Three weeks ago, Tori, the pretty bay mare, body suddenly
changed. She went from us not being 100% certain she was bred, to being able to
say without a shadow of a doubt she is definitely in foal. Great!
About two weeks ago, I noticed droplets of wax forming on
the tips of her teats. Every horse breeder will tell you this indicates the
mare is about to foal, usually within the next 48 hours. This fact can be found
in every single horse book written on the subject of foaling. The mares drip
what looks like candle wax for 24-48 hours, which eventually changes to
dripping milk. According the books, the appearance of the milk means the mare
will foal within
12-6 hours.
The sight of that wax led to a frenzy of activity; we moved
the dog stuff out of the foaling stall which we’d been using as a kennel, leveled
the stall, brought straw in from the back, and checked to make sure the foaling
kit was in order. That night, I brought Tori in from outside and explained to
her that this was where she was supposed to have her baby.
During this time we also cast several nervous glances at the
calendar. Tori, along with her full sister Aerial, aren’t due until the Fourth
of July. We really don’t like foals that come six weeks early, we prefer they
come out fully baked, but since there’s not much we can do to stop it, we just
sat back and waited.
And waited.
And waited some more.
We’re still waiting.
That’s right, Tori still hasn’t foaled.
See that’s the thing about the book, the breeder and
caretakers might read them but the horses don’t. When it comes to livestock
production, the books can be used as a guideline, but they can’t be treated
like the bible. Animals, like humans, have their own unique sets of quirks,
personalities, and hormones. It doesn’t matter if you’re raising cattle, pigs,
rabbits, or horses, you have to learn to go with the flow.
We know that Tori’s sister usually follows the book. She
likes to foal at night, and that if given a choice, she would like to give
birth outside. We learned that their dam, Basil, she laughed at the book and
proceeded to gush milk for about two weeks prior to foaling, and took sadistic
delight in watching us stumble around in a sleep deprived haze.
In Tori’s case no one knows what to expect. Tori is a maiden
mare, meaning she’s never foaled before. We’re keeping a record and hoping it
will help us learn her individual signs, and waiting to see what happens. We’re
not freaking out because she started waxing sooner than expected, and we’re not
freaking out because she didn’t foal 48 hours after she started to wax, though
I’m getting a little tired of bringing her in each evening. We’re letting
nature run its course and are prepared to step in and lend a helping hand
should Tori need it.
Compared to Tori, Aerial looks like she'll be giving birth to a baby elephant! She's huge! |
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