Introducing Daisy Mae & Marika's Colt

Joan would like to announce Daisy Mae has finally arrived, born to Bethany and Bill. She weighed in at 6 lbs 6 oz and is 17 1/2 inches long.

She will be welcomed home by her two big brothers, Joshua and William. Diane and I also have a baby to announce. This morning as we were finishing our walk I noticed Marika laying down. She seemed to just be resting so we finished the walk and I went to work cleaning the indoor arena. Having 2 big mares and their fillies just in there for the night made an entire wheelbarrow full of manure.

When I was walking back to the house I heard groaning and sure enough Marika was in the process of delivering.

I quickly called Diane to come back to help as the baby would need to be taken into a stall.  Sarah was on her way to drop off Zion so when she got here, I asked her to get a pair of boots on and help us. We put the colt into a wheel barrow and Diane, Sarah and I wheeled him out of the paddock and into a stall with Marika following. He seemed lethargic and it took a while for him to try to stand. I ended up helping him and he was able to balance.

 His ears were folded funny in-utero but that will straighten out pretty quickly.

He would stick his head under in the right place but just wouldn't latch on. I tried every trick I knew and finally gave up and called Dr. Hoerr. Before he arrived, actually at 12:56 pm the colt finally latched on and then 1 more time before Dr. Hoerr arrived at 2:00 pm. The cat was very intersted in the entire proceedings watching everything from high up.

 The reason the colt is so lethargic is because his body temperature was only 95 degrees and it is suppose to be 101. Dr. Hoerr milked Marika getting about 20 ounces of colostrum, stuck a tube down the colt's nose into his stomach and put all that colostrum into the colt. He also gave him some dmso and it didn't take long for that to be absorbed into his body which caused his breath to smell strongly of garlic. 

An electric blanket was put on him and with the heat and a full tummy he slept. Dr. Hoerr thinks the colt may be a little premature and that is probably why he can't regulate his temperature. He left with instructions to keep him warm.  

As he was sleeping Galena and Lola along with their foals were turned out into the pond pasture. Those foals had a ball. They are now playing together.

They were having a ball galloping around while their mothers grazed.

Below is Galena's filly as she took off and galloped toward me.

We are having rain this evening so the mares and foals are back in the indoor for the night. 

Mike and Diane came this evening with an electric heater and installed that in their stall. The colt still struggles to get up but as soon as he is helped up he heads right over to nurse. Hopefully his temperature gauge will start working. I've spent most the day up at the barn and will sleep with the monitor on. Each time he tries to get up I can hear the banging and have been driving up to the barn and helping but each time it takes less help. Hopefully he will figure it out soon so I can sleep.