Bandy's Foaling Thread - Round 2!

[Brody]

 

[AnnaC]

She really is such a pretty girl, so well marked! Thanks for the pics - I know what you mean when you say it's difficult to get good pictures of those babies that just love to get "close up and personal" as Diane puts it. LOL!!

 

[Brody]

Hey,

Just checking in. Our little one, Molly, is almost 10 weeks old now! I am also pretty confident that Bandy is in foal again for next year (as she didn't come back into heat after being bred). Her last breed date was July 21st. So, based on her gestation from this past year (323 days) - her due date would be June 9th next year. All factors will be the same (same stallion, same everything), so hopefully this will be a pretty accurate guess on due dates! I will have her checked by the vet to confirm pregnancy when she is about 5 months along (this December). This will be when Molly gets her first vaccinations at 6 months of age, so I'll have the vet palpate Bandy at the same time to make sure she is pregnant. I'll be sure to post at that point with a confirmation!

Also, I finally managed to get Molly's paperwork taken care of for registration, and so I thought I would post a few photos that we took when trying to get the required shots for the registration paperwork.

 

[AnnaC]

She really is growing up beautifully - those pics are great! Now looking forward to next year to see her 'double' appear!

 

[Brody]

Time for an update. Miss Molly is six months old, and now weaned. She is doing well and weaning was easy as she was more attached to my gelding than she was to her mother! I was having some issues with Bandy losing weight (as I posted on the other forum about a month ago), she is not completely back to where I want her - but she is definitely looking better, and now that the foal is completely weaned she should be in great shape soon.

The vet was out today, and confirmed that she is definitely in foal - so we get to do it all over again, and hopefully end up with a little one just as beautiful as Molly

. Hopefully this time there won't be as much guessing as there was last year - as there was only 1 breed date, and all other factors are the same as last year - same stallion, and of course same mare

. With Molly, Bandy delivered at 323 days gestation. Her last breed date this year was July 21st. So, her current due date should be June 9th, 2015. I will, of course, add more photos and posts as time gets closer.

For reference, here are a few shots of Bandy from today. She looks a bit out of it as she was still recovering from sedation when the vet palpated her and floated her teeth. I don't think it will be a good photo to compare to in the future, though, as it's hard to make out any body shape under all that fur!

Also, a few photos of Molly. She's a bit muddy - because, she loves the mud! There's plenty of dry paddock area for her to roam around on and a nice dry run-in shelter, but she always heads straight for the mud!

 

[Kim P]

She is so pretty

 

[Brody]

Thanks all.... Definitely wishing for another filly, but just so I don't have to pay to geld the colt

. Other than that it really doesn't matter, and will be quite happy with whatever we are blessed with. The biggest thing I am hoping for is a healthy foal that matches Molly (at least in size - if not color), so that we can have a nice little team in another 4 years or so

.

 

[Ryan Johnson]

I cant believe how much she has turned out like her mum.

Typical horses , the muddiest most dirtiest place in the paddock is always the best.

Really glad to hear she is putting weight back on. !!

 

[AnnaC]

Welcome back Brody - really looking forward to sharing the excitement of a second Bandy foal with you. Cant believe how like her Momma Molly looks, what a pretty girl! And yes, we have a few mud larks too LOL!!

 

[lkblazin]

Very cute!

 

[Brody]

Snow Update

. We still have a long while before baby arrives (due June 9th), but I thought I'd continue with monthly updates. We are currently buried in snow, and last year's foal - Molly - seems to really be enjoying it! Bandy is doing great at this point, and has put back on all the weight I was hoping she would. She looks and feels very healthy now. Molly has been weaned for almost a couple months now - so I recently put them all back in together. Bandy won't let her think about trying to nurse, and Molly still acts more attached to my gelding, so I feel good about having them all in the same pasture again. The first couple pictures are from a few weeks ago when it was REALLY cold (highs were around -10F), so they all got blankets for the fews days of extreme cold. We're now back to normal winter temps (with highs in the 20s and 30s), so the blankets are back off, but the snow has been falling. We got another 3-4 inches last night, so I took some photos this morning while out doing chores. It's not too deep yet, so Molly is loving running around in it, but we're supposed to get another 4-5 inches on Sunday - so she might like the barn more at that point!

 

[Ryan Johnson]

Looking Good Brody,

Good to hear she is back to her normal weight

 

[lkblazin]

Shedding the pounds isnt always easy. Good to hear she is back to her norm weight

 

[Ryan Johnson]

How is the young lady travelling with her pregnancy ? Has she kept her weight on since trying a few new things with her feed ?

Looking forward to seeing some new pictures when you have a chance

 

[Brody]

Hi Ryan,

Thanks for the message and sorry it has been so long since I updated. I keep thinking, "I'll wait until the snow clears and then get some nice photos" - well, we got a few more inches yesterday

. It is supposed to be done already!

I will get out in the next few days and get some photos though. Bandy is doing great, weight is about perfect and her belly has been noticeably growing the last few weeks. Just tonight I noticed a little change in her udder - so she should be about right on schedule for the June 9th due date. Last year she started bagging up around the same time (about 10 weeks before delivery). She has also FINALLY started to shed - with our crazy winter I've been wondering if my horses were ever going to shed. So, she looks a little patchy now - but should be looking slick within a couple weeks! I'll try to get photos posted in the next few days.

 

[Brody]

Hi all,

Here are some photos of Bandy as well as her foal from last summer, Molly. This is the first day that their pasture has not been covered in snow. The melt has finally arrived! Unfortunately it also reveals all the cleaning up that needs to be done that the snow camouflaged all winter. In a week or two once the ground is dry enough I'm going to borrow the neighbors tractor and get their small paddock and pasture back into good, clean shape! So until then, please excuse the mess - and rest assured they have a nice, clean, straw-filled shelter always open to them

.

Bandy always sheds out very well to a nice clear, show quality coat. She is still in the process of shedding and you can see the pile of hair I just brushed off her in a couple of the photos. Can't wait until the shedding is done and hair and mud season passes! I think I am going to clip my gelding this year so I don't have to wait for him to shed - he takes several months most years before all his winter coat is gone!

Anyway, here are the photos - Bandy just started developing an udder this past week. The photo doesn't look like much of anything yet, but it is different than it was a week ago. Last year she took a good 10 weeks to fill her udder, so I think she is right on track for her June 9th due date. I don't know how noticeable it is in the photos, but her belly isn't definitely bigger than it was last year at this time - so I'm guessing she'll get quite a bit bigger this year than she did with Molly last year!

 

[lkblazin]

Such a cute mom and daughter pair

 

[Ryan Johnson]

She looks great and don't stress about the pasture , We all have pasture that needs attending.

Is she bred to the same stallion again this year ? it will be interesting to see if this baby looks like her as much as Molly does

 

[Brody]

It has been a couple weeks so I thought I would update again. Bandy is at day 272 today, and is looking right on track. She was around 270 days last year when I first started this thread - so from this point on I should have some great reference photos from last year

. Looking back and comparing she looks to be very similar in her udder development, but looking bigger in the belly. The other difference is she has a lot more hair this year than last... the long winter means the winter hair is sticking on longer, but hopefully she will be all slicked out soon

. First, here are six photos from today (day 272) - right after giving her her daily brush and grain ration.



Next, here are the photos from my first post last year (~ day 270). If you want to see the individual photos better you can look at the very first post in my thread.



I'm starting to get excited, but still have seven weeks or so to go!

 

[Brody]

Is she bred to the same stallion again this year ? it will be interesting to see if this baby looks like her as much as Molly does

Yep, the same stallion as last year - so this foal will be a full sibling to Molly.