Tanbark Acres’ 2008 Friesian Foals
Hiltje has a new son born May 13, and his name is Beau. Beau is a very big foal with quite the attitude. Just full of himself and proud as he can be. Beau’s dad is Wander 352 and Beau is the full brother to our Cori and Dusti Perdue’s Jantsje. While Cori is a piddling 16 hands tall, Jantsje is 17 hands and Beau is gonna be a whopper too. He has a lovely conformation and movement – one of Hiltje’s best foals so far I think. But all her foals are nice and I like every one of them. Beau is for sale, but we’re getting awfully attached to him. By the way, you can see another video of Beau when he was only 5 hours out. Check out Beau’s Day One video and story.
Dahlia’s new foal is Chip (Friesian “Tsjip” but pronounced the same way as the English “Chip”. This is one of my favorite Friesian names so I’ll spell it the Friesian way), born May 29. Tsjip’s father is Feike 395, who is doing very well in dressage. Tsjip, like his half sister Tara before him, is incredibly good to work with and easy to train. At 10 weeks he has made huge progress in his baby training. He is also showing a bold trot, like his momma. Tsjip has been sold to a local woman who has long wanted “an Everhart Friesian” (as she calls our foals). She plans to train and show Tsjip both in harness and under saddle. He should be great at both – lovely movement but a level headed guy.
So, here are some recent video of the new foals. I selected music from one of my favorite sound tracks. Say hello to Butch and Sundance… er, I mean
Beau
Tsjip
And check out some photos by Sara Andrew, who is becoming quite the photographer.
Dahlia’s new foal and the letter to my vet
Today I mailed off a letter to my vet, Heather Jenkins. She is a wonderful vet and has been great with our horses. She is practical, yet kind. Knowledgable and skilled, yet always open to learning more. We are lucky to have her. She helped me navigate some tricky waters yesterday and today I mailed a letter to her. The contents were of some thoughts I had concerning Dahlias new foal. I do not think Heather will mind if I share this…
May 30, 2008
Heather,
Sometimes I write down the stories of things that happen to me. I have found that I enjoy this, and it helps give me insights to my own thoughts/feelings. And besides, the stories on southwest Virginia and the horses are good stories that deserve telling.
Yesterday I wrote to my other Friesian breeding friends – the people I am closest to. Here, with a few edits, is what I said:
You are all my best Friesian friends. I probably will not post this, because it goes to my heart. But I wanted to tell you about my day.
Dahlia delivered at 1:15 am and it was picture perfect. It could not have gone any smoother. I gave the enema (“ah. a colt”), he nursed. I went to bed exhausted but relieved.
Today I called the vet to do a vet check. At eleven she got there and said “oh, a filly!” Huh? How did I get that wrong? Well, I had the feeling Dahlia would have a colt. Dad thought a filly. We were both right. This sweet, beautiful baby has a congenital defect in the reproductive system. He is a little of both. So, he pees funny and has odd looking privates. And his testes are sort of here, there everywhere. But otherwise, he is perfect in every way. He is just “special”.
I read up on this defect. It is not hereditary, so neither Dahlia nor Feike is at fault. It is just one of those things that happens in utero every now and then. There is no reason this horse cannot be a wonderful trail horse and companion. You just need to make sure he is gelded early and his hormone levels are monitored so he will not be a problem at puberty.
But of course it makes no sense to try to register him or send him to a keuring. He is not “up to snuff” per the KFPS. After the vet and Va Tech confirmed the diagnosis, I was a little at a loss. I could not really sell him to people wanting a sporthorse. And I did not want to sell him to someone who would not care for him, or would look down on him because he is “different”. But I could not keep him as a pasture ornament. I do not have the space or money for it. I asked my vet, should I euthanize him? “DONT YOU DARE” she exclaiimed. “He is perfect except for this one thing. I will find a home for him or take him myself. He is wonderful.”
“OK”, I said “I will keep him with his momma and our herd until he is weaned. Then we will find him a good home”.
Two hours later my vet called. One of her vet techs, who has little money but adores Friesians and has always wanted one of ours (“an Everhart Friesian!.” That is what she calls them.), heard about my little fellow from the vet. She came to see him and fell in love immediately. She asked if I would sell him, because she would give him a great home (I knew this would be true because it was the vet who made this match).
Unlike a lot of Friesian owners, this family is not exactly rolling in money. But they are horse people and know Friesians. I gave her the Friesian magazine with Feike’s picture on the front. And I told her about how talented Dahlia is as a carriage horse. “I will teach the baby to ride AND drive”, she said. I told her that if she would pay my dad to baby train the foal until he was weaned, she could have the horse. I could see she was filled with joy.
And so my sweet little colt has been sold. He will live with us until he is weaned. Every day he will play with our other colt and be admired by his mother, who thinks he is absolutely perfect. When he reaches puberty he will be with an owner and vet who understand his special needs and will help him, so he will keep his good heart, and remain a safe horse. He will be just 20 minutes away where we can visit him any time. He will be with a family who does not care that he is a little different. A little special.
As they were leaving, the young woman’s mother, who is paying for 1/2 the horse, said to me “I am sorry the breeding program did not go well for you this year. But I promise he will have a good home.”. And I asked the young woman, “will you love this horse?”. “Oh yes, I already love him”. “And”, I said, “will you work with him every day and teach him so he will be a good partner and companion?” “Yes,” she said, “I will not spoil him, and I will always be kind to him and teach him”.
“So,” I told the mother. “I think this year my breeding program has been a great success”.
Atticus is a big name for an Appalachian vet tech to remember/appreciate. So, we have decided to call him my favorite Friesian name – Tsjip (“Chip”).
I am not so keen on the hand I was dealt today, but I must say, it played out well.
As odd as it may sound, today I am very grateful.
Regine Brockway, a small but incredibly experienced breeder in Washington State, answered me with this:
dear jeannine,
i read your story and while i feel for you, i am glad that you decided AGAINST euthenization. nature sometimes plays us a bad hand, but i do not consider a hermaphrodite to be one. i have met 3 altogether and i must admit, all three impressed me because of their beauty, athleticism and kindness. you have a lot of “positives” of two genders combined in one horse with both gender specific genitalias. it is nothing to be embarrassed about. fact is, the foal is healthy. while it may not be a profitable business endeavor, i think you got your satisfaction by making someone extremely happy today, which may not have been the case if the foal had been a single gender. you also found a heavenly place for your foal by finding someone who will love him regardless what “it” is.
i give you a big hug and while i am sad that you did not get the filly you were hoping for, i am glad that tsjip is healthy and will have a happy life!
So, my final thoughts?
I feel grateful because I got so many life lessons over this. I saw a kind vet who went out of her way. I met a wonderful family who knows the value of a great horse and does not care that he is a little different. I am a little “different” myself, and this meant a lot to me. My friends have been so sweet and it is comforting to know they are there. I see how Dahlia loves and cares for her baby – and I’ll swear, she really is proud of him – and I realize (yet again) that animals often have their priorities correct when we do not. And I got all these lessons at almost no cost – monetary or otherwise. Sure, I am out the breeding/vet costs, but they were not that great. And the baby and Dahlia are completely healthy – no one even had to go to the hospital. Not even a retained placenta! Many of my friends lost foals or (shudder) their mares this year. Mine are fine, and I am immensely grateful for that.
So there were a lot of gifts to me.
Well, now I look to 2009. Since the winter I had been considering only breeding Cori, and leaving Dahlia open since the economy is a bit tough and I figured I might have Dahlia’s foal on the property a while. But now, he has a good home to go to in 5-6 months.
Hmm, maybe I will breed Dahlia this spring after all….
Heather, thank you for all you do.
- Jeannine
