December photos/Equine Affaire: On Target Miniature 2012 foals

[Eagle]

I am here watching Toffee but I can't help with Sox sorry

 

[targetsmom]

You were a huge help telling me Toffee had been down. I turned the light on so I can see Sox from the house at least. If she starts to foal now we are in deep trouble because we don't have a stall set up for her yet. But I think the foal is only just getting into position. But this is the mare that slipped 2 foals by us that didn't get out of the sac, so no more sleep for me. Glad she has the alarm on anyway!

 

[AnnaC]

I can only see Mira and Toffee, Sox doesn't show on marestare for me - is there a way that I can get her cam up? Sorry cant help with watching her, fingers crossed all is well?

 

[Eagle]

No Anna, we can't help with Sox.

Toffee looks like she is sitting on the wall

 

[AnnaC]

Thanks Renee - just wondered if I was missing something (I mean the computer was missing something, I KNOW I'M missing something!)

Toffee is certainly helping to support that wall. LOL!!

Sorry you are having to lose your sleep Mary - as you say, maybe it is just baby getting into position.

 

[Eagle]

Hey Mary it looks like they have got it sorted.

 

[Charlotte]

So Mira's baby girl is doing well this morningf? I haven't had time to read back.

 

And now we have another mare to watch?

 

I'm lost. Nothing new there.

 

[Charlotte]

Oh my. Frantic time. Silly mares. Why can't they just stay on schedule!!

thank you Diane for getting me up to speed

 

[targetsmom]

Oh, Eagle, thanks for posting that!!! I guess she has it quite well figured out!!!

Mira and baby are doing well this morning (much better than Gary and I, I might add). I would really like to pend the day watching them. The filly has an absolutely exquisite face and the rest of her is pretty nice too.

Diane has it pretty much the way it is, except for some little details. At the beginning, all three mares shared a stall, overhang area and turnout with one cam in the stall. A second cam was added to show the area outside the stall (shown many pages ago on this thread) where Mira and Sox were hanging out at night while everyone watched Toffee. Then yesterday, the mares were all let out into their pasture/ turnout when Mira came back into TOFFEE"s foaling stall and started to foal!! Last week we ordered a third cam, which we hope will arrive today, and now we need to set up the 3rd foaling stall that we had planned all along. We need to remove a divider and move some horses though.

Although Gary and I are both exhausted, we feel that our foaling season has already been a success. In one day, the number of live Buckshot offspring has doubled!!!

This photo, taken right after we realized the foal was still alive (but not the sex), says it all I think:

 

[LittleBittyBritches]

Awww congrats!

 

[Charlotte]

Oh my, I just realized we are related. hehe our new stallion is a Call Me Sir grandson. I'll be watching Toffee like a hawk to see what she has. How exciting.

Targetsmom, I think I understand that you have had disappointments in the breeding sector in the past, but with such lovely mares and stallion I sure hope you keep at it. It will all come right in time and it looks like this year you are off to a good start.

We had 4 disastrous years due to the black walnut trees after we moved here. Heartbreaking. But we kept plugging away at it and trying this and that and finally came to a solution. Just one live healthy baby romping in the pasture was enough to keep us looking for a solution.

 

[targetsmom]

Thanks Charlotte. We are very anxious to see what Toffee will produce for us too, as this is a new cross (but she is an experienced broodmare with at least 5 foals). In the mini world, I think most of us are related somehow!!! But it is an honor to be related to your horses!

I think some of our issues have been due to Rhino and we should be able to deal with that by careful vaccination. This vet (who is my age so might retire any time) is now 2 for 2 on saving dystocias here, so we will keep him on our speed dial!! I think I mentioned he lives on the next street so pretty quick to get here. One of Mira's dystocias was a breech abortion which took several hours to resolve at the hospital 2 hours away. So glad she survived that to produce Max and now this filly for us!!! We think this filly is as nice as Max, but will be bigger. We just measured her (a few times) at 22", with a 7.5" cannon bone. Her upper legs are very long (well her LEGS are very long) and that is why she was having trouble nursing I think. She actually has to bend her knees to nurse, like a big horse would. Mira is about 31" and Buckshot is 30.5" so don't know where the height came from but we love it for performance.

I might have to get her color checked because other than silver, I don't know what color or pattern(s) she is. Don't really care but I am curious.

 

[targetsmom]

Don't panic anyone if you can't find Mira and filly because we will be moving them. I know that wasn't what we said we would do, but that was before they messed us up by going in the wrong order!! The third cam is not here yet so we are moving Mira OFF CAM (only until it does arrive), putting Toffee back into "her stall" (cam on left) and Sox into the stall with the cam on the right. It looks like either one could go soon. I know I have been saying that about Toffee for DAYS, but Sox seems to be catching up fast. Sox was wearing Mira's halter alarm almost as soon as the filly was dry.

We "think" the filly's barn name will be Bunny. She does look like a bunny and she figured out how to get her legs to canter and kept running around the stall today. We took a bunch more photos so we can post photos while you can't see her.

 

[Eagle]

Bunny is a perfect name

 

[Eagle]

3.15am and all is quiet and has been for the last hour

5.00am Toffee is down sternal

 

[cassie]

Bunny is the perfect name for your gorgeous little girl!

5:14am Toffee still down sternal nice big rest

and Sox is holding up the wall with her bum looking miserable lol poor littl girl!

 

[Eagle]

7.10am and all is quiet. We are another day closer

 

[targetsmom]

Thank you Sox and Toffee for letting us catch up on our sleep a bit.... any time now would be fine though.

Some "show and tell" photos for the Little Hooves 4-Hers and anyone else interested. Comments welcome.

From right after Bunny's birth on Sunday:

Giving Mira Banamine for the pain (and how messy a foaling stall can get!! Which is why foal is on towel. Look at that loooong hind leg)

Drying off the foal:

Mare and foal bonding:

The pointy, semi-soft "slippers" that cover the hooves before the foal is born so that the hooves don't hurt the inside of the mare. Photo taken 6 minutes after birth.

Slippers fell of very soon after this photo.

Photo taken at one day of age while vet was taking blood to test her IgG (antibody) levels. Foal is wearing Mira's halter put on upside down like a dog harness, and then held while Stephanie is sitting on a mounting block to make it easier for the vet to reach.

 

[Eagle]

The miracle of Birth! Thank you for sharing in this miracle.

 

[targetsmom]

We will TRY to get more photos today. Hope it gets warm enough that we can take her blanket off. We are both whipped from removing stall dividers, setting up stalls, and moving horses yesterday, finding that didn't work, and having to do it all over again with different stalls!!! Good thing we didn't set up the camera (still hasn't arrived) or we would have had to move that too. And I do need to get back to my client work to pay the bills.

Mare update: Just checked Toffee's udder which somehow got neglected yesterday and it is pretty firm and full and the milk comes out the second you touch a teat! I think when Mira's was like that she foaled withing 30 hours or so, so there is still hope for a birthday foal today. I think Sox is still a few days off, but progressing pretty fast.