tiny blood vessels between the uterus and placenta as well as major veins and arteries. In the event that a (Arabian) mare settles twin foals, normally each foal will have it's own placenta sharing the one uterus. Some horse twin pregnancies will have a 50% - 50% split of the uterus, some a 60% - 40% and still others a 70% - 30% split of the uterus. What this means is that the resulting fetus of the horse only has a proportionate percentage of placenta size which diminishes the blood supply proportionally as well. Without 100% of the blood supply, the development of each of the horse twins is severely compromised. Obviously the (Arabian) twin horse with the 70% space in the uterus has 70% of a normal placenta with access to only 70% of the normal blood flow. This twin horse has the greatest odds for survival. Its counterpart twin horse with 30% of a normal plancent with access to only 30% of the normal blood flow has the lowest odds for survival.

This explains why full term twin Arabian horses and other horses are born with the same issues as premature or dysmature foals. A twin horse pregnancy may go full term according to the calendar. From a gestational point of view the resulting twin boals will be not be mature like normal foals. Because of improper nourishment issues related to the lack of blood flow, twin foals at full term are still under developed. These twin foals will manifest the same symptoms as a single pregnancy premature foal. Twin foals that are born as the result of a premature delivery will have even greater odds against the horses' survival.

Taking all of these things into account, the odds are definitely stacked against twin horses surviving at all. Between being affected by the varying degrees of blood flow issues and the length of gestation, there is no best case scenario for the survival of both twin horses. Even in the case of the twin foal fortunate enough to have received 70% of the room with 70% normal blood flow, that horse is at a great disadvantage. It's truly a miracle that even a single twin foal sometimes survives a twin pregnancy in horses. Let alone the unique miracle that happens when both twin horses survive this fluke of Mother Nature.

Don't forget today is Blog Carnival day. There are lots of great posts. Experiements in Training Equines

arabian+horse arabian+horses horses horse twins foals

Some Basics About Twin Arabian Foals

So many searches about twin foals lead to my website every day, I thought it might be helpful to go over the basics about twinning in Arabian mares and mares in general. Statistics about the incidence of twins in horses are all over the place but the middle road seems to suggest that about 1 in 1000 pregnancies results in a mare settling twin follicles.

With today's modern medicine most of those will be detected with the use of the ultrasound and one ovum will usually be pinched off in hopes that the other will remain viable. Personally, I have never had a mare retain the second pregnancy once the other was pinched. Poling other breeders, it seems to be the usual case for them as well, suggesting the mortality for this technique is quite high. However, statistics of one study state that the success rate is 70%.

Occassionaly, the twins will be too close to pinch one off. Then the mare is monitored to see if her own body will absord one of the pregnancies. I had a mare that had the twins too close to pinch and we rechecked her at about 30 days to see if she had absorbed one. She had not, and so she was administered a drug to terminate the pregnancy. That would be the normal choice at this point. However, there is another option that is only available in some areas. There is a technique where they go in with a needle and aspirate one of the pregnancies. This treatment is relatively new and there are not statistics on it's success. I do know a breeding manager who has utilized it successfully.

Even with all of these resources, twin pregnancies in mares can slip by undetected. Statistically, they believe that of the 1 in 1000 pregnancies that results in twins in horses, somewhere between 1 in 1000 of those the mare will carry. The mortality of those pregnancies is quite high. Usually one of the twins will develop slower and be smaller. This smaller twin will eventually be crushed by the larger twin and die. It will remain in the uterus and mumify. The toxines from that will kill the larger,healthy foals and the mare will abort at about nine months.

Of those rare pregnancies that actually go close to full, or full term, statistics vary between a survival rate for one or both twins of only 8% to 14% past two weeks of age. The statistics to even reaching a full term delivery are between 1 in 200,000 to 1 in 500,000. So by the time you take all of those number into account, surviving twins are indeed very rare.

There are two reasons for the low survival rate for full term horse twins. One is many times the actual birth process is abnormal, one or both twins will be a malpresentation with all of the complications that implies.I would say it is realistic to expect if twins foals are born with no complications in their delivery they have much better odds of survival, than those with complications. The second is they are usually born with the same issues as premature or dysmature foals.
1. Low birth weight.
2. Small frame - may appear thin with poor muscle development.
3. Periarticular laxity.
4. Usually flexor laxity but occasional contracture.
5. Usually hypotonia - occasional hypertonia.
6. High compliance to chest wall - soft ribcage.
7. Low compliance to lungs - stiff lungs - respiratory distress secondary to fatigue.
8. General muscle weakness - delayed time to standing.
9. Short, silky hair coat.
10. Domed forehead.
11. Floppy ears - poor ear cartilage development.
12. Weak suckle.
13. Poor thermoregulation.
14. GI tract dysfunction.
15. Delayed maturation of renal function - low urine output.
16. Entropion with secondary corneal ulcers.
17. Poor glucose regulation.
18. Angular limb deformities

They can experience any or all of the problems of these issues and are prone to even more risk for septicemia than their premature and dysmature counterparts. Any horse twins with these problems require early detection and extensive hands on treatment.

For those fortunate equine twins that escape having any problems obvious problems at birth, there is still the possibility that they will not grow into full size horses. It is common to find twins where one or both do not continue to grow after they are yearlings. In the past, the reason for this was not known but in recent years it has been discovered that the stunted growth is directly related to crushing syndrome. It appears to be Mother Nature's way of protecting these injured horses. What this suggest would be even if twins are born and look normal and healthy, they should still have an extensive examination by an equine neo-natal specialist including a complete series of x-rays to determine the ossification of their bones. Early detection and proper intervention can help avoid many of the pitfalls facing these fragile foals including the crushing syndrome.

In summary there is rarely a good outcome when a mare has twin foals. However, sometimes it does happen. Reflections on Foaling Season 2006 is the survival story of the twin foals born on my farm. It's a detailed account of the issues and treatments involved in saving these foals. It's a long story and is being posted in segments. I hope that by telling the story in detail it might help others be better prepared to deal with twin, dysmature or premature foals and maybe to spot early when a problem is developing.