The Happy Harness Horse
When Dahlia was just a little baby, dad tried to put a halter on her. They were in a 12 x 12 stall (with Dahlia’s mom) and it still took him 30 minutes to catch her. “I’d put my arms around her” he says, “and she’d jump out – like a bunny rabbit.” Later on it was typical to see her wander off all by herself in the pasture. Her momma would panic and desperately start to look for her. Dahlia would roll her eyes as if to say “holy cow momma, just chill out, would ya?”. We knew early on we had one fiesty, independent minded equine on our hands. She is still the same way. And that is why I love her.
You can go into Dahlia’s stall to find her lying down (a lot of the time) and if you wanted, you could probably sleep in there and use her as a pillow. But when it is time to work, you see a different side. If she sees a saddle, her face says “oh crap, I hate that thing”. She tolerates the exercise, but seemingly complains. On the other hand, if there is a harness there she perks up – looking like a kid about to get on the ferris wheel. Then she goes and you can almost hear her shout “wheeeeeeeee!!!”.
I took Dahlia to Wiebe Dragstra, her trainer in NC, about a month ago. She loves him because he is the carriage driver. Which means he is her buddy – they are part of the same fraternity that the rest of us cannot quite get into. Wiebe is exercising her for the IBOP test. They are not supposed to judge her on looks – just performance – but they have a hard time with that. Dahlia is a short, chunky mare. She really does look like a Friesian – one from 1950. She cannot seem to get trim, no matter what Wiebe does. So, I am not sure how she will fare in her scores. But that’s ok. If nothing else, for 6 weeks she gets to be a harness horse. And a happy one at that.
Today I went to visit Dahlia and watch as she and Wiebe played. If a horse could laugh, she’d be laughing. Or, at a minimum, she’d be yelling “wheeeeee!”
I have to brag on Dahlia’s grandma
This past winter while in the Netherlands I was able to meet the grandmother of my mare Dahlia. Grandma’s name is Wilmaa B and she is 16 years old now and has had 8 foals. Wilmaa B’s mother recently died. Her name was Hillie B. and she was a daughter of the famous stallion Hearke. Hille B. had a rating of Model + Preferent. Less than 2% of all mares will make the Model rating. Perhaps one half of those could also achieve Preferent. Wilmaa B. is also rated “Model”. The damline is unbroken (ster, Model, and/or Preferent) back to 1948. Most breeders in Friesland know of Hillie B, and Wilmaa B. For mares, they are pretty famous.
A good day for a little foal
The morning started with an odd status report from the vet. She felt the foal had taken some steps back and the frustration was evident in her voice. “He is not responding to his mother at all. He has resorted to running from her again. He is not feeding well from the bottle.” The whole thing was pessimistic and not helpful. I started looking for answers myself. What would I do if Tech kicked him out because he’s perfectly healthy, but still needs “physical therapy”? How could I take care of a foal with a nasal tube for feeding? I worried all morning.
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Va Tech – the first 24 hours
On Saturday June 16 at 12:30 in the afternoon, dad and I were met by a team of 5, waiting to take Cori and her newborn into emergency care. One of the 5 took me to the front office to leave my credit card number (ah, modern medicine). The other 4 immediately began taking the baby’s vital signs and getting a history. He was already so much improved since the morning that he was walking very steadily – even bucking a little.
Dr. Tan was assigned to our case. As it turns out, she was also the primary vet for our foal Tsjemme, who came to Tech last year. “Dr. Tan”, I said as I shook her hand, “we gotta stop meeting like this”. She smiled and immediately went to work on the foal.
When Cori came out of the trailer, one of the tech’s said “my goodness, that is a beautiful mare!”. Of course, I swelled with pride. Cori became a little agitated if she could not see her foal, but otherwise she was, as usual, an angel. While Dr. Tan and two assistants did an evaluation on the baby, one tech held Cori, who quietly munched her hay, while the other started milking her. After these two saw what a sweetheart Cori is, they relaxed. The tech milking Cori just got down on her knees and milked, milked, milked. She stopped after getting more than a liter (think of the size of a liter bottle of soda pop), and this was because she simply got tired of milking. That’s my mare!
The baby already has a distinctive personality. He is strong and athletic and smart. Two techs could hardly hold the 12 hour foal, and when they tried to do things he did not like, he cleverly evaded them. I bred him to be a competitor, and I think he is going to be just that.
There were some very good signs that day – the foal was moving very well – an amazing improvement from 12 hours before. All his tests were perfect – IgG (thank you Dr Cassell, the emergency vet. You really saved him), blood gas, fluids, temp, tests for septicemia, pulse, ultrasounds, etc. Physically he is doing extremely well. No problems whatsoever. The vet put in an IV and NG tube (as seen in the picture above). The NG tube is to feed him until he can nurse. The IV tube was initially for fluids, and later for some antibiotics (he does not need it, but the vet wanted to make sure he did not get something from the germs in the hospital).
Dr. Tan feels her job is mostly done. He needs to be monitored, but his health is quite good. It is up to the vet techs now to feed him and help him learn how to suckle from his mom.
Today, Sunday, I visited Cori and baby at 9am. Cori is bored, but being so good. She is a hospital favorite I think. The baby was sleeping. Looking at his chart I saw that his pulse at 8am was much higher than normal. A note was beside the measurement, stating “this is because he is running around”. Ha! My little athlete.
I gowned up and went in to see him. I made him get up so I could monitor his interaction with Cori. He still did not see her as his momma, but at least he was no longer in a panic and avoiding her. He would even touch her with his nose every now and then. She was streaming milk, so I ushered him over and moved him closer to the teat., The streaming milk came into my hand and I rubbed some on his gums. At first he moved away, then smacked his lips as if to say “hmm – that is good!”. I then put a finger in his mouth and he ever so slightly sucked on it. I cheered with joy! If we can get him to suck, we can get him on a bottle. And if we can get him on a bottle, we can lure him to a teat. And once he understands that momma is where food comes from, he’ll be back on track.
Tomorrow is Monday and the hospital will be fully staffed with experienced, long term vet techs. I am hoping the lady who worked with Tsjemme will be there. One day at a time.
I’ll write more tomorrow.
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.
