Sunday at the Beach

Yesterday was a wonderful Sunday for us. While we were riding the waves, playing volleyball and picnicking at the pool, Mike, Diane, and Steven Marchal were working with Salena and her colt. The colt was born healthy and strong but Salena being a maiden mare would not let him nurse at first. He would try to latch on and she would squeal and move away. Steven ended up bringing out the bottle and milking Salena, then feeding the boy a bottle so we knew he got the colostrum needed. Steven worked for 5 hours with him, then when Mike and Diane got home from church they relieved Steven and worked with the colt. Diane was so good about getting the bottle up by Salena's nipples so he had to look under the mom for milk. This is very important. Otherwise the foal can imprint more on the person with the bottle than his dam. By 7:00pm he was nursing great on his own and Salena had completely fallen in love with him. It is important to know when your foals are expected and to be there if at all possible. Many times a maiden mare will want to keep facing the foal and move away every time the baby tries to get in position to nurse. Even an experienced mare can have a foal that can't quite figure out how to latch on and needs a little assistance. Isn't it better to be prepared to help then too find the foal to weak to nurse or dead? I am very thankful for the wonderful willing help I have during this vacation. I know that I could go on vacation with my family and even though Salena wis due Steven, Mike and Diane would take care of everything.