Breaking out and a long night of fun.....for the horses!

We were woke up early yesterday morning by a very loud knock on the front door and a stranger asking if we have horses, It turns out that one of our horses had broke out of the fence and was strolling on the road, We quickly dressed and went out to get him back in the fence. Then we went to the barn to feed them their breakfast, they both ate all their grain and decided it was time to go to sleep.......They must have been awake all night because, they slept half the day in the barn! We were not so lucky though, Our day had officially began even before one sip of coffee!

Sparta after breakfast

Dexter asleep in the middle of a beautiful day!

Sparta out cold from his night of fun!

There is never a dull moment when you have animals! We can't even sleep in on Sunday morning without some type of excitement starting the day!

Baby Horses grow so fast!

Dexter is now 5 weeks old and Sparta is a little over a week old, and they are growing so fast!

Sparta

Loving Sparta

Robin and Dexter

They both look alike but, they are very different in their attitudes!

Dexter is pretty calm and love to be pet and rubbed all over!

Sparta is very Independent and is already showing dominance over Dexter, I think he is going to be a hand full and a half!

Dexter now gets his own portion of grain and eats hay and grazes like his Mom, he is so fun to watch running through the pasture.. every time he runs, when he turns a corner he whinnies with this adorable little baby horse voice!

Sparta intentionally challenges Dexter and even Willow, I think he is saying " I am the ruler" Which is in part why he is named Sparta, he acts like a big, brave warrior ready to go at any moment!

Sparta carries himself tall and has a beautiful prance when he is walking!

We are going to have a busy, full of antics summer!!!

Badgers Foal!!!

Badger had her foal, a colt born June 16, 2009 at 9:40 PM!

I did not blog earlier because we were having computer problems, but I wanted to share this wonderful experience!

Meet Sparta!

Just the beginning

Waiting for Badger to push

Cleaning the amniotic fluids from his nose to allow him to breath!

Sparta, just moments after birth

Badger and Sparta bonding

Badger had a tough time with this big guy, she needed to have our help and she seemed glad for it. It was raining the night she had him, Badger was very restless, as she pushed she ended up getting her head and upper body outside the gate of the barn, we ended up having to remove the gate to allow her more room, as she pushed she sounded like a bear growling with each contraction but she wasn't getting him any where, she kept pushing and breathing so heavy, I knew she was having a difficult time. I stepped in and pulled with all of my strength with each contraction but we still were not getting him to budge so Alan joined in and we both pulled when Badger pushed and in no time she had a BIG Beautiful colt who could not wait to get on his feet, Sparta has so much spirit in him, he is going to be a challenge! He's as tall as Dexter is at a month old and he is already the dominate of the two foals and Sparta is just a week old!

This was such a great experience for me and I feel Blessed that everything went well for Badger and for us, this was a life moment that will never be forgotten!

God was with us all in the barn that night and I Thank him for his loving guidance, I have never helped any animal with the miracle of life and felt very comfortable with the whole event!

(Thanks to the books we read and the You Tube videos we watched about foaling!)

Badger is a good Mom and very proud of her new baby, after the birthing was over and Sparta nursed, Badger came up to where I was sitting and placed her nose in my lap as if to say Thank you, I'm glad you were here!

She is my pride, I love her with so much of my heart,

ours is a friendship like no other and I think she was telling me she feels the same way!

The Horses

Dexter, Willow and Badger

Dexter and Robin

Badger and her big belly!

Dexter is so full of life and he is so much fun to watch him run around and play, he gets to running so fast that poor Willow has a tough time keeping up with him!

Willow is getting more comfortable now though and can actually graze a little more than the first couple of days that they were out in the pasture, She is learning that she can let Dexter run about and play and he will always come back to her! She still keeps a very close eye on him. Willow is being a great Mom!!!

Badger is showing a few signs that she will foal soon, her teats are full of milk, I was able to milk a little from her tonight for the first time... A clear sticky substance that is the colostrum I think. I saw movement in her belly today too, which is always a joy to see and feel!

Willow and Dexter

Willow and Dexter are doing great, Willow is a very good Mom, attentive and Loving to Dexter! She is very good about letting us around them and Dexter is very curious about who we are, he is getting more energy, moving around the stall and playing. He came up to me last night and kept stretching his neck towards my face like he was giving kisses!

Badger' Teats are still filling with milk, no waxing yet so I don't think it will be much longer until Badger has her foal, I hope it is soon though, She will not leave her stall, she wants to be by Willow and Dexter and she looks at Dexter like, "I want one of those"!

Its a Colt!!!

Introducing Dexter our new Arabian/ Thoroughbred Colt

Born May 13, 2009 at 11:25 PM

We were told by the vet that Willow should be due to have her foal sometime in March, We had no due date to go by because they were discovered to be pregnant when we bought them, so this lack of information and the vets guess as to when it "could" be lead to a lot of sleepless nights for us....since March 28th we either stayed awake watching Willow because she would show signs that it was very soon, only to stop her labor and then nothing.

When we didn't stay awake watching, We would take turns getting up every hour and looking at the monitor to see what she was doing.

It would figure that Willow would foal while we were not here, My car broke down Monday and Alan had to come pick me up from work, while on our way home Robin called to say she looked at the monitor and Willow had foaled!

So we missed the actual birth but we made it home in time to see Dexter get up for the first time and take his first steps, nuzzle with his Mom and nurse!
I checked the placenta and found it to be intact! Both Willow and Dexter seem to be very healthy and happy!

When we first pulled into the driveway, I ran into the house and changed out of my nurses uniform into jeans so fast that I think I may have broke some Guinness world record or something! I flew down the barn but then I took my time approaching Mom and baby because I was not sure how protective Willow might be and thought caution was needed! Willow was wonderful about us being there and let us touch and examine her new little one, we mucked out the stall around her and put down fresh straw bedding to remove the mess from the delivery, all the while Willow did not mind the interruption. Once Dexter got to his feet and started nursing, we felt comfortable leaving the barn to let Mom and baby have some quiet time and bond some more while we watched from the monitor at the house for a few more hours before going to bed.

It was a wonderful event that we waited what seemed like forever to happen and finally found ourselves with a sweet new horse!

Now we have to wait for Badger to have her baby. So I see more sleepless nights in our future but, it is such a great experience that we would not trade it for anything!!!

Preparing for foaling

I know I have not blogged for awhile but we have been busy preparing for our new foals, Willow is showing some signs that the time is near, The muscles around her tail head are soft and wiggle like Jello! Her vulva is elongated now and swollen. She is like a yo yo with her teats, sometimes they are looking like they are filling up and then other times their down. She is cranky today for the most part. I have chose to leave her in her stall where we can monitor her closer, we have a camera system set up so we can watch the mares with out them knowing!
Badger's Teats have just started filling up but the muscles around her tail are still firm.
This is such a nerve wracking experience for me, I cant help but constantly watch them and yet I am very anxious but also reluctant at the same time for the moment to arrive!
I will try to post pics later, I have lost the cable to upload pictures to my computer, as soon as I find it I will show pictures of the girls!

Happy Birthday Badger!

Today is Badgers Birthday!

Happy Birthday to such a sweet girl, We Love you Badger!!

Badgers Pregnant Belly

This is Badgers pregnant belly!

It wont be long, she is due in April and Willow is due in March!

Taking care of the Animals on a winter day

Robin and Willow

This morning is cold, its the kind of cold that chills you to the bone as soon as you walk outside. I greeted the Horses who are always glad to see us come down because they know they are going to get their sweet grain, Badger will whinny in excitement and then bite at her gate until she gets her grain, Willow whinnies and then gets aggravated with Badger biting at her gate. While the horses eat their grain, we feed and water the Chickens, Turkeys and our flock of Meat chickens and open the door to the coop to let everyone outside. The Rabbits are next, we fill their feeders and collect the water bottles to take up to the house to thaw by the wood stove, we will take the water bottles back down to them after they thaw out later. We put the Halters on the Horses and let them out, Willow has to go first, then Badger. They get fresh hay thrown to them because there's no good grazing right now, everything is frozen.

We of course spend a little time loving the horses before we return to the warmth of the house.

In the evening we return to the barn to feed and water again, Brush the horses ( I have learned to do this in the evening because they usually like to roll during the day) We clean out their hooves and muck their stalls, then they go in the stalls and impatiently wait for us to bring them more grain and throw hay into the hay racks. We collect the eggs from the chickens and close them in the coop for the night. When it is really cold out the chickens and Turkeys get some scratch grains before roosting to help keep them warmer through the night. We give the rabbits each a little hay and say good night to all the animals.

Sometimes going to the barn feels like a drudgery to get myself motivated this time of the year ( I am not a cold weather type of girl)but, Once I get down there, I actually enjoy it, I love being with the animals, petting and holding the rabbits or hugging the horses and watching the antics of the chickens. The animals provide me with a sense of calm and help me forget the stresses of the day and they always do something that will amuse me and make me laugh, Its then that I forget, for a little while that its cold out side!

Horse Love

The Horses have really settled in at their new home and we are all enjoying them very much!

Ryan and Willow

Ryan and Badger

They are both very healthy and the time is getting closer to them foaling, we are learning as much as we can about pregnant horses and preparing the birthing kits, Willow is the first expected to foal in March and Badgers due in April.

We have been very busy with all the animals and preparations for winter.

We also were having computer issues but now we are back and I hope to blog regularly again, I will post pictures of the horses growing belly's soon!

We are expecting!!

Well, Not me but we took our horses to the vet yesterday and found out that they are both pregnant. Willow is due around March and Badger is due around April!
I am so glad that the guessing games are over! We rescued these Horses and had no idea that they were pregnant when we got them although We did suspect that Badger could be and we were very surprised to find out that they are both expecting mothers.
Willow has mastitis and we are treating her with an antibiotic, other than that they are in good health!!
I hope to get a new camera soon and I will post pictures of our progress with them.
I guess I will need to read up on equine pregnancy, It looks like I am getting a crash course in this area!!

Its been awhile!

I am sorry that I have not blogged in a long time, it has been a hard adjustment to losing my Grandmother and then we misplaced our camera, so I am reduced for now to use my cell phone for pictures.

We have had a lot going on around here, we have done more cleaning on the property and rearranged our barn to fit two rescued Thoroughbred race horses!

This is Willow, she won 9 races in her career and won over $60.000 before a leg injury took her off the track, she has a calcium build up on her left front leg as a result from her injury. Willow stands 16.2 hands high and has a very sweet personality!

This is Badger, she stands 17 hands high and is blind in her left eye from falling into the rail during a race, we have not been able to find her race record. Badger loves her treats and trys to mug us for more!

Both horses have the famed Man O War in their blood lines and Badger also has the only horse that beat Man O War, named Upset in her bloodline as well!

We are treating willow for rain rot that she got while with her previous owner and they both have some hoof issues that we are taking care of.

They have been with us now almost two weeks and they already look forward to seeing us at the barn, they follow us around and get lots of Hugs and Kisses!

We are proud to offer these two beautiful horses a home where they can live out the rest of their lives being loved and cared for like they both deserve to be!

I will post more pictures of them a little later, hopefully I will have another camera soon!