Sunday, March 15, 2009

Foal watch in the rain...

So my friend Deb and I REALLY thought that Gem would have her baby last night. Yesterday she would occasionally show mild colic signs like looking at her belly. Then she'd go back to eating hay or grazing. I prepared her stall yesterday, so I put her in it last night because it had been raining all day and was supposed to rain all night. I didn't think she'd foal in her paddock in the rain, and I thought a nice dry stall might make her more comfortable. I kept going out to check on her, and finally just took a chair and sat in the stall with her. Since I converted the hay shed into a foaling stall, it's hard to sit outside of it and stay out of the rain! She continued to occasionally stop what she was doing and look back at her belly, but she would eventually go back to eating or cocking a hind leg or whatever. There was one time she raised up a hind leg like she was kicking at her belly, then later she did it with her other hind leg with a mad tail swish. And once she did a crazy full body stretch. But she never started pacing or lying down or anything. I came in and took some naps, and every couple hours I'd go back out and check on her or sit with her, but nothing happened. I was hoping she was waiting for daylight since she has night blindness, but still nothing happened this morning. I finally put her out to graze this afternoon while we went to a foal shower (baby shower for pregnant mares!) at my friend Brenda's. She has a maiden mare that's due in April, so it was sort of combined foal shower for her horse Crazy and Gem. When I put her back in the stall tonight, I could see the baby moving all over the place. I hope that means it's getting in position! I have to work tomorrow, so foal watch won't be quite as vigilant tonight. Wish us luck...

No comments:

Post a Comment