Waiting for Cori’s foal

The average gestation period for Friesian horses is about 340 days. Ours usually have their babies a little earlier, but when Cori had her first foal in 2005, she delivered smack dab on day 340. That means this year she is due on June 18, but we have been assuming she may go before that. And thus, it is “foal watch week”.

Since horses generally foal at night, and since the foal could be in distress upon delivery, it is common for horse owners to check the mare during the night. Cori is at my parent’s farm, so this generally leaves them with the burden of getting up every two hours to see how she is doing.

Though all foals are a gift, this year’s foal is special. It is our only foal this year. The foal has a buyer (and a friend) who has been patiently waiting for 2 years. The foal’s father is a wonderful stallion who can no longer produce many foals, so this baby is a rare (less than 10 this year) production from him. Cori is my first Friesian. I bought her as a 6 month old and she is now seven years old. She is a wonderful mare – loves people, trained in riding/driving, highly rated (1st premie ster) at her inspection, and just pleasant to be around. She is really special to me. So, this year I am helping my parents and covering the night shift for them this week.

When will the baby come? Who can say. We are trying out a new forecasting technique which tests the milk. You run this test each day and when the chemical indicator shows “200″ (whatever that means), the baby should be here within 24-48 hours. Cori showed “100″ last night, which tells me she is still a few days away. But still, the indicator does not work in all mares.

The baby has certainly dropped. This picture is from 6/12 in the afternoon. The drooping bulge in her belly is the baby lying on its back, with with head towards Cori’s hips and rear towards her shoulders. So, the foal’s spine is along Cori’s lower belly line. This is the standard fetal position in a late pregnancy. The baby will move a little, especially stretching its feet up and out. Must be uncomfortable as all get out.

Cori seems content and doing well. At night she shifts a lot from foot to foot. I think the baby must really be heavy on her. I have been trying to make her more comfortable by adding a fan to her foaling shed, and rinsing her with cool water in the afternoons, then letting her graze (on a lead line) for about 10 minutes on grass – this is a real treat for her now. In the afternoons before I pen her up in the shed I give her some hay and an apple. Nothing makes a Friesian happier than eating.

Cori appreciates the company. She is a little lonely in her foaling lot. In the mornings she gets to see the herd as they come for their breakfast. But mostly, she is alone with the humans. And we are a poor substitute. Yesterday evening as I walked to the lot, there was one lone horse across the way, waiting with Cori. This is quite odd for a lone horse to leave the herd in order to be alongside another horse in a different paddock. I took a picture, below. Cori is on the right and the other horse on the left, across the driveway.

I had already guessed who the horse was who kept Cori company. This is Hiltje, Cori’s mother. Mom and Dad say the horses never really forget their foals. It sure looks that way.