Expecting a foal.

[Thepatches]

That is really sad

 

[madmax]

I am so sorry that you lost your colt, good to hear that your mare will be fine, you saved her life by checking on her. Mal presentations cannot be predicted, they just happen and some can be worse than others. Wish it had turned out happily for you. Talk some more to us, I am sure we all care about what happened.

 

[minister man]

One of the colt's hind feet decided to make it's exit with the rib cage. That caused the hip to wedge in the birth canal like a triangle. I knew that the hind leg had to push back in, but there was no way that I could do that. The vet was over an hour away.....but the colt was dead before I called her.

It's been a pretty " up hill" day, between the no sleep and the disappointment. I know that it's not like a person died or a human baby born dead; I wasn't diagnosed with something terminal...…. But that doesn't mean that I am having an easy time with it. I guess I got too excited and the time that I spent searching for names.....

 

[Thepatches]

So sorry you had to go through this out would be really hard all my babies have been healthy so far

 

[Denisern06]

Unfortunately, there is no "happily ever after" to conclude this story..... The foal has arrived, but he didn't make it..... He was born in a really strange position that even the vet said was a new one for her. So we were up all night, a 250.00 Vet bill and a dead foal, but it seems that the mare is going to be ok. The vet said she would have been dead by morning if I hadn't checked on her in the night. oh yeah, she foaled on day 319.

I am so sorry! This is so heartbreaking. Praying for you right now. I recently lost my first foal and it ripped my heart out. I feel your pain.

 

[chandab]

So sorry for the loss. Unfortunately, it happens with breeding, especially with minis. What kind of position was the foal in? [Not to make light of a horrible situation, but count yourself lucky it was not a more expensive vet bill. I can barely get a vet to step foot on the property for that money, let alone do any work.]
I lost a foal to a severely twist cord, luckily mare passed it fine and she was just fine; and lost one to red bag (just bad timing that morning, still kick myself I wasn't there for her, but mare was fine).

 

[minister man]

If you look on this link, the foal was in the "dog sitting position". But by the time I found her, she had delivered the body of the foal, but the hind leg was out, and the hip was wedged in the pelvis. http://iamranch.com/minidystocianotes.htm

 

[minister man]

I have a pretty bad anxiety problem. That is why the waiting for the foal was getting to me so badly, and this isn't helping.

My goal in breeding this mare, was to raise a couple of teams of miniatures with the dream of it being a 4 in hand. I have never driven a 4 in hand though... Have worked draft horses a lot though. This summer, after she recovers, I will just work with my mare and get her driving well. I have her son from last year to work with, but I don't think they will ever be a team, because the mare is a B and the stallion was an A, and I am thinking the colt is going to be an A too. That is one of the reasons I wanted a full sibling.... BUt with a 4 I could use the big team on the wheels and the little team on the lead.

Buying a team mate would help me to match them, they would already be older and someone else took all the expense and risk. I won't be doing anything about that for a while.... but I am trying to lean towards what now, rather than wallow too deeply in just how bad I currently feel.

 

[Willow Flats]

Praying for you as you go through this hard time!

Since you are also able to think of future plans in the midst of your grief shows you are not without hope and that better days are ahead. Take care.

 

[user 45739]

I'm so very sorry to hear of the loss of your foal. To wait nearly a year for a new arrival, only to have to say good bye before you even get to say hello, is heartbreaking. I wish you comfort in the connection you have with your mare and other animals, and peace in the thought that your little one is in the arms of the angels.

 

[lilly the pony girl]

I am sorry to hear about the foal. Things will get better though.

 

[minister man]

Thanks for all the condolences... I know it could have been much worse. I guess it is just disappointing...

I like the mini's that look more like work ponies, and I have no intentions of showing them.... so there will probably be some that are looking for homes reasonably priced in a fall. With it costing so much to get them gelded sometimes the young colts are really cheap. I can watch for one of them and offer them a good home they might not other wise have.

 

[Ryan Johnson]

Sorry for your loss Minister Man.

 

[minister man]

I found a chart that tells me that if I measure my yearling's height then I can divide that number by 0.9 and it should give me pretty good idea how tall he will be when he finishes.

http://iamranch.com/miniheight.htm

That will give me a better predictor of the future of the possibility of him being a team mate for his mother.

I am just spending my extra time with the horses I have, and concentrating on them. It seems to be helping a lot. I guess when we have a loss, we need to develop a new appreciation for what we have.... instead of focusing on what could have been.

The mare is back to her old self, but now that she is no longer bred I can't turn her and the colt out together. That problem would have been the same even if the foal had lived, so I guess that is not the issue with this one.

 

[madmax]

Glad to hear that your horses are helping you recover, mine are always such a comfort as well when life is difficult. Nothing like going to the barn to hear a welcoming whicker.
All of my formulas to predict mature height are based on the foal measurements. Hope your chart works.
I kept a lot of notes on how my foals grew, and as a rule of thumb according to those notes, mine usually grew 2 inches from l year to 3 years if that helps any.

 

[minister man]

I measured the minis last night. The mare is 34" and the colt is about 30-31". The colt will be one on may 9th, so the two of them might end up close to the same size afterall.

 

[Cayuse]

I am sorry to hear about your foal. I hope the mare continues to improve and heal.

 

[Heartstrings]

So sorry to hear..

 

[lilly the pony girl]

How is the mare doing?

 

[minister man]

The mare is doing very well. Seems happy, and frisky.