Your life in pictures

I have been wanting a digital video camera for sometime. I finally decided ithat if I did not record this foal from it's first hours of life onward, I would regret it later, so I bit the bullet and ordered a new video camera.

JVC Everio GZ-MG330 30 GB Hard Disk Drive Camcorder with 35x Optical Zoom


I have also gotten a terriffic idea... I searched the web for a horse baby book... remember when your mother kept those locks of hair, and hospital footprints? I can't find anything like that for horses. I can't believe it. So, I am going to get a scrap book, and start one for this baby. I'll bet there is a market for that.

Nickering

Copy is beginning to nicker at things. Obviously she must be talking to the baby, because she never talks to humans. In fact, she mostly tries to ignore then all together, unless they have carrots. Her hormones have mellowed out, and she has gotten quite calm. Mom has given up calling her "Bombeasta" and has switched to a more reverant tone, calling her "Madonna".

The vet is coming next week for a check up and to undo the suture job so we will be ready to go. I've plugged the date into several foaling calculators, and I still think she might go early. It ought to be at least 4 and a half weeks yet. It is hard to believe she could get any bigger, and at the same time it is hard to believe there is a whole foal in there.

Getting a kick out of this!

Today when I was currying Copy's belly, I noticed that when she sucked up her tummy, the colt would move. So, I put my hand on her right side (which is where the legs seem to be) and curried away. I got a good solid kick on my palm. So it's official... she/he is a kicker!

Foaling Kit

• I have been studying various sources for ideas about what I need for a foaling kit. Here is what I have so far:
  
  Gauze bandages for tails
• Total Foal Care Paste for newborns
• Towels
• Working flashlight
• Thermometer- (and Vaseline)
• Baling twine for tying up placenta
• Plastic pail with lid for placenta
• Baby bottle
• Plastic measuring cup for milking into and then put milk in bottle
• Iodine
• Container to dip the umbilical in
  Sheet cotton or cotton wool
• Another plastic pail for warm water
  Gloves- regular latex and long plastic palpation sleeves
• Enemas-Make sure the 2nd enema is mineral oil and water, not another greenbox/chemical one.
• Probiotic paste and biosponge paste
• Ivermectin dewormer for mare
• Various syringes and needles
• Banamine paste and injectable.
• Oxytocin
• Scissors
• Packed into a plastic box which sits outside mares stall
• Watch or clock to note when water breaks and when baby is born !!
• Camera
• Cell Phone with vets numbers
• Trailer hooked up and ready to roll in an emergency
• Foal Blanket
• Foal Halter
  
  I have read about half of Blessed are the Broodmares to brush up on my foaling knowledge.

Spring Grooming

I'm really getting the hang of this vaccum thing. After two treatments, Copy has her pre-shedding sheen back. This time when I got the Dirt Devil out, she looked over at me with a "You obviously have me confuse with your car floor" expression, but again, stood casually with one leg resting through it all. I went over everywhere with the rubber curry, then the vac, stiff brush on legs and tail, soft brush, and then a good wisking with a big terry cloth towel. I had purposely gone to get new bags for the vac since it was a freebee and didn't come with a supply. I was impressed with both the suction power and the amount of dander I got out with a fresh bag.

One thing I have begun to wonder... how am I going to continue our grooming routine with a little one running about? Obviously, the cross ties are out of the question, and all three of us won't fit in a box stall. I guess I will have to start tying her to the wall of the arena. Even that won't solve the problem of things with cords, but hopefully the worst of the shedding will be past by that time, and I can handle it with good old fashioned elbow grease.

Hard to Reach Places

There are a lot of hard to reach places on a pregnant mare. Copy has been shedding her winter coat for a little over a week. Yesterday I spent a good deal of time with the rubber curry on the underside of her belly. I got wads and wads of hair out. Copy went beyond lip wiggling and teeth snapping, directly to moaning. I suppose the massage felt as good as the scratching of itches.

Then I finished off with a quick vaccum with the Dirt Devil. Copy is a very laid back horse. She stands casually with one hind leg resting through most of my grooming routine, but when I applied the Dirt Devil, she craned her old neck back over her shoulder with a clear "WTF are you doing?" Then decided to ignore it completely.

Yeah Boy!

Check out Daddy's new promotional photo! Oh what a man! CF First Black Out