Lesson Neep, and Mare Stare

Do not expect coherence here.

I'm just saying.

Lesson this morning. I was slow off the mark, but Teacher professed not to mind. Instead she occupied herself with speculating as to whether Gold would foal while she was there. I didn't think she was that close, but she's made rapid progress since yesterday. Bag is huge, baby is moving into position, mare can barely walk, her back end is so loose. Milk is at the sticky-white stage, advanced from cloudy-sticky this morning (i.e. almost there; it's basically colostrum by this point). She could go tonight, she could go two nights from now, but she's not going to hold on much longer, I don't think.

With help from my mom and her friend, I got the stall cam up and running this afternoon. It's strictly an ad-hoc system, recommended by my favorite foalcam maven as comparable to the $$$$ systems you
can buy. It's an old camcorder with an off button that can be taped permanently on, a lot of coaxial cable, a styrofoam cooler to keep it from getting weathered on (and a roll of duct tape to secure it to the barn rafters), and a small tv for a monitor. Add in an outdoor-safe lamp for the stall, and a couple of heavy-duty cords, and there you are. Works nicely, and the whole thing cost me the price of the cable and the cheap lamp.

Once I had determined that the camcorder still worked and still talked to the tv, and fished through the foaling kit to see what I needed, I ran out for a slew of last-minute errands. Prize for Niftiest Piece of Hardware This Week goes to the not very expensive heavy-duty extension cord with the three grounded outlets and the switch. Exactly what I needed, all in one package.

I now have everything except the foal-sized fly mask, which is en route (no more State Line stores means no more instant-gratification horse-stuff runs). Foaling kit is in its box, all but the Nolvasan for navel dippage--must make up a batch before dinner. I've got the cam on and working, just have a few small details to clear up and we're good to go. I'll be up late tonight, just in case.

The vet came on Friday (a mere 25 hours late) and determined that Ember had cleared her infection, and Pandora will never get pregnant--she's still cycling with great enthusiasm, but her uterus is a goner. She's no longer breedable. Some regrets there, but she's a wonderful riding horse and we are happy with her. Ember had a culture taken and we'll confer tomorrow when the results are in, as to how and when to get her to the spa for the turkey baster.

Anyway. I am now stocked up on food for a week (fruuuuiiiit yuuuummmmm), the foaling kit is stocked, and we are ready for the Mare Stare-arama.

Meanwhile Pook had a lesson this morning. He had been most displeased on Thursday when a new student of Teacher arrived to have a lesson on Capria, and all he got was a dinky longe before breakfast. New student had a lovely time, though she was quite astonished to hear that the Wild Stallion not only features prominently in my lessons, he's my favorite riding horse Evah. She didn't think one rode one's stallion at all. Hey, when you've got a Lipizzan stallion, riding is what it's all about.

So, today he got his lesson. Teacher was putting us through it on the straightness issue, first making me ride the perimeter of the arena and then ride three-loop serpentines to determine where he was crooked or stiff (as all horses are to some degree). He was/is hollow right and stiff left, plus he doesn't like to use his right hind (a family trait) and he carries his neck in an S with the left jaw poking out. And he likes to throw his right shoulder, and going left he wants to fall in on a circle. All pretty normal for number and degree of issues. What's not so normal is how willingly he goes straight when ridden correctly.

From the diagnostic we went to the squared circle (ride a big square, fit a circle into it, fit a square into that circle and a circle into that square and so on down as small as the horse can go, then legyield back out to the track), which is a really good exercise for him. I was to ride my corners from outside aids, and keep outside rein in gear. Circles for now are not to worry about bend--ride them as a sequence of turns, to help him get his shoulders in front of his haunches and get his hindlegs under him. First in walk, then in trot, then in walk-trot-walk (three squared circles) and trot-walk-trot. Sitting trot at first till he got his balance, then rising trot because my abs were losing it--but the rising trot actually took more abs to keep him engaged and collected and not throwing me so high he could get out of carrying us both. When we had it right, it was soft and light and wonderful. And we got more of it right than we have before.

We're getting there. Teacher thinks we're ahead of where we were with SRS Guy. I've done a lot of seatwork since, and I can feel a difference.

And now back to Mare Stare. I've got a good view of all the stalls, which is kind of nice.

Getting close now

Notes from the Mare Stare-arama: We've made more progress since dinnertime. Beads of "wax" on the teats--actually the sticky white colostrum, which leaks from the full-to-bursting udder and forms deposits pretty much identical to candle wax. Usually but not always an indication of foaling within 24 hours. She's plopping out little cowfloppy bits of manure, and kicking and glaring at her sides. These are indications of Stage I labor, which in a mare can go on for days, but in this one...well, not figuring to get much sleep tonight. S, who foaled her out last year, said she's quiet when she's in labor, doesn't circle and pace, so when she goes down, run out there--last year, when she did that, the feet and nose were already out when S got to the barn.

Actual progression is mare gets more agitated, water breaks, silver bubble of the amnion emerges, then you'll see feet followed by nose--at which point she is usually down, but not always. Pook was probably a standing birth, which I missed by about 10 minutes; he cracked his atlas on the way down. Unlike giraffes, foals do not need to land on their heads in order to get the systems started.

We are now observing desultory nibbling at hay, lots of tail-flicking (not technically contractions as in a human, but they are signs of the baby moving and pushing upward as it gets into "diving" position and prepares to be born--a rapid, inexorable process that should not last more than 30-45 minutes), and a distinct inward stare. When I washed her butt just now, instead of going Ooohh aaaah feels good, she gave me a disgusted look and went to stand in the far corner. Now she's in the middle of the stall, not looking very happy.

Oh yeah. We're close. Could lather-rinse-repeat all night and all day, but this won't go on any longer than that, I don't think.

We are now watching the cam closely. Yes. (Thank goodness for years of foalcam watching. One learns what to look for on the tiny little screen.)

ETAOld breeders' wisdom says that if nothing happens before midnight, you can get some rest; she won't foal that night. A little too much is happening here, so...

More caffeine. Yes.