2023 Foals

TheMule

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Coco now a month old and utterly adorable. Super friendly and confident, now out with a foal friend full time so has tamed the excess sass!

Happy to have her slip on and off and will lift all four feet.

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She is such a pretty little thing, and looking really strong now she has grown a bit. Proper foal!
 

shanebelton

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Coco now a month old and utterly adorable. Super friendly and confident, now out with a foal friend full time so has tamed the excess sass!

Happy to have her slip on and off and will lift all four feet.

View attachment 112477View attachment 112478
She is a beauty! I look forward to being able to put them out full time!! What age was she when you left them out at night? We are out about 4 or 5 hours per day at the min and plan to increase that this week.
 

QueenBella

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First homebred was delivered safely in the early hours of Friday morning. A beautiful filly out of a lovely up and coming stallion here in Ireland with the mare out of T'is Voltaire and the sire with Comthago VDL and VDL Harley in the breeding.

Bella showed no sign of foaling at all Thursday evening when I did the last check before bed and then when my boyfriend was home from the pub at just after 12am there was a little foal lying in the field. Of course she birthed in the muckiest part of the field so took us quiet some time to get the foal up but once she was up we couldn't keep her still at all! Such a character already, she's everything I could've wish for and more!💓
 

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Pinkvboots

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Pinkvboots

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First homebred was delivered safely in the early hours of Friday morning. A beautiful filly out of a lovely up and coming stallion here in Ireland with the mare out of T'is Voltaire and the sire with Comthago VDL and VDL Harley in the breeding.

Bella showed no sign of foaling at all Thursday evening when I did the last check before bed and then when my boyfriend was home from the pub at just after 12am there was a little foal lying in the field. Of course she birthed in the muckiest part of the field so took us quiet some time to get the foal up but once she was up we couldn't keep her still at all! Such a character already, she's everything I could've wish for and more!💓
Another lovely foal you lot are so lucky.
 

Asha

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First homebred was delivered safely in the early hours of Friday morning. A beautiful filly out of a lovely up and coming stallion here in Ireland with the mare out of T'is Voltaire and the sire with Comthago VDL and VDL Harley in the breeding.

Bella showed no sign of foaling at all Thursday evening when I did the last check before bed and then when my boyfriend was home from the pub at just after 12am there was a little foal lying in the field. Of course she birthed in the muckiest part of the field so took us quiet some time to get the foal up but once she was up we couldn't keep her still at all! Such a character already, she's everything I could've wish for and more!💓

what a gorgeous mare and foal. Congratulations
 

HappyHackerK8

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First homebred was delivered safely in the early hours of Friday morning. A beautiful filly out of a lovely up and coming stallion here in Ireland with the mare out of T'is Voltaire and the sire with Comthago VDL and VDL Harley in the breeding.

Bella showed no sign of foaling at all Thursday evening when I did the last check before bed and then when my boyfriend was home from the pub at just after 12am there was a little foal lying in the field. Of course she birthed in the muckiest part of the field so took us quiet some time to get the foal up but once she was up we couldn't keep her still at all! Such a character already, she's everything I could've wish for and more!💓
She is lovely 🩷
 

HappyHopes

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Thank you all! Couldn't be happier 🥰

@Cloball yes that's a Welsh Mummy!

Dam is Infield Princess, beautiful girl. Sire is our boy Belissimo Vita. Our first venture in to breeding for ourselves and a million thanks to Garthfach Stud 🌟
 

HappyHackerK8

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Do I need to set my foal watch alarms?😂

Maiden mare is 315 days now, her bag is filling normally through the night and walking off through the day - getting there but no where near!

However…her croup, tail, general back end has gone WOBBLY! I mean properly! Her tail is being held much higher over the past couple of days and as of yesterday I can lift it almost right up - she’s a clamper usually 😂

So the question is: should I be worried? I’ve googled it like mad and the results vary so much - some say imminent, some say weeks, most says nothing at all about how long before foaling this will happen!

I know that with maidens the rule book can be thrown out of the window, so I’m hoping that she has at least a good two weeks of cooking left to do to get us well into the safe zone >220-226. TIA
 

Errin Paddywack

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I would say she is getting close. Length of gestation can be very variable, 320 onwards and she is very close to that. I had one born about the same stage as yours and she was perfect. The only sign that she might have been slightly early was that she took longer to get her front teeth through. I would be keeping a very close eye on her but not necessarily checking multiple times a night yet.
 

HappyHackerK8

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I would say she is getting close. Length of gestation can be very variable, 320 onwards and she is very close to that. I had one born about the same stage as yours and she was perfect. The only sign that she might have been slightly early was that she took longer to get her front teeth through. I would be keeping a very close eye on her but not necessarily checking multiple times a night yet.
It’s funny - I was SURE she would go into 350+! Not sure why, just quite neat until now and she’s a chilled mare so thought she would have us all waiting (zero science behind my predictions!) I was so, so shocked when I did her little tail check! I’ve only been doing it so I know what her “normal” is like! She’s suddenly huge today! And hollow around the top of her hips so possibly dropping too - hard to tell as she’s got a well defined top line since pre pregnancy and has held it well, and therefore held the foal well up - until now!

Such a relief to hear a <320 story! Hopefully she will give me at least a week 🤞🤞🤞
 

TheMule

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Do I need to set my foal watch alarms?😂

Maiden mare is 315 days now, her bag is filling normally through the night and walking off through the day - getting there but no where near!

However…her croup, tail, general back end has gone WOBBLY! I mean properly! Her tail is being held much higher over the past couple of days and as of yesterday I can lift it almost right up - she’s a clamper usually 😂

So the question is: should I be worried? I’ve googled it like mad and the results vary so much - some say imminent, some say weeks, most says nothing at all about how long before foaling this will happen!

I know that with maidens the rule book can be thrown out of the window, so I’m hoping that she has at least a good two weeks of cooking left to do to get us well into the safe zone >220-226. TIA

They can slacken off quite early. Are you milk testing? That’s really the only way to know for sure!
 

HappyHackerK8

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They can slacken off quite early. Are you milk testing? That’s really the only way to know for sure!
That’s a relief! Not testing yet as she’s still very firm and bag is coming and going - just know maidens can hold off on waxing etc right before so just wanted some reassurance that this slackness wasn’t an imminent precursor ☺️
 

HappyHackerK8

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That’s a relief! Not testing yet as she’s still very firm and bag is coming and going - just know maidens can hold off on waxing etc right before so just wanted some reassurance that this slackness wasn’t an imminent precursor ☺️
They can slacken off quite early. Are you milk testing? That’s really the only way to know for sure!
Ok, so! Bedtime checks! Vulva is def larger! Tail goes over her back! Her bag is much bigger than it’s ever been after a day out! Like the back part is one big part now - and most significantly…milk - well clear fluid! 7.5-8 depending on how long you stare at it 😂

So how often would you check PH in a maiden - I understand it can change quite quickly 😬

TIA - I’m so scared of I’m honest - she’s only 315!
 

TheMule

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Ok, so! Bedtime checks! Vulva is def larger! Tail goes over her back! Her bag is much bigger than it’s ever been after a day out! Like the back part is one big part now - and most significantly…milk - well clear fluid! 7.5-8 depending on how long you stare at it 😂

So how often would you check PH in a maiden - I understand it can change quite quickly 😬

TIA - I’m so scared of I’m honest - she’s only 315!

Don’t worry too much, sounds like you do still have a way to go. The pH can drop very fast, my mare did, but it won’t go instantly so daily testing is fine for now
 

Asha

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Do I need to set my foal watch alarms?😂

Maiden mare is 315 days now, her bag is filling normally through the night and walking off through the day - getting there but no where near!

However…her croup, tail, general back end has gone WOBBLY! I mean properly! Her tail is being held much higher over the past couple of days and as of yesterday I can lift it almost right up - she’s a clamper usually 😂

So the question is: should I be worried? I’ve googled it like mad and the results vary so much - some say imminent, some say weeks, most says nothing at all about how long before foaling this will happen!

I know that with maidens the rule book can be thrown out of the window, so I’m hoping that she has at least a good two weeks of cooking left to do to get us well into the safe zone >220-226. TIA

One of my maidens has done the same . Her back end has been dropped for weeks now , her udder started to to change from about 260 days . I chatted to my vet who wasn’t concerned in the slightest. We are now 311 days and she’s still further ahead than my other mare who is 321 . But she’s still very chilled and happy . Like you I’m rushing the next 9 days away ! But tbh I don’t think she’s imminent.
These maidens like to keep us on our toes 😊
 

HappyHackerK8

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One of my maidens has done the same . Her back end has been dropped for weeks now , her udder started to to change from about 260 days . I chatted to my vet who wasn’t concerned in the slightest. We are now 311 days and she’s still further ahead than my other mare who is 321 . But she’s still very chilled and happy . Like you I’m rushing the next 9 days away ! But tbh I don’t think she’s imminent.
These maidens like to keep us on our toes 😊
I think I just panicked as it was a dramatic change overnight and because of her not being the right side of 320! I think if I’d seen this after the sage zone I’d have been sensible and calm 😂 the dramas continued until about 9pm last night! Rolling, VIGOROUS tail rubbing and side rubbing! I was beside myself! She then tucked into her hay and settled all the way down - udder back to looking not quite ready today! Thanks to everyone for advice and support - it helps so much x
 
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