Finally, after being jealous of everyone's early foals, our foals began to make their appearance. And this year, our weather is truly spring like, warm, sunny days, NO MUD YET and it's only early April

First mare to use the foaling stall was The Pleasures Mine, a maiden mare that we bought from a good friend, Beth Myers in Las Vegas, NV. She has gone from a pampered show horse to being a pasture pony which she enjoys so much, she hated coming in the barn at night in preparation for the big event. Due on March 28th, we bred her only once. On March 30th we brought her in the barn at 6 pm - went to the house, checked her on the camera while making supper - she was doing nothing, eating hay, no wax, no major softening around her tail. At 7.30 pm after supper, I looked on the monitor and she was down, flat out. We raced over and there was her first filly, already out, sac still on her but talking away. Talk about wanting to get it over with fast, Minnie wins that award hands down. In less than an hour, she had cleaned, the filly was nursing, had a poop and was investigating her surroundings. Minnie's minimal colored filly, nickname is Bethie and her registered name will be "Body For Pleasure" is sired by Bodyguard. 


Next to move in the foaling stall was The Wild Child, our 16 hand mare who is slightly difficult to manage. Doing chores, I see she has some wax so I lead Sparkle to the barn and TWC follows like a good girl. This works for two days, the third night - Nada - I discover this after chasing Sparkle for an hour because she's had enough of this routine too. Give up, come to the house. By 9 pm, it is a full moon, temperature has dropped, so back down for another try and different method. It works until Beverly decides to lay a licking on her right at the gate. Slight delay, but get her caught again and up to the barn we go for the night and the next day, she gets locked up in a small pen. I'm getting too old for Olympic track events every night. Wed. April 7th, she is really waxed up, super soft, uncomfortable. I watch her on the camera from the comfort of the house, go to bed with her doing nothing. At 1.30 am she is down flat out and I think, "give her a few minutes and then go over". Next thing I know it's almost 4 am and there a solid looking foal motoring around the stall. - Hmmm, probably another solid colt, not going over, too tired - but guilt sets in, up I get and go over to the barn and voila - it is a colored filly, 44 inches tall, already had a drink, a poop and is fine. This year is so much nicer than last year. So nice in fact, that The Wild Child and filly who will be named Heavenly Body are outside in the sun the next morning. This filly who still has to tell me her barn name is amazing, she is big, solid and totally fear free.

This spring, foaling has been so much better than last year but in spite of my many pleadings with Beverly to foal before I left for a paint show in Spokane, she refused to cooperate. So I left, realizing that the chances of Bruce waking up during the night to check the monitor were slim and none. When he sleeps, he sleeps.  But Beverly took pity on him, laid down outside in the middle of the morning and started foaling. He hustled her up to the barn and called me once her baby had arrived. "It's a colt, back legs are still inside but has enough face white for regular papers.". Is he gray I ask? - Nope, sorrel is the reply.   Alrighty - ask Stacey, our daughter to come down and take some px and email them to me - I'm just a shade impatient and 3 days away from home. This was Saturday, April 24th.

Sunday morning, Bruce calls again as I'm getting ready to show. "We have a problem", he says - "the colt is a filly". Gee, like those kinda problems, scare half the horses on the grounds hollering with joy. Get home late on Monday evening and discover that the filly has gray around her eyes and will be a GRAY OVERO FILLY!!    Now if I had only know you can order sex and color, I'd been on this program years ago. Her registered name will be Shimmery and barn name, Glory. And she is a happening kind of girl, spends most of her time being airborne.

The Mr. Mare is next on the schedule and I'm determined she will foal inside this year so the games begin. Weather gets ugly, with a bitter cold wind so she is inside, backed up to the wall to prevent any chance of foaling inside. I let her out, watch her like a hawk, she starts acting like she wants to go down etc - out I go, grab hold of her to bring her to the barn. She wants to go out with the other mares. She turns right, I turn left - discussion ensues - I win, off to the barn. Does nothing. After supper the sun comes out so back out she goes till after dark - playing psychological warfare here. Bring her in about 10 pm after the right/left discussion, watch her till 11.30 pm when I give up. At 2 am she is in the butt to the wall stance - at 4 am, there is a foal in the stall and I missed it. But she foaled inside safely for the first time in her life. Sally has a very fancy solid chestnut filly with a funky face marking. My name she said is "Camille". Left them inside on Thursday and Friday dawns with beautiful spring weather so out they go to enjoy it. Camille doesn't follow well, but we get down the hill to the pen. Supper time, I go to bring them in - Camille departs stage left with the St Bernard - they rip around the yard, down the driveway, back down the hill. Mom is having a panic attack, dragging me in hot pursuit to no avail. This filly isn't cooperating in the least. Finally we all arrive back at the gate to the pen at the bottom of hill at the same time and in we go. I admit defeat and leave them out for the night.  Filly's registered name will be Uppity Gal. She is fiercely independent already.

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