# Bow's 2015 Foaling



## Tremor (May 15, 2015)

Some of your may remember Bow's foaling thread in 2011 when she foaled a palomino filly, Ale. I have since sold Ale and bought back our stallion, who i gelded a month later. In the month he was home, he did end up breeding Bow, who I willingly partnered him up with. It wasn't an ideal situation, however due to the circumstances I had, I took the chance.

Buddy was sold in April 2011 before Bow foaled and I bought him back July 20th, 2014. In the three year he had been gone, he hadn't seen another horse and he immediately became stressed when he saw another herd. I had the choice of putting him in with my geldings or Bow. He was very aggressive towards the geldings and to prevent injuries I decided to put him in with Bow, whom he immediately bred and instantly calmed down. I could have left him alone, which I did for about a week, but he was beginning to injure himself on the gates/fences attempting to get to the other horses. Bow and Buddy were pasture mates for years, from 2002-2011 and I knew that they would do just fine together, and they did.

In October I had all of my mares ultrasounded just in case (weirder things have happened, and not everybody is truthful) and only Bow was pregnant. She has been doing great and her foal is active.

She is due June 25th, 2015 and will be 300 days in foal tomorrow. I will admit that I know this mare like the back of my hand and don't think I'll need help predicting when she'll foal. Her PH strips have always been truthful. I will however share pictures of our expierence, and just so I can see the changes all in one place.

I am hoping for a very healthy colt, hopefully smokey black.

I will post pictures of Bow over the years, and of her foals, along with pictures of the sire.


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## Tremor (May 15, 2015)

Bow over the years:

2006 with her first foal:






2011:





2012:





2013:





2014:


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## Tremor (May 15, 2015)

Buddy, the now gelded sire:


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## Tremor (May 15, 2015)

Their foals:

2006 filly:






2007 colt:






2009 colt:


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## Tremor (May 15, 2015)

2010 colt:


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## Tremor (May 15, 2015)

2011 filly:


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## Tremor (May 15, 2015)

Alrighty time for pregnancy pictures of Bow.

November 2014- 3 months pregnant






March 2015- 7 months pregnant






April- 265 days


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## Tremor (May 15, 2015)

April 28th, 283 days


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## Tremor (May 15, 2015)

May 4th, 288 days











May 12th, 296






May 13th, 297 days


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## Tremor (May 15, 2015)

Also note, farrier will be here on Monday for her hooves. We are in the long haul here guys. I'm pretty excited. It scares me that we're going to have another foal and it shouldn't. Since 2006, we've had 14 foals (15 including a stillborn) and its nothing new to me. I know how to foal a mare out. However, its been four years since we've had a newborn foal and it just sets me back a bit. It hit me the first time when we saw the fetus on the ultrasound, again when I felt the first kick, and then a couple weeks ago when her bag started to grow. It won't ACTUALLY hit me until she starts producing fluid/milk, which she hasn't yet.

I know Bow very, very well. I know when she develops, and how. I know that her bag will continue to grow until its too full until two weeks before where it will stay huge. Her milk will come in and will turn about 1.5-1 weeks before foaling, and her PH will drop around 16 hours before hand, and she's a late morning foaler. She has only foaled at night twice. Usually she foaled out in the open from 10am-1pm.

I also know that her stomach is A LOT smaller than normal, because of the fact that her pre-pubic tendons tightened up in the few years she hadn't foaled, which is evident from comparing her 2011 & 2014 pictures.


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## Tremor (May 15, 2015)

Here's a quick collage of her bag so far:


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## Tremor (May 15, 2015)

I wanted to add what my plans are for the foal.

I really don't have any. This was an 100% planned pregnancy. I am however not yet interested in doing much with the foal and I am going to let it sit for a couple years. I am a pre-nursing student and I work 30 hours a week, so I don't have as much time as I would like to show/train at the moment, so this foal is going to be a pasture puff baby and its going to get the growth and socialization it needs from it herd and pasture play. I doubt I will show it this summer, as the last show is in September and college classes start up the month before. If it is shown, it will be as a yearling/two year old.

Of course, it will get the ground work it needs, bathing, clipping, leading, tying, loading, etc. Hopefully once I'm done with classes or they slow down, I will have the time to break it to drive as a 3-4 year old, in 2018/2019. By then I will be done with graduate school with my BSN.

If it is a colt, it will be gelded around weaning time, I'm hoping to geld in October. If its a filly, I'll probably cry myself to sleep, as I don't like mares.





I do have names picked out. Atticus for a colt, and Alexa for a filly. As a literary fan, I chose Atticus because he's my favorite character from my all time favorite book. Alexa, is the name of Billy Joel's daughter and the namesake for his song, "Downeaster Alexa". I really don't "do" horsey names. I like "human" names, as these guy are my "kids".





So. Let's hope for a beautifully, handsome, smokey black COLT.


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## Tremor (May 15, 2015)

Castle Rock Miniatures said:


> We'll be watching anxiously with you, and we'll pray for another colt for you!! The pictures are fabulous, and it's so nice to have a FULL record in one place, for everyone!!


Thanks. I'm beyond excited. Once her PH drops I'll start sticking close to home, since I leave town on the weekends to see my non-horsey boyfriend.

Funnily enough, the non-horsey boyfriend has gotten to the point where he knows most of their names and keeps asking me when she'll have her "Colt". His towny parents ask me every weekend as well and are shocked she's still pregnant. I've had to explain to them that if she goes this early then we'll have a premature foal.


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## lkblazin (May 15, 2015)

Lol I love the reaction on peoples face when they find out how long minis are pregnants for =-O :-! :-* :-\


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## Tremor (May 15, 2015)

lkblazin said:


> Lol I love the reaction on peoples face when they find out how long minis are pregnants for =-O :-! :-* :-\


And its always the women that are the most shocked, when they learn that mares go two months longer than humans lol


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## lkblazin (May 15, 2015)

Lol exactly!!


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## AnnaC (May 16, 2015)

Great to see you again and to catch up with Bow and all her children - she's looking great by the way! Excited for you and hoping that you get the colt you are longing for. Keep us posted with Bow's progress please.


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## paintponylvr (May 16, 2015)

She looks awesome and I will keep a colt in my thoughts for you and Bow!!


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## Tremor (May 16, 2015)

I will keep updated. Today is 300 days, I'll get pictures of her on Monday though since I'm out of town.

I also started clearing out a stall for her to use, since we use our stalls to store hay. I also need to buy some feed, if I can find what I want, I was thinking either ADM Grostrong or Senior, since I have her with two other mares as well.

If we do have a filly, it won't be the end of the world. I do think we'll have a colt though. Buddy's sperm usually went in spurts. He threw fillies before we owned him, then his second foal with us was a colt. Then we had colts consecutively from 2006-2010 and we have three fillies in 2010/2011.

I'm praying that his filly streak is over and we are back to colts. I know its all highly coincidental of course. Lol. Its just that, if its a filly I'm more apt to sell her. I would rather have a mellow gelding than a hormonal filly


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## paintponylvr (May 17, 2015)

I'll pray for your filly streak to be over.

Just a thought - maybe I should post it on it's own thread. Was this mare bred in the morning or in the afternoon/eve? It's probably another wives' tale, but I found that most of our mares, when bred in the morning, had fillies. When bred in the afternoon, they had colts. It wasn't foolproof by any means, but more times than not, it worked.


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## Tremor (May 17, 2015)

paintponylvr said:


> I'll pray for your filly streak to be over.
> 
> Just a thought - maybe I should post it on it's own thread. Was this mare bred in the morning or in the afternoon/eve? It's probably another wives' tale, but I found that most of our mares, when bred in the morning, had fillies. When bred in the afternoon, they had colts. It wasn't foolproof by any means, but more times than not, it worked.


Actually funnily enough, she was covered in the afternoon. Lol


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## paintponylvr (May 17, 2015)

we shall see, hmmm?


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## Tremor (May 17, 2015)

I really ought to do a nail test on her sometime, her 2011 nail test was right (filly)

Just found old threads from her 2010 pregnancy (colt) and she went 349 days, according to one pasture breeding due date. Her 2011 thread on another forum has her due date for May 8th, 2011 and she foaled on April 30th, 2011. However, I apparently didn't type out her breedings, i'm sure its on my old calenders at home, so I'll look to see how many days she actually went in.

However, I guess on another forum I wrote that on 03/25/2011 she was 298 days in foal, so that would put her breeding down as May 31st, 2010 and her due date May 15th in correspondance to a 349 day pregnancy. So...in hindsight she undercooked her filly and foaled at 330 days.

So for a colt we're looking at a due date of July 4th (shoot me) and for a filly, June 19th.

I don't know which I would rather have. Shorter pregnancy or a colt.


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## chandab (May 17, 2015)

Sex of foal doesn't always affect length of pregnancy. My 2012 colts, all 3 colts... 320 days for the first foal born, 307 for the second and 324 for the last foal born. All three were maiden mares, so no foaling history. Going to try for a couple for next year, so we'll see if they have a pattern or not. And, 2009 filly was born at 320 days, also mare's maiden pregnancy.


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## Tremor (May 18, 2015)

Here she is this morning. I haven't felt the foal kick in a week or so, and I usually try around feeding time. I don't know if I should be worried or not. I know things get a little tight in there and I won't feel too many kicks but I guess I'm more used to seeing big, bold kicks through the sides at this point. I would like to let her out in the pasture to graze and exercise but I don't know if our pasture has fescue or not. I'll try to get some pictures of our grass to see if anybody can tell if its fescue or not. She was let out a few days already.

Also, still no milk/fluid production. Her bag has grown quite a bit in the past few weeks, like I predicted but I honestly don't see her keeping this foal in much longer (I can't see her keeping it in for another month) especially if her milk starts kicking in. I just feel like we've had a lot of bag production in such a short amount of time for her to wait until the end of June.

Day 302.


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## Tremor (May 18, 2015)

Alrighty. Fescue or not?


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## Tremor (May 18, 2015)

She hasn't dropped or anything yet. Here she was today:






She bags up quick and stabilizes. Her milk came in around 320 days and went from yellow, to clear, to white in ten days and she waxed for about four days. PH tests gave us about 16 hours notice with that foal.

I'm just waiting for her milk to come in. Once her milk starts coming in, it will just be a matter of a week or two.


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## Ryan Johnson (May 18, 2015)

She is looking great



Im fairly sure that is a type of fescue, I took some in to my local feed store that grows a lot of their own hay and was told it was. It did look like yours. Saying this I am in Australia so might be best to take a sample into your produce store just to make sure.

That's quite the udder she has developed, will be interesting to see if she progresses as she did last time from this point onwards.

Hope you get your wish for a colt


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## Tremor (May 18, 2015)

Went out to feed and she has fluid. It's not much but its there!

Also finally felt Baby A kick. Its been about two weeks since I've felt it.


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## Tremor (May 18, 2015)

Castle Rock Miniatures said:


> YEAH!!


It was such a minimal amount that I questioned whether or not it was boob sweat or actually came from her teats. But yep. It was there! It's still clear and but hey. This is real. We're gonna have a baby in awhile.





It was also really nice to finally feel the baby kick after such a long hiatus. I've seen a few too many sad stories in the past couple days, it just makes you worry sometime. But I understand that it gets a bit cramped being stuck in such a small space. lol


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## Tremor (May 18, 2015)

I had to go out to help put out a bale of hay for the mares and I was messing around with Bow. Her bag definitely grew since this morning when I last posted pictures and I was able to express fluid a lot easier than a couple hours ago, from both teats. So now I know it wasn't just some fluke or trick of the mind.

I did do a few PH tests just to see if my strips still changed colors, and just to be safe. They came up somewhere between 8-9PH. I need to get new PH strips since mine expired in 2012 and have been in the tack room during the winter and summer months.

I'll post all of the pictures from today so you guys compare. (I've posted some of these before already, so just bear with me)

Body pictures:













Bag pictures:


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## Ryan Johnson (May 18, 2015)

End of June - Surely not



but then seeing Dianes mare go another month. They do like to keep us guessing


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## Tremor (May 18, 2015)

Ryan Johnson said:


> End of June - Surely not
> 
> 
> 
> but then seeing Dianes mare go another month. They do like to keep us guessing


Let me tell you. I wasn't expecting this sudden development. She just needs to cross her legs and let that baby cook. I would feel safer if she waited until at least 320 days.


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## Ryan Johnson (May 18, 2015)

Whoa just had to go back and check the rest of your thread as I was already late to the party. She is just over 300 days. I agree , keep your legs together and the oven cooking. The final finishing touches are always the best.


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## Tremor (May 19, 2015)

Checked her on my lunch break.

Her bag has softened up considerably and isn't rock hard like last night. However it hasn't *really* gone down in size that much.

Her fluid is still a transparent yellow color but is easy to expel.

I did do a PH test just for poops and giggles. My PH strips are horrible so I'm going to buy some new ones tonight, especially ones that have smaller increments as well.


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## Tremor (May 19, 2015)

Night update. I bought some decent PH strips (which were $12 btw. crazy)

Not much change. I just wanted to post her pictures to show her ph with actual PH strips that are current and have differentiated PH intervals.

And plus, I'm pretty partial to this mare.





Edit: Actually, I can tell her bag grew. Its definitely spread and thickened toward the back and widened out. I also think that 7.2 will be her average PH, so if it drops anywhere below that, then I guess its go time.


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## lkblazin (May 19, 2015)

Lol now that's a belly





Nice to know it was not "boob sweat" lol


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## Tremor (May 20, 2015)

No update today.

I did do the nail test and the nail spun a bit initially, but I settled it and stopped it so I could get an accurate "reading" and it just went side to side. It wasn't the wind in the barn either, because the wind would have blown it N/S whereas the nail spun E/W.

The nail test thread also mentioned the "tail test" and I won't be doing that. I don't see how that test could prove anything. I don't brush her tail out often, she's in a dry lot and its still cold out and they're shedding, and itching, etc. Her tail head is ALWAYS frizzy and messy. As are the tail heads on the rest of my mares...


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## Tremor (May 21, 2015)

Not much of an update tonight. The mares have been in due to the rain, but hopefully they'll be able to go out tomorrow while its nice.

PH test came back normal. Nothing alarming and milk is still yellowish/clear.

Pictures though;

Morning-




Night-


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## Tremor (May 22, 2015)

Here's yesterday's update since I was unable to post. I wont have a current update until tomorrow since I'm out of town. I will see her tomorrow and my mom is on "Milk Color Watch" over the weekend.

She hasn't really changed much. But you can tell she's getting tired. Every time I'm out there she is standing by herself and just isn't too comfortable. But her milk is still yellowish/clear and sticky. PH hasn't changed either. I can tell that her nipples are starting to thicken and fill compared to the previous day I posted.

Yesterday during lunch:














Yesterday Night:


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## paintponylvr (May 22, 2015)

Hopefully, she waits until you get home to foal!!


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## Tremor (May 22, 2015)

paintponylvr said:


> Hopefully, she waits until you get home to foal!!


She's not progressing, so I think she'll wait for me.


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## Tremor (May 23, 2015)

I was home to see her today. I have pictures but they'll have to wait until I'm not on my phone.

The first thing I saw when I walked out to see her was that her flanks were sunken in. Her baby was moving like CRAZY today, the most I have felt the ENTIRE pregnancy.

Her pH I'm pretty sure has dropped, as the strips weren't totally red, red. The strip keeps sloughing off so its not accurate, I don't think but it was a different color than before. She's still in the 7 range though. Her milk is still yellow clear.


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## Tremor (May 24, 2015)

Here are the pictures from yesterday. Called home and her milk is the same as it was. I'm still hoping that we'll be able to hit at least 320 days. Right now we're at 308 days.


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## Tremor (May 24, 2015)

Castle Rock Miniatures said:


> Baby nicely wide for now, but that can change. Hoping she'll go longer, but she's far enough along to have a fine baby.


I figured. I was just very pleasantly surprised that her foal was kicking like crazy, the most I had felt the entire time. Before I had at most, been able to feel a couple kicks but on Saturday it was constant kicking.


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## paintponylvr (May 25, 2015)

Could be protesting the movement to position the foal for birth. That one doesn't want to enter the world?


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## Kim P (May 25, 2015)

That is so neat when they are kicking and moving like crazy! Especially when you just stand back and can that belly flipping and flopping. This was my first foal. I missed the birth and was really sad about that. Sometimes it felt like that baby was going to kick a foot right out of her belly. Can't wait to see what she is going to surprise you with.


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## Tremor (May 25, 2015)

I've been looking through past threads for her 2011/2010 pregnancies and this is how she developed.

2011 pregnancy:

-streaming yellow,clear, sticky milk 19th April 2011, salty taste

-23rd, April 2011, bland milk

-24th April 2011, streaming cloudy, SWEET taste

-6.2 PH test 29th April 2011

-Foaled 30th April, 2011

2010 Pregnancy:

-I couldn't get much on dates, but her milk changed pretty drastically but I wasn't looking as closely as this pregnancy and her 2011 pregnancy.

I still feel like she has a bit to go. Her milk hasn't changed colors yet, and its salty still. I have been keeping track of her bag, and when I let her out into the pasture it deflates. When she gets closer, will it continue to deflate with exercise? It doesn't do this if I keep her in the dry lot, only when she has access to the pasture and walks the length of it.

I wouldn't be shocked if she went until her due date.







Before pasture:




After pasture:


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## Kim P (May 27, 2015)

She is a pretty girl.


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## Tremor (May 27, 2015)

Thank you. We haven't made much progress, but I think her milk is going to start turning. The taste, anyway, has turned from salty to bland, since Monday.

Not much of an update, but its a minor improvement. Here's a picture from yesterday, 310 days.


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## lkblazin (May 27, 2015)

Whoooo that's a belly


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## Tremor (May 27, 2015)

I'm glad you guys see something in her. Maybe its because I look at her everyday and take her picture, I just don't notice it. I just love the way she looks.

She's been keeping herself away from everything for about a week or so now. She has access to pasture, but more often than not, I find her in the barn just standing there not eating. Her appetite hasn't changed at all and she still enjoys the company of the two mares in her little herd. But I have noticed her intense desire to stay in the barn and not go out to the pasture. I more or less figured it was nothing since the two mares occupy her as well, but that could also be because she's the more dominant mare of the three.

I'll check her again tonight when I'm off work.


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## Tremor (May 28, 2015)

We're finally getting somewhere guys.

Her belly dropped, her croup is pointy, she has no hindend whatsoever, etc. The only thing left is her milk.

I'm going to post comparisons to the other day, side by side.

Side view:

-310 days:




-312 days:




Rear View:

-310 days:




-312 days:


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## Tremor (May 28, 2015)

She has also been rubbing her tail like crazy since I've been out to chore. Doesn't that have to do with something?


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## Ryan Johnson (May 28, 2015)

Yes all perfectly normal at this stage of her pregnancy



Best of Luck Tremor for a safe arrival


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## Tremor (May 28, 2015)

I won't see her again until Saturday, but my parents are keeping an eye on her for me so if her milk changes, I'll be home in less than an hour. lol


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## Ryan Johnson (May 28, 2015)

It would be manners that she should really wait for your return


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## Tremor (May 28, 2015)

Ryan Johnson said:


> It would be manners that she should really wait for your return


I would honestly rather she went on a weekend, versus the week where I'm at work or my college classes. She is free to go anytime Friday-Monday. lol.


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## Tremor (May 29, 2015)

-Sigh-

Still no changes with her milk.


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## Tremor (May 30, 2015)

I'll post pictures when I have access to a laptop.

Her milk hasn't changed, still a thick, yellow color. The taste has changed a bit. Its not bland, salty, or sweet but it has a flavor that I can't pinpoint. It seems to be trying to get to sweet.


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## Tremor (May 30, 2015)

Bow is 314 days today.

I have prepped her stall and wrapped/braided her tail since she's been itching it like crazy and has ripped chunks of it out. She is very uncomfortable, evident from her constantly switching the feet she rests on, the itching, deep sighing, and looking back at her sides when the baby kicks or moves.

I did notice something odd, I don't even know if its important though. I was in another part of our barn and glanced over at her stall and saw her winking, like she was trying to pee. She kept on doing this for a minute or two, straining to pee. She did finally end up peeing and she let out the deepest sigh of relief I have ever heard. I don't know what the cause was of this though?

Her milk hasn't changed. I do think her milk is getting to be a darker yellow? The taste is also different, not sweet, salty, or bland. Kind of an odd taste. The ph is also about a 7.2 so its dropped from a 7.8.

Pics:


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## Tremor (May 31, 2015)

Went down to see her today after having an unsettling dream about her that had nothing to do with her pregnancy. (I actually had a dream that she got lost in a blizzard and I had to find her.)

Ol' well. She's fine. VERY grumpy, out of character for her. She swatted her tail at me when I was around her hind end and was actually keeping her tail clamped down when she walked, which I found odd since she had little to no resistance in her hindend left. She also did not like me messing with her stomach and kept pinning her ears back when she looked back towards her sides.

She was stalled over night and I let her out of her stall into the dry lot with the other mares. She is getting more and more pushy with them but doesn't mind their company. Vulva is still long, still rubbing her tail, bag is full, milk is still yellow, etc. Belly dropped again.


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## paintponylvr (May 31, 2015)

she looks great. Don't you love how they keep you guessing??


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## Tremor (May 31, 2015)

No. No I don't. lmao


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## Tremor (May 31, 2015)

Still the same tonight. Hoping it changes soon. :/


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## Tremor (Jun 1, 2015)

A few updates today.

1. She did not eat all of her hay last night, which is new since before hand she would leave it empty.

2. Her milk is FINALLY cloudier. The picture makes it seem like its not, but trust me it is.

3. My 5 year old filly who is attached to this mare's hip, first thing when I let Bow out of her stall, Connor the filly, tried to nurse and spent a lot of time sniffing Bow's tail and vulva. This is new behavior for this filly.

4. She has been laying down more often, rubbing, and now kicking her belly; which is new.

Pictures:


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## Tremor (Jun 1, 2015)

I think she was actually nosing around and smelling the milk. I think most of the herd can actually sense that she's close, because I had to the sire of the unborn foal in with the mares to work with him (he is gelded now) and he walked passed the mares in flaming heat and went straight to her to sniff her belly, nicker, and sniff her bag. He's a smart horse and was with the mares year-round through out their pregnancies, foaling, and weaning. So I think he can tell what's going on and so can the other horses.


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## Tremor (Jun 2, 2015)

317 days

I feel like we're going nowhere. lol Her teats are finally filling in though and this is day two of not eating her hay overnight.


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## Tremor (Jun 2, 2015)

Lol I had to ask my mom if her milk had become more cloudy or not because I've been staring the the stuff for two-three weeks now and I think it throws me off.

She's looking perfect. Her vulva is super relaxed and her nipples are filling in and her milk is a nice, dark, cloudy, yellow.

I do have a question though. I have a watched her urinate a few times and she's had to stand and wait for it to come. She'll stand and wink for a minute or so until she finally pees. And clue what's causing that?


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## Tremor (Jun 2, 2015)

pH tonight was also a 7.2 tonight, so no difference ther .


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## Tremor (Jun 2, 2015)

Pretty sure her pH has dropped down to 7.0. I'm not sure, based on the strips. I'll post them in a few.


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## Tremor (Jun 2, 2015)

I know it looks like it should be more of a 7.8, but its not. This strips is a lot lighter, but the pic doesn't do it justice at all.

This is a 7.8 with these strips at 303 days.


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## Tremor (Jun 3, 2015)

Alright, ph tests from today and last night.

10 pm June 2nd:




5 am June 3rd:




11 am June 3rd:




The 11 am pic doesn't show how light it truly is. This test wasn't like the ones before where it went dark and had the dark edges and was kind of imbetween. This time is was trying really hard to be an orangish tone.


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## Ryan Johnson (Jun 3, 2015)

Ill second that , best of luck , don't think you will be waiting much longer


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## Tremor (Jun 3, 2015)

Shhhh guys. She needs to stick it out at least until Thursday night at 4pm. That way I have all weekend to watch her.


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## Brody (Jun 3, 2015)

I seriously don't know how you don't have a baby yet! For the past week I've been watching your thread feeling confident that your new post will be a picture of a baby, but your mare just keeps holding on! While I think you are now at the point of no return, I will cross my fingers that she waits until tomorrow at 4 for you


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## Tremor (Jun 4, 2015)

Went out this morning and we have a DEFINITE 6.8 pH test result. There are no doubts in my mind that its orange. Before hand I was very unsure as to what they were because they REALLY wanted to be orange but were still reddish.

Milk is still a cloudy, thick, super sticky, yellow. I was able to get a lot more out this morning than before.

I have a two hour college class tomorrow morning that is an hour away, and I'm not sure if I can justify being away from her for four hours and this close....Skip day!

Pics:










pH tests:

Natural sunlight:




Barn Light:


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## Tremor (Jun 4, 2015)

I'm camping out in the barn tonight. From my observations over the past four hours, she is starting to have loose, soft stools, and is urinating more often. I did douse her in fly spray because they're bad, but also because I wasn't sure if she was kicking at flies or her baby. She is definitely kicking at her baby.

Her appetite has not changed nor has her herd behavior and she does not mind me being in her stall whatsoever.

I'm hoping for tonight or tomorrow morning.


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## Tremor (Jun 5, 2015)

6.2 pH this morning.


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## Brody (Jun 5, 2015)

Well she needs to have that baby already!


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## Tremor (Jun 5, 2015)

Huge shoutout to Bow for laying down, contracting for a half hour, stand up, and then continue eating hay.


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## chandab (Jun 5, 2015)

She saw you watching and decided to wait for a bit, but likely won't be terribly long.


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## Tremor (Jun 5, 2015)

Lol I've been watching all day and night.

She seemed to start into stage 1 of labor around noon/one o'clock when she started to paw, urinate/deficate often, gassy, sweating around shoulders, and showed colic signs. She laid down around 3ish and stood up around 4:20 and has been eating since.

I won't be leaving until she foals.


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## Tremor (Jun 6, 2015)

No changes. :/


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## Tremor (Jun 6, 2015)

I dont know what's going on.

Her pH is where it needs to be, milk is a sticky, cloudy yellow, baby is up in the flanks finally, vulva is relaxed, etc. Everything is perfect, and still no baby.

Aargh.


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## Magic Marker Minis (Jun 6, 2015)

She's waiting for you to go completely mad, than she will pop. Gotta love those mares!


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## Tremor (Jun 6, 2015)

Well it can't be because I'm there, because I've left her unattended multiple times today for an hour each time. She's had plenty of chances.


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## Tremor (Jun 6, 2015)

She's had a 6.2 pH since yesterday morning. What's the longest you've heard a made go with that low of a pH?


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## Tremor (Jun 6, 2015)

I also messaged a few large horse breeders and asked them some questions, and they said that she's not ready if her milk is yellow still and they wondered if I was testing properly. Input?


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## Magic Marker Minis (Jun 6, 2015)

I know on two of our mares their milk turned a cloudy white within hours of delivering. Another mare I checked at 9pm, her milk was amber color. Minimal looseness in vulva. She woke me up at midnight foaling. I've heard people who have tested their mares milk as ready and the mare didn't foal for two to three days later. Just hang in there.


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## paintponylvr (Jun 7, 2015)

I'm looking forward to seeing your foal!! Come on, BOW.


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## Tremor (Jun 7, 2015)

Day 3 at 6.2 pH. No change in anything.


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## Tremor (Jun 7, 2015)

322 days and still at 6.2 pH, 51 hours at it.

Kicking/biting belly, rubbing tail, pooping and peeing often, etc. Appetite has not changed.

I do have a question on her urine. Since she's been urinating more often, her urine has a very strong ammonia smell. Is this caused by her going so often?

Milk also seems like its a lot less yellow in my hand, kinda like its clearer?

Pictures:










pH from this morning. My phone is crap and for some reason the color doesn't show well. It is 6.2, it was a very light orange in person.


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## Magic Marker Minis (Jun 7, 2015)

From the picture looking from behind, baby is still very much sideways. She needs to get more slab-sided. Might be why she is kicking/biting at sides because baby is trying to move into position.


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## Tremor (Jun 7, 2015)

Well, she's rolling now and sitting down and rubbing. So she's trying. She has access to a block and lots of water.

Hopefully soon though


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## Tremor (Jun 7, 2015)

Don't get happy. I pH'd her and she came up around 7.5-8. Twice.

I bought new strips and ph'd her as 6 and then again as 7.5-8.

I'll test her again in a few hours. I still think that her milk is getting a hair lighter in color though.


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## Tremor (Jun 7, 2015)

PH is a definite 8, bright freaking red. And milk is salty.


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## Tremor (Jun 7, 2015)

Okay, sides have fallen in again so her rolling has worked.

Pics:










pH pictures:







Earlier this AM it was yellow, 6.2. This afternoon it was BRIGHT RED, 8, and now its turning red and trying to rapidly change color and is turning white. Input?


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## Tremor (Jun 7, 2015)

I think we're making some slow progress.

Her milk I think has lightened up and has more of a creamier look to it.




Her pH is back to where it was earlier this week where it was red, nor was it orange.




I can also tell physically that baby has shifted. Before hand I had a decent "shelf" right before her udder where I could lightly push on and baby would move/react. Now, the shelf is completely gone.


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## Tremor (Jun 7, 2015)

Alrighty, just went out to check pH again. Here's an overview of today's changes.


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## lkblazin (Jun 8, 2015)

Looking really promissing. I hope she gives you a baby soon


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## Tremor (Jun 8, 2015)

Checked her pH overnight and its sorta dropping for me. Its still in the 6.8-7range,but its definitely not an 8.

Baby is fine, he was moving around early this morning. (Yes, in calling it a he, Lol) Its always nice to know that we have a live baby in there. Just puts me at ease some.


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## Tremor (Jun 8, 2015)

We are 323 days. Milk seems to be getting more yellow and less cream colored. Her vulva is staring to darken on the inside, which I noticed early this morning but figured I would wait to get a pic of it since she was laying down at the time.


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## Tremor (Jun 8, 2015)

3 pm check;


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## Tremor (Jun 8, 2015)

Milk is actually changing finally. This pic makes it look yellowish, but its more greyish, kinda off white. There are also blood vessels in her vulva that are bursting/enlarged to make patches that look purplish.

Baby was also moving when we were out there.


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## Tremor (Jun 8, 2015)

I. Could. Cry.


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## Tremor (Jun 9, 2015)

She foaled a healthy, solid, palomino filly at 3:30am this morning (June 9th).

I missed it by mere minutes. Baby nursed and took her first steps within a half hour, and the placenta has been fully passed.

I'll post pictures when I get off work today.


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## Brody (Jun 9, 2015)

FINALLY - congratulations. I feel like you have had one of the biggest waits of the season this year as your mare really looked like she should have foaled a good 2 weeks ago. Happy you finally have four little hooves safely on the ground and can't wait to see photos!


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## chandab (Jun 9, 2015)

Congrats! Anxiously waiting for pictures. Bet you can't stand being at work today.


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## Ryan Johnson (Jun 9, 2015)

Congratulations


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## Tremor (Jun 10, 2015)

Sorry for waiting an entire day to post pictures! As you can imagine, I slept and it was great to sleep an entire night and not worry about Bow.

Bow is doing a fantastic job at being a mommy again. When I first went into the stall and found the baby on the ground, she was still soaking wet and the placenta was in the process of being pushed out. I couldn't have missed it by more than 5 minutes, as Bow has always been a quick foaler and even quicker at pushing her placenta out. Bow let me enter the stall and inspect her baby, which of course was a filly. I called my mom, who was asleep like any normal human being at 3:30 in the morning, and had her come out to see the baby.

Within a half hour, the placenta was out, baby was standing and walking, and the milk bar was accessed.

I ended up going to work and was able to bribe a coworker in taking my last shift so that I could take the placenta to the vet and get some navel dip. Placenta was perfect and the vet was in just awe at how TINY the placenta was.

I let Bow and Baby A out into the dry lot this morning to enjoy the cool weather, since yesterday it was in the early 90s. Bow is doing a GREAT job at being protective to an extent. She knows to keep the horses away and to let us touch her, which I appreciate. The four years off from breeding has definitely helped her up her game, as before she would never have been this protective.

We are still figuring out names. I have decided to go for an "A" name since I have a stutter and find it hard to pronounce names where the mouth meets or the tongue hits the back of the teeth, such as "B", "D", "S", "T", etc.

We like three names,

-Attica (feminine of Atticus)

-Adeline

-Austen

Okay, picture time!
















Her ONE appy spot! I saw it at birth, but I wasn't sure if it was actually a spot or not.


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## Tremor (Jun 10, 2015)




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## Tremor (Jun 10, 2015)

Daddy seeing his last filly and foal:











Looking great, post-foaling!


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## KITTY83 (Jun 10, 2015)

she's really beautiful, congratulations!


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## SummerTime (Jun 10, 2015)

Too cute!! Congrats!!


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## paintponylvr (Jun 10, 2015)

Very nice!!

congratulations!


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## lkblazin (Jun 14, 2015)

Congratulations!!!!!


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## Tremor (Jun 22, 2015)

Just wanted to update again, we are just under 2 weeks old.

Today, working on setting up for pictures and walking. She's catching on quickly, and we make sure we don't work for more than 5-10 minutes at a time so that we don't overwhelm her.






Just trying to get her interested in me and sweet talking her.


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## Ryan Johnson (Jun 22, 2015)

Great Photos , thanks for the update , she is lovely


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## Tremor (Jul 7, 2015)

It's honestly hard to believe that she's a month old today. She's doing a great job at leading, and today I took her out to the yard on her own without her dam and she did great. (Despite flipping over on her back when the dog licked her nose and my head was turned.....)


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## Tremor (Aug 18, 2015)

Hard to believe that we're 10 weeks old today. She's a stinker for sure though! She does not spend too much time with her dam, instead she spends her time with her half-sister. When she's not with her sister she slips underneath our LIVE hotwire fence and joins her gelded sister, her gelded half-brother, and the 2013 colt I've been waiting to geld (until testicle #2 drops....). Thankfully none of our boys are aggressive towards her, and her sire watches over her pretty well until she rejoins the mare herd to nurse from her dam.

She is definitely a chunky filly. I don't have too many complaints about her, and I've actually been fortunate enough to have conformation pictures of her full sister as a foal that I have used for comparison. Let me tell you, Adeline is DEFINITELY the better filly out of the two, despite looking like a body builder. I am going to have to put her dam on a mare/foal feed since she has lost weight over the past month.

But, pictures!

















8 weeks old:


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## Tremor (Aug 20, 2015)

Thank you. It actually shocks me how mature she looks compared to her full sister. As a two month old, she looked like her full sister at 3-4 months old. Very thick and "built". She didn't keep her cute and tiny baby look for long.

I am lucky to have such a nice "bachelor band" to not harm her. I actually ended up having to SELL one of my 2013 geldings because he was aggressive towards her. She slipped into their dry lot at about a month old and I caught her in my arms. My 2013 gelding ended up hoofing her on the back while my arms were wrapped around her. The absolute lack of respect for such a young foal and for myself was the last straw with that gelding. Beforehand he had ended up killing two adult barn cats (cats were trampled or spines snapped from biting, left them with severe nerve/lung damage and had to be put down) that ultimately left a fresh week old litter of kittens orphaned. I will put up with a lot of behavior issues, but complete disregard for a defenseless foal is not something I will. Thankfully he went to a good home out of state though, I made sure of that!


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