Breeder Alert

[Becky]

I shouldn't exactly say that as all went just fine, but...... I was sound asleep when my Breeder Alert pager went off at 1:50 this morning. I looked at the monitor and saw Misty down flat out. She rolled up on her sternum and went flat out again. She got up and went back down and I saw her push. So I flew out of bed (sleeping in my clothes!) and ran to the barn. I delivered a healthy black pinto filly that I posted about on another thread!

Although all was well and the delivery was perfectly normal, if things had gone wrong and I hadn't been there, I shudder to think what might have happened.

I strongly urge anybody that is breeding to have a Breeder Alert or Equipage system (or some type of monitoring device) in addition to a camera and monitor and someone to watch those 24/7 when mares are close to foaling.

I can't tell you how many lives it's saved here! :aktion033:

 

[Getitia]

Yes, I agree totally - I've lost count of the number of foals the alert/camera system have saved on our farm - not just the foals, but the dams as well.

Congrats on your new filly - she is lovely

 

[Loess Hills]

I'll second that! Don't know what we'd do without the Equipage and the camera system. Being able to see them, and knowing when the peeper goes off if it's a false alarm or the real thing. Before we got the Equipage I'd spend night after night for weeks blurry eyed in front of the monitor .......afraid I might miss the moment of delivery. And we've had several maiden mares who did need help with delivery.

Worth every cent!!!

: :bgrin

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[Joyce]

Congrats Becky and I agree 100%. Everone who breeds owes themselves to have camera and Breeder Alert/Equipage systems.

Joyce

 

[Lisa-Ruff N Tuff Minis]

I am so glad i am not the only who sleeps in clothes

tripped and almost killed myself a few times trying to run and get dressed.

 

[DebiM]

I agree completely as well, Becky! We have monitors in almost every room of the house including my daughters. I have three pagers to go along with the EquiPage system and can't imagine breeding these Minis without it all.

 

[REO]

I agree.

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I say if you breed, you don't just owe it to yourself, you owe it to those foals and mares. They are precious lives and they depend on you!

I'm sure that some people who ask the cost of the systems cringe at the cost (around $700 or so) but I bet after they lose that first foal they wish they had one. They pay for themselves with the 1st life they save! My Equipage has saved many, many foals AND mares lives.

It breaks my heart to hear of people saying that they set their clock to wake them every two hours to check the mare, then they later come on and post that the foal was lost in the sac.

I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings, but it hurts me to know that anyone's foal and- or mare was lost. I know the pain. I wish I was rich, then I'd by a system for everyone. Minis and foals are NOT money on the hoof to me, but my children. I'm sorry I get carried away, but it's the way I feel.

I hear those $50 halter buzzers work pretty good!

 

[Dontworrybeappy]

Cool! We just installed our new equipage system yesterday! It tested out great - even went off when Nana took a nap in her attached run outside the foaling stall!

I used to sleep at the boarding stables with my pregnant mares (one was next to a railroad track, hard to drift off in that one!) - and then we had a camper set up with a view into the foaling stall when we first were renting our own horse property. I had a baby monitor too, in case my eyes were closed when the water broke!

Hubby finally stepped up and said "I AM PUTTING IN A CAMERA SYSTEM" when I had a broken leg and a foal due in August - would have roasted in the camper and needed to stay off the leg! That worked well and being a natural insomniac, staying up all night to watch the monitor was OK.

When we bought our own place - one of the first things Michael did was trench to the barn from the garage - my Dad put in the electric, and Michael put in closed circuit camera lines, computer network lines and phone lines.

Each of the 4 box stalls has a closed circuit camera and stalls 3 and 4 are on the web as well.

That system worked well for about 6 years. This year I discovered that I'm "getting too old" to go without some decent quality sleep... even 4 days like watching our first mare up, Cat... when I did sleep, I woke up in a very tense position, with my jaw sore from clenching my teeth - obvioulsy nervous about missing things... so we added the equipage!

We;ll see how it goes, I have added pouched for all 3 sizes of horses we have -the Icelandid mare is next up with our Icey-warmblood baby!

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[Magic]

I'm sure that some people who ask the cost of the systems cringe at the cost (around $700 or so) but I bet after they lose that first foal they wish they had one. They pay for themselves with the 1st life they save! My Equipage has saved many, many foals AND mares lives.

SO true!!!

: I've paid nearly that much for a BREED FEE--- an Equipage system that keeps working year after year to help me monitor my mares for foaling is CHEAP in comparison-- and the lives it saves, well, PRICELESS!

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[RobinRTrueJoy]

I totally agree. My breeder alert has saved many foals and mares! I have had many that would never have gotten out on their own.

 

[HGFarm]

I completely agree, I use the same system with a camera too. And it has saved a couple of lives here as well!!!! Worth it's weight in GOLD!!