Got the ball rolling for a potential 2025 foal - wish me luck!

[Titchy Reindeer]

I've mentioned a couple of times in passing that I would like to get Little Madam in foal this year. Well, she has now been booked in for a pre-breeding vet appointment mid-February. Fingers crossed it all goes well.
She is a rising 15 year old PFS (Poney Français de Selle) that has never bred before, so I'm hoping it will all work out. Either way, I will be guided by the vet, so if it's not to be, then it's not to be. (but I would really like it to work!)
I've chosen a sire for the foal, an over height welsh part bred, so if all goes well at this visit, I will send out the reservation papers for him. I spoke to his owner who only has good things to say about him (obviously!) but he is ridden and handled by a 13 year old girl, looks good and flies over 1m30 for fun. He also has several offspring out competing at high level in pony show jumping and few of his sons are approved stallions. I think he is slightly cheaper than some other pony stallions because he is over height, so excluded from the pony circuit. That isn't a problem for me as I'm just a little too old to compete ponies and the foal would be to keep, so over height is fine because I will be competing with the horses anyway.

I'm trying to take it all a step at a time. There's no point worrying about foaling if Little Madam doesn't get in foal, and no point worrying about weaning / companionship until the foal is born and I know if it's a filly or a colt and what other foals have been bred in the area for potential buddying up.... But I can't help getting all excited and a bit ahead of myself...

 

[TheMule]

Exciting times, good luck!
BTW though, it's all worry from here on, there's never a moment when you don’t worry. Mine is now 7 and I still worry every minute of every day (though he is a self-harming idiot, so that doesn’t help)

 

[Titchy Reindeer]

Exciting times, good luck!
BTW though, it's all worry from here on, there's never a moment when you don’t worry. Mine is now 7 and I still worry every minute of every day (though he is a self-harming idiot, so that doesn’t help)

Thank you!
I'm sure I will do my fair share of worrying, I hope the good bits will outweigh it though. I would like to say Little Madam has a good sense of self preservation that I hope she will pass on, but then I remember that she attempted to kill herself as a two year old (long before I owned her). My first memories of actually handling her (as opposed to admiring her from afar) where of hanging on to her front leg while my instructor redid the dressing on her back leg and my friend (who now owns her half brother) held her head.
Perhaps I should just hope aunty Old Lady rubs off on the foal...

 

[MatHalTed]

I'm in a similar boat, having vet out in 2 weeks for my girls vaccines then will be doing her pre-breeding check in spring when she's started cycling again. Planning on AI'ing her May / June time when I'm finished with uni for the summer so can be there to learn / assist. Fingers crossed all works out for you

 

[Titchy Reindeer]

I'm in a similar boat, having vet out in 2 weeks for my girls vaccines then will be doing her pre-breeding check in spring when she's started cycling again. Planning on AI'ing her May / June time when I'm finished with uni for the summer so can be there to learn / assist. Fingers crossed all works out for you

Ooh! exciting! Keep us posted. It'll be nice to follow someone else's progress. Is this your first as well?
I'm hoping to get her AI'ed in April to leave plenty of time if she needs several goes. Luckily, the insemination center is only about an hour away and next to the town I work in, so it should be easy to take her there and visit.

 

[MatHalTed]

Ooh! exciting! Keep us posted. It'll be nice to follow someone else's progress. Is this your first as well?
I'm hoping to get her AI'ed in April to leave plenty of time if she needs several goes. Luckily, the insemination center is only about an hour away and next to the town I work in, so it should be easy to take her there and visit.

Yep, my first. It'll be Heidi's 4th and probably final foal though so she knows what she's doing. We're probably going to board her at our vets to be AI'd and to foal down if she takes, as I'm paranoid about things going wrong.

 

[ElleSkywalkingintheair]

Mines having a pre-breeding check in March, with a view to going to be inseminated end of March/early April. I'm starting early as her mother was very difficult to get in foal so want a few months to try so don't end up with a late foal.

The mare going is actually the little foal in wellies in my avatar

 

[Titchy Reindeer]

Yep, my first. It'll be Heidi's 4th and probably final foal though so she knows what she's doing. We're probably going to board her at our vets to be AI'd and to foal down if she takes, as I'm paranoid about things going wrong.

Good luck to you and Heidi then! Little Madam will definitely be boarded at the vets for AI, so they can get the timing right, but I haven't decided about foaling down yet. I cross that bridge if I get to it.

 

[Titchy Reindeer]

Mines having a pre-breeding check in March, with a view to going to be inseminated end of March/early April. I'm starting early as her mother was very difficult to get in foal so want a few months to try so don't end up with a late foal.

The mare going is actually the little foal in wellies in my avatar

I hope your mare is easier to get in foal than her mother. I'm aiming for a similar timing as this will be Little Madams first and only attempt at having a foal, so I'd like us to have enough time to give it a proper shot.
Your mare must have grown quite a bit from that photo in your avatar! A second generation foal must be quite special.

 

[ElleSkywalkingintheair]

I hope your mare is easier to get in foal than her mother. I'm aiming for a similar timing as this will be Little Madams first and only attempt at having a foal, so I'd like us to have enough time to give it a proper shot.
Your mare must have grown quite a bit from that photo in your avatar! A second generation foal must be quite special.

Yep she's 13 at the end of March

 

[Titchy Reindeer]

Well Little Madam has the go ahead from the vet for a breeding attempt. He's not worried about her age and says her reproductive organs look exactly as he'd expect for a mare in February. The vet said if the weather held, and she showed signs of being in season we could get started in two to three weeks, but that was before the rain decided to go for another round.
I have sent off the contract and check for the stud, so hope they confirm from their end soon.

 

[Xmasha]

Good luck . But I’d be wary about trying to get in foal this early . Unless you have lots of land and it’s well draining . The earliest I like is for the foal to be on the ground in April . It can be quite cold for newborns in Feb/March

 

[Titchy Reindeer]

Good luck . But I’d be wary about trying to get in foal this early . Unless you have lots of land and it’s well draining . The earliest I like is for the foal to be on the ground in April . It can be quite cold for newborns in Feb/March

Thanks for the advice. To be honest, with the rain that's just come down, the vet won't be able to have Little Madam until he can open up his fields so I don't think before end of March earliest. I'm in France so a March foal would theoretically be fine, but you just can't tell what the weather will do any more. Two years ago we had frost end of April but none in January...

PS I wish the land I use was well draining...

 

[MatHalTed]

Thanks for the advice. To be honest, with the rain that's just come down, the vet won't be able to have Little Madam until he can open up his fields so I don't think before end of March earliest. I'm in France so a March foal would theoretically be fine, but you just can't tell what the weather will do any more. Two years ago we had frost end of April but none in January...

PS I wish the land I use was well draining...

Oh god don't even mention the word rain near me, the state of our fields is horrific, much to be done in preparation for next year as soon as it dries up. If this coincides with my girly going to the vets for AI'ing it might actually be quite helpful as it'll give us a chance for the grass to regrow after we reseed.

 

[Titchy Reindeer]

Well got confirmation for the stud reservation, so all going well this will be the sire (he has his own facebook page so I hope the link works)

Ugo des Clas Dorcamp

Ugo des Clas Dorcamp. Gefällt 4.550 Mal · 465 Personen sprechen darüber. 🦄 Etalon PFS approuvé 🏆 Performer 130 chevaux 🐣Disponible en IAC, IAF et IART

www.facebook.com

Now I just need it to stop raining and for Little madam to come into season.

 

[MatHalTed]

I've ordered my Diarado semen! Now just to wait until May...

 

[Titchy Reindeer]

I dropped Little Madam off at the stud on Friday. It felt so weird to just leave her behind even though I can visit when I want (it's just over an hours drive away). Now I just need her to come into season and fingers crossed for a nice easy insemination. Just seen the first pictures of a foal by the same sire for this year: he's a beauty.

 

[MatHalTed]

I dropped Little Madam off at the stud on Friday. It felt so weird to just leave her behind even though I can visit when I want (it's just over an hours drive away). Now I just need her to come into season and fingers crossed for a nice easy insemination. Just seen the first pictures of a foal by the same sire for this year: he's a beauty.

Good luck! Hope she comes into season soon

 

[Titchy Reindeer]

Good luck! Hope she comes into season soon

Thank you! I'd love to have her back - pregnant! - soon. But I'll just have to let nature and the vet take their course in this case.

 

[ElleSkywalkingintheair]

Ooh exciting TP! Fingers crossed

I've filled in and posted off form for semen, will call vets Tuesday and get booked in for pre breeding check. I really wanted her to have gone weeks ago, and we are still knee deep in mud here but don't want to leave it much longer. Hoping she's cycling and can be dropped off at vets in the next week or two It's her birthday today and would love if by some random twist of fate her foaly was born on the same date next year

 

[Titchy Reindeer]

Ooh exciting TP! Fingers crossed

I've filled in and posted off form for semen, will call vets Tuesday and get booked in for pre breeding check. I really wanted her to have gone weeks ago, and we are still knee deep in mud here but don't want to leave it much longer. Hoping she's cycling and can be dropped off at vets in the next week or two It's her birthday today and would love if by some random twist of fate her foaly was born on the same date next year

Thank you!
Happy Birthday to your mare. I know, this year the rain has been relentless here as well. I have plenty of grass but can't put the horses on most of it because it's clay and even the dogs going over it turns it to mud. I've "replaced" Little Madam by a borrowed shetland while she's at stud, so at least he'll keep the hoof damage to a minimum.

 

[Titchy Reindeer]

Just had a call from the vet. Little Madam was inseminated yesterday and I can pick her up today, to go back in two weeks for a scan.
I'm so happy she wasn't away for long.

 

[ElleSkywalkingintheair]

Is Little Madam home now @Titchy Pony

Pre breeding check today, all looks normal, she's got a 40mm folicle but we are going to let it pop and short cycle her as she's not the easiest to load at best of times so don't want the time pressure of she needs to be in right now. Also it's blowing a gale so don't fancy travelling her in this anyway. We are dropping her off hopefully next Thurs as going away for weekend and then she'll be there ready for them to pg and scan away merrily.

 

[Titchy Reindeer]

Yes Little Madam is home now, bossing my Old Lady around. The two pretend they don't really care for each other, but it was rather touching to see them call each other after a week apart.
The vet said Little Madam was a joy to handle and so easy going, which I'm so pleased about. She's such a polite and adaptable pony, I hope potential foal will inherit/learn those traits.
I'll be taking her back in just under two weeks to check if she has taken or not. So fingers crossed.

Fingers also crossed for your mare @ElleSkywalker

 

[ElleSkywalkingintheair]

@Titchy Pony how did scan go?

 

[Titchy Reindeer]

@Titchy Pony how did scan go?

Unfortunately not in foal this time round. She stayed at the stud again for a second attempt. The vet was confident that she would come into season this week.
Everyone agrees that early attempts have not worked very well this year because of the strange weather, so hoping for better luck now the sum is shining.
Where are you up to with your girl?

 

[ElleSkywalkingintheair]

Everything crossed for successful second attempt Gingerface jr was inseminated Saturday so just waiting now. It was an odd one as had a 40mm folicle 10 days before she went in and on admission it was either still there or a new one had replaced it already, without short cycling her so agree are some very odd things going on with seasons this year

 

[Titchy Reindeer]

Everything crossed for successful second attempt Gingerface jr was inseminated Saturday so just waiting now. It was an odd one as had a 40mm folicle 10 days before she went in and on admission it was either still there or a new one had replaced it already, without short cycling her so agree are some very odd things going on with seasons this year

Thanks.
Fingers also crossed for Gingerface Jr!

 

[MatHalTed]

Heidi has her pre-breeding exam and ultrasound this Friday, then depending on where she is in her cycle we'll decide when she gets dropped off for her AI appointment, then will need to get semen shipped over. Things are getting pretty serious now lol.

 

[Titchy Reindeer]

Heidi has her pre-breeding exam and ultrasound this Friday, then depending on where she is in her cycle we'll decide when she gets dropped off for her AI appointment, then will need to get semen shipped over. Things are getting pretty serious now lol.

I hope it all goes well for Heidi.

I got Little Madam back Sunday evening. She ovulated in the night from Friday to Saturday and was inseminated Saturday. Now it's the waiting game again and have to scan in two weeks time to see if she has taken this time. Fingers crossed!