Comment

Comment by Connie foaling-lady (Groton) on October 3, 2010 at 3:22pm

Hi JC's Mama, I'm with you about hoping for fillies. Boys are just too mouthy (human and equine, doncha think?!) ... but it's asking too much of the horse gods to get 3 girls from my 3 personal in-foal mares, I'm sure I'll get one filly and 2 colts or vice versa. You and Beth are brave to keep chickens ... my neighbor was so in love with his birds, pampered them, and in one night, all gone thanks to a determined fox. Looked like a slaughterhouse. I just couldn't take that heartache.

Comment by JC's Mama on October 3, 2010 at 11:57am

BETH -- re: your chickens --- we had some poultry in a totally enclosed pen (bottom, top -- especially the top to keep hawks from dive-bombing!) We also added a "panel" around the bottom. Foxes were digging under the fence & raiding the coop. We dug a trench (approx. 2 ft deep) around the perimeter and added metal roofing panels (lengthwise) - this prevented the foxes from digging, while still allowed air circulation and clear view of the poultry.

Comment by JC's Mama on October 3, 2010 at 11:35am

foaling-lady --- what a great job to have! I go ga-ga over the babies! The hardest part for me is the anxiety of waiting all those months for the foal(s) to make their entrance into the world -- wondering if & hoping you've made the right decision after researching blood lines that your little one will have all the atributes for which you bred.

We have mostly Arabs -- 2 of which are 3/4 Arab 1/4 paint pinto fillies, a reg. QH mare, and a welsh/shetland gelding pony that I drive. Alot of my time is spent caring for these 13 manure makers - helps a bit to keep my mind off those long bouts when we can't have contact with our sailor.

We currently have a 3/4 Polish mare in foal to a pure Polish stallion due early next spring. I usually like to have 2 babies born the same season (sooooo much easier with weaning), but our SE didn't get in foal & it was getting too late in the season to keep trying to re-breed her (initially did live cover & had her rechecked to see if she was dirty & did a biopsy, but she checked out fine - then tried AI and still nothing --- and this mare is one of my best broodmares). Did find out the stallion had bred close to 20 other mares and only 6 settled. I'm thinking maybe since he was fairly young & having bred so many mares, his little swimmers were not at full potency. So, we'll only have one next year & I keep telling this mare to "think pink" -- stud colts are not a fav of mine - gimme a filly any day.

Comment by Connie foaling-lady (Groton) on September 26, 2010 at 8:25am

Hi Beth, hey, I think you're in the 10/15 graduation group, too? Anyway, guys, I'm throwing this out there for all horse-loving Navy moms to pass on ... if you're ever looking for a new horse, please consider adopting a rescue Thoroughbred from off the track. Most racetracks now have adoption programs in place, where trainers and owners can list horses either for free or for a fee that helps keep the program going. Some horses come with vet records such as radiographs that can let you know what soundness issues they have. At my track, Philadelphia Park (now called Parx Racing), the program is called Turning For Home. Sometimes these horses are just plain too slow, More often, they're a little beat-up, knees and ankles, hocks and backs, but time and TLC heals a lot of problems. Anyway, keep it in mind, you just might find the horse of your dreams off the track.

Comment by Connie foaling-lady (Groton) on September 21, 2010 at 9:33pm

Thoroughbreds (is there any other breed? just joking, Quarter Horses and Paints are my favorites actually). We run a foaling facility, clients send their pregnant mares to our farm to deliver. TBs mostly foal Jan. - May because that's best for racing (all TBs turn a year older on Jan. 1 officially so racehorse owners prefer to have foals born early in the year). We foal other breeds, mostly Arabians, show ponies, Saddlebreds, in late spring and early summer, latest we've ever foaled is November for a TB bred on a Southern Hemisphere date. Biggest foal we've had was a Shire baby, .. incredible! I wouldn't trade my job for anything!

Comment by Connie foaling-lady (Groton) on September 20, 2010 at 10:25pm

Hi kk, still have a long way to go in the pregnancy. Mares take approx. 11 months, we have them go anywhere from 10 1/2 to 12 months. A lot of mares won't show much until they're 7 or 8 months or even later .. and maidens (first-timers) sometimes barely look pregnant until they're a week or so out. This old girl is 17, had lots of foals, and already has a nice round belly going on.

Comment by Connie foaling-lady (Groton) on September 20, 2010 at 12:49pm

Hi KK, your Dino is a good-lucking guy! He's lucky to have a devoted owner like you. Lots of people give up when a horse gets a bum wheel. My mare's abscess drained, she was so good about standing in a bucket of epsom salts, all better now and 6 1/2 months in foal, yahoo.

Comment by Connie foaling-lady (Groton) on August 25, 2010 at 2:41pm

Hi again, Barb,
My husband is a farrier, so believe me, I know what that expression "no foot, no horse" means ... right now, one of my pregnant mares is deadling with a foot abscess, been soaking and wrapping it, waiting fror it to break out thru the heel, poor thing. Good luck with your mare!

Comment by Connie foaling-lady (Groton) on August 23, 2010 at 8:33pm

Hi Barb, We get cracked heels in spring a lot when the ground is wet. Key thing is to keep the heels dry; if the skin is full-blown raw, clip any long hair away (such as off the fetlocks) and dry with a towel. You can try using A&D or any other diaper rash ointment (zinc, lanolin, and vitamins are the important ingredients) -- hit the dollar store for cheap supplies. This will make a barrier to keep moisture out; it's the dry/wet cycle on a moving surface that makes the skin crack, and then bacteria gets in and you've got a mess. Bedding on shavings helps a little (instead of straw, which can hold moisture). If your horse's whole leg blows up, you may need to put him/her on antibiotics such as SMZ tablets (your vet can advise on this), because sometimes what looks at first to be cracked heels can turn into a nasty, serious cellulitis..If you have heavy dew overnight in your pasture, you might have to limit turnout so that your horse is only going out on dry footing. Other stuff that I've used with success: Eucerin ointment (people version), triple antibiotic ointment (generic, from dollar store), Panalog or Vetalog (from vet, expensive small tubes). Good luck! And my sympathies ... it's no fun working on cracked heels!

Comment by Connie foaling-lady (Groton) on August 19, 2010 at 9:59pm

Hi Beth, Dan will be E3 thanks to his time as a Sea Cadet, great program, really prepared him for boot camp and military life. Having a big sendoff picnic Saturday for him; I think that during his 6 years in the Navy, we may lose a relative or two due to age, so this may be the last time he sees some of these people. And yes, we are enjoying this precious time left ... sad but exciting.

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