First Day Out in the BIG world

Saturday we took Momma and baybe out to the outdoor arena which doubles as a paddock.

He was so darned cute trotting along beside Mom, leading like a big boy. Mom held Copy so she would not get to running along with him, and perhaps crowd him into the fence. We let him run and investigate on his own. He was a little timid. He has been out in the 20x50 pipe corral, but this was a whole new world.

He is growing fast. His halter had to be let out one notch, and he is still ass-high, and buck kneed... even when he stands up straight!

I groomed Copy a little before we went out, but not meticulously, because I knew this would probably happen.

As he got a little braver, he started to run. And he ranandranandran...

Then we went for a walkabout. Copy got to pick some grass, and Ace got to practice leading. However, as Mom pointed out, he already leads better than her horse Hairy. It was a busy day by Baybe standards.

Baby Bronc Busting

Something Mom said the other day... along the lines of "Ace is getting to be a real armfull when we take him out"... made me think "Gee, I ought to spend some time working with this little guy! Before he isn't a little guy anymore." With a busy schedule and an already full barn routine, it's easy to limit my baby time to picture taking and "aww isn't he cute" activities. So, today I spent some dedicated handling time with him in the stall. We catch him and make him settle often enough, but I decided it was time to pick up feet and fiddle with ears. I got both front feet done and the ears before Mom noticed I was in the barn. With her help we got the hind feet done too, and even cleaned them a bit with a pick. Of course, he got them dirty immediately.
He's very good. He isn't shy or over sensitive, and he likes people so we just have your typical baby attitude to work with. He can still launch himself straight up off all four like a rocket. Luckily, I can still hold on. I did get my feet stepped on a few times, and I stepped on him at least once. But we managed to stay untangled enough to keep our feet. When Mom was picking up the hind feet, he was busy reaching around trying to pinch her butt.
The only thing he really didn't like was having his tummy rubbed. I always make it a point when I'm holding him to reach over and stroke behind his elbow because he is ticklish there. Rubbing the tummy got a really bad pucker face. But I did it anyway, because I'm the boss.

Creepers, Halters and Naughty Little Boys

Our little one is getting quite precocious! As you can see, he still won't stand still to have his halter adjusted any better, but at least he lets me put it on without a battle. He had his hind foot in it earlier during the photo session which is why it is eschew, and why he never wears it unattended.

I installed a creep feeder in the stall for him today. He noticed it right away, and his only comment was "Ooooooo it's Bloooooo!" and then he ran and hid as if an alien had perched on the wall. But, I'm sure he will have it emptied soon. Copy tried to stick her big snoz in it. She leaves most of her own grain, but naturally wants what she can't get at.

While I was grooming Copy in her stall, Ace came and tried to accost me. I caught him with one hand under his throat and held him in midair. He just hovered, threw his weight into my arm and said "You wanna make sumtin of it?" I had to laugh. There will come a time when he will be close to a thousand pounds, and doing some sort of mid-air stunt, and I will remember fondly the weeks when I was still able to pick him up and hold him.

He is very forward and friendly. So far, not nippy or anxious to strike, and he has not yet tried to kick out behind at a human, but I'm sure those days are coming. He is easy to catch and hold in the stall and in the arena. We took a spin on the lead rope in the arena, and he was a pro. I won't say I'm leading him yet, but he has learned to lead me. He doesn't pull, he just already knows where we are going.

Getting the Routine Down Pat

Today when I caught Ace to take him back to the stall, I put a lead rope on him. I didn't want to do this in the stall the first time in case he fought. Out in the arena, I could handle him without worrying about him crashing into a wall. He accepted it well and only pulled back a bit but I stayed with him. Since he already knows the routine, he started trotting back towards the gate. I let him stay a step ahead of me, and kept my hand on his rump encouraging him to walk alongside while I guided with the rope. He got back to the stall without even realising he had just gotten his first leading lesson.

Old Wives Tales

While ya'll are waiting for pictures... I'm not teasing... honest I'm not. I am very frustrated with my supposed computer skills and the lack of video link. Really I am.... Anyway, while we're waiting for pictures, let's discuss the evaluation of our new little bundle of joy. Naturally, as a breeder, I like both his sire and dam. I am also thrilled to death to get a healthy, sound foal. Just the sex and color I wanted to boot. Now it's time to do a little objective evaluation. That's pretty hard to do when they are this age. You honestly never know how they will look when they grow up.

You can always go to the old wives tales.

3 days, 3 months, 3 years: According to lore, these are the points in time you should attempt to evaluate your new colt. It is at these stages you can get a truest picture of what his mature confirmation will be like. In between, they are going through rapid growth stages. What looks like a big ugly head today, can look beautiful next week. And lets not even talk about balance. The hind legs don't bother coordinating with the front ones.

Measuring the Canon Bone: Many people use canon bone length to predict height. The basic theory behind this is that the long bones in the legs are close to the mature length. Everything else may be miniaturised, but those canon bones don't change a whole lot.

Whorls: Now we're getting into a little superstition. Many horsemen swear by whorls and other color or hide traits when predicting a horse's temperament and intelligence. I must admit, there are certain physical traits I associate with certain personalities. This art of prediction goes all the way back to the Bedouin tribes and some scientific studies have been done and seem to support the traditional beliefs. Some people also see a connection between the whorls on the forehead and left and right brain dominance. Left-handed horses had more counter-clockwise whorls and right-handed horses had more clockwise whorls. I had always heard that the way the foal lay in the mare determined the left or right handedness. A foal laying on his left side would naturally have longer muscles on the left, and shorter muscles on the right and would therefore be more comfortable galloping on the right lead.



Markings: Now we one up the superstitions and resort to nursery rhymes..

One white foot, buy a horse
Two white feet, try a horse
Three white feet, look well about him
Four white feet, do without him

Or...

A four stockinged horse is a horse for a fool
A three stockinged horse is a horse for a king
If he hath but one I'll give him to none.

And then the most drastic...

Four white feet and a white nose, take off his hide and feed him to the crows.

Oh my.

Old wives tales aside, I like my colt. He has a very fine little muzzle and his head reminds me very much of his sire's. His neck looks pretty standard for such a young one. I like the slope of his shoulder. He seems to use his forearm nicely. I think I see his dam's prominent withers. He has a nicely balanced hip. His tail is on straight. That might seem like a funny thing to say, but the last one we had came out with a tail like a corkscrew so straight is a good thing. And lastly, I've seen some pretty crooked legs on newborn foals. Those joints are soft and can turn in almost any direction. I can't get my eyes off Ace's strong legs. Those wonderful little hock joints look so perfect. And he sure is learning to use them.

As for the other stuff. I'd say he's going to be average sized. His forehead whorl is right between his eyes and appears to be a star burst with no rotation. If it were higher it would mean he would be erratic and difficult. So far, he's not. He does have whorls on each cheek which predicts debt and ruin. Well, anyone who keeps horses can relate to that. If they aren't putting you into debt, they're ruining something. The stall, the fence, their expensive blanket.

I just received a note from Mom. She got Ace and Copy out for 40 minutes wherein Ace put about 10 miles on his odometer - full blast... no fancy trotting for this guy. Everything is going well. The vet called back yesterday with his test results and he got plenty of antibodies from his colostrum. So, we're good to go.

Days Three and Four

Over the weekend, we were able to get Ace and Copy out into the small indoor arena for exercise each day. He was very bold and inquisitive. He has proven to be right handed as he will run only right handed circles. He likes to come up to people and visit. When he gets tired and needs a break, he will find the nearest person and talk to them in little nickers and snorts.

Copy spends most of her time watching the open doors for marauders. I put a lead on her and walked her so she would get some exercise herself. Mostly she wanted to stand in the center and keep an eye on her colt which meant we had to spin in a circle. She got going very fast and once she got so far ahead of me I had to let go and catch her as she came around! After that experience, we went to the wall and walked while Ace rocketed around on the inside of our circle.

He got going so fast that he banked too sharply and wrecked. Luckily, the footing is soft sand and the only thing bruised was his ego. On each outing he was required to wear his halter even though we are not trying to lead him yet. He doesn't like that at all. I was able to get it on him easy enough, but there was no way he would let me adjust it. I got it to fit him better the second time. Until he learns the routine, I am just guiding him the 20 feet from his stall the the arena and it is working out well.

He is gaining strength everyday and unfolding into a strong correct little guy. He has his sire's head and just the right amount of white in his eye to show off when he gets fired up. Apart from being friendly on his own terms, he wants no part of being held or made to do anything. He does like his chest scratched and he will stretch his neck upright and flex at the throat in a perfect baby show horse headset.

I shot a lot of video on Saturday and have been working with my camera and computer to get some video posted but haven't gotten it accomplished yet. I promise I will take some still photos of him and get those posted soon.

Day Two ~ Freshening Up

Day One was all about Baby and catering to his needs as he developed a routine and learned the basics. How to Get Up, Where to Get Food, and the all important How to Get Back Down. Since he has now mastered that, and has apparently turned his attentions towards training himself for the upcoming Derby, I thought it was time to turn my attentions to giving Copy back a little of herself.

I arrived at the barn on my lunch break. Ace has already done several miles round and round his patient Mama and was napping in the middle of her lunch. I grabbed a curry and brush and began to clean up my disheveled mare. As I groomed Copy, she groomed Ace, wiggling her big ole lip up and down his neck. And Ace groomed his front legs. After the basic grooming, I got a towel and a pail of hot water and began to wash the milk and afterbirth residue from Copy's haunches and hind legs. After two years, I have come to understand her language. She is an aloof and stoic mare, a cynic by nature, and she tries to appear unimpressed with most of my behavior. But, she does enjoy her grooming time and if I watch her expressions, she will tell me how I'm doing.

Today she was extremely vocal. As soon as the hot towel came out, she completely forgot about her colt and focused completely on her spa treatment. Her communication was loud and clear.... low nasal groans for the tender spots, nickers of gleeful approval for the itchy spots followed by expressive airy wuffles of sincere gratitude as I found the spots that really needed attention. I dipped the towel again and started on her udder. She waved her long neck around, leaning and squatting as she took full advantage of the washing. We finished off with a good polishing all over her coat and she looked and felt like a Lady again.

In the meantime, Ace had noticed he was no longer the center of attention and was running laps and seeing how high he could buck. He is built on springs like a tigger. My mother thought he needed to be held a bit so he doesn't turn into a complete wild thing. She suggested putting a halter on Copy, since all the grooming had been accomplished without one, but I knew if I kept her colt against her and didn't get between them she wouldn't get too worried about my messing around with him. I caught him up with one arm in front of his chest and one behind his haunches. He struggled and nickered and tried to fight off his attacker, but I just held him gently and Copy talked to him, touching his face and telling him to "be still Little Boy everything is fine". He soon relented and relaxed into my arms, and Copy stepped forward and laid her head in my arms along his back and neck in a horsey hug.

When I left them, Ace was napping, worn out from his efforts, and Copy was watching over him. Her window faces North, and is covered with a layer of plastic left over from winter so she cannot see out of it. But she can hear the geldings in the paddock right outside so she keeps a close eye on it.

The vet came later in the afternoon for a check up. They got tetanus shots, and he drew some blood to take back and test to make sure Ace got enough antibodies from the colostrum. Tomorrow we plan on some exercise in the indoor arena. The paddock still needs a little harrowing and it rained all day yesterday making it muddy again.

Day One ~ Still Bay

Baby Ace (seems like the right abbreviation for A Sensational Night Out) is on his feet constantly, eating, pooping and scampering. No one caught him napping until my sister came to visit at 4pm. He will doze on his feet and scope out a nap spot but he's afraid to drop. It's a long way down! He is very friendly and active. When he sees a person at the door, he trots over to say hello then resumes his routine...eat...poop...scamper. When I first looked in this afternoon I was afraid he had faded to chestnut, but the ankles are still black. In certain light he bays right up.

I went in and brushed Copy a little and gave her some carrots. She is mostly concerned with her baby and is gazing towards the window with a happy, far away look. Eating is a secondary concern. You can do whatever you want as long as you don't get between her and her beloved. She keeps a close eye on him and only takes short breaks to eat which prompts him to come over and investigate the hay pile too. He must be getting enough milk though. It's going through in a satisfactory volume. Is there anything stickier to get off the side of your boot than baby poo? I had forgotten about how it feels to step out into the aisle with a slippery, straw covered chunk of slime-goo suctioned to my instep.

Still, foals at his age are so fascinating. He manages to fill his day with the wonders contained in a 12x12 box stall. When ever he notices a new being peaking over the edge of his horizon, he must come and make friends with it with his tickly little wiskers. Then on to the next adventure! His eye sight is still pretty dim. Those walls keep sneaking up on him. Mom is easy to find with her warm bulk stationed in the middle of the stall. Last night I was amazed at her seeming sixth sense as to where those spindly legs were hidden in the straw. Once he crashed in the middle of the stall, and she hurried over stopping just short of one long fragile leg. She withdrew a few inches as if she knew just where it was way down there in the straw.