The Waiting Game

A lot of horse breeders spend most of their time anticipating – they anticipate their mare cycling properly, then they wait for 14 days to ultrasound her safe in foal. Next, they wait for her to foal 11 months later.Voila – we’ve waited a whole year in no time at all.
This year, I kinda skipped the first few steps because I bought the mare safely in foal from Greg Resisinger down in Iowa. I did however wait anxiously for her to arrive safely home once she was MINE.
She arrived, settled in well and I moved directly into the wait mode in September. She is due March 27/11.

In early Feb while we were out burning deadfall piles, I noticed she was way out in the fresh snow having a snooze in the sun. When I looked again, her legs were straight out, she was sweaty and seemed to be in distress. So, waded out to where she was, got her up the damn hill to the barn, got it bedded, water, hay and turned the heat on before heading to the house for the camera system to keep an eye on her. After some anxious moments, she seemed to relax and quit all the contractions, sweating etc. So I figured the foal must be just moving into position starting the journey towards her birth. But as we all know the weather turned ugly so in my waiting mode I decided that Vivian should come in the barn every night with the heat on till my filly arrives. Of course the shavings are buried under 4′ of snow, my square bales are tucked away at my hay guys shed, the road to them also under 4 foot of snow.
Solution – round bales – Picture short, fat me pulling off straw and hay in the blowing snow and wind into a wheelbarrow, push/pull it throw the daily snow to bed down a mare that is 6 weeks at least away from foaling. WAITING!!
So today is March 4th, I’m still waiting, have the camera on her at night in the barn, keep an eye on her outside during the day. She is bagging, shedding like mad, but not brushing her because she needs every hair outside to stay warm.
Figure another 10 days of WAITING!!
I’ll keep you posted.

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