Marika Has a Colt

Last night while watching Marika on the foaling monitor it finally became obvious she was in labor so instead of going to bed I just stayed up watching, hoping she would not hold off until wee hours of the morning. By 11:45 pm she laid down and started groaning. The golf cart is such a handy tool when one is in a hurry. By the time I made it up to the barn with the towels, video camera and still camera her water still had not broken. Karin was called so she could watch from her end just in case things don't go as planned. Marika's tail was wrapped and straw laid down. When her water broke was when I woke up Emily. The water breaking usually happens while the mare is standing and the gushing of water hitting the stall floor is what wakes me up but last time Marika delivered I didn't hear the water breaking and now I know why.

The labor and delivery went just like clockwork, exactly as it is suppose to go. Marika needed no assistance to deliver her big beautiful colt by Valiant. Below Marika is meeting her newborn son for the first time.

 Since it was a nice warm night Emily just used the straw to wipe him off saving the towels for us.

 Marika is such a good mom, cleaning him off well and encouraging him to stand.

By this time it was getting to be close to 1:00 am so Emily showed him where to find the milk, helped him latch on and only then did we feel we could head to bed.

Feel free to watch the video of this birth below. It can be watched in high definition if desired.