Having watched the Owens mare off and on for a while, I get the impression she’s hot and nervous, and perhaps it’s that rather than impending birth that’s making her so restless. Right now she’s barely visible, chowing down vigorously on what looks like a grain feeding. Don’t they tend to go off their feed when foaling is imminent?
Premie was lying flat out for a while; now he’s sternal. Let’s see if he can get up. His head seems almost too heavy for his slender little neck.
Two women are working hard to get the wee one to nurse from a bottle, without much success so far. Although he has enough energy to jerk his head away. Fingers crossed.
StG
He hasn’t gotten up, and his head flops here and there.
Now two women have just come into the stall. One is holding the mare’s neck while the other milks her. Chantilly was a good girl about it.
Now the woman who held Chantilly is holding Premie while the milker feeds him the bottle. Or tries to, little by little. It’s not going down easily.
Chantilly’s standing off to one side, watching but not trying to interfere to protect her baby.
Large fluffy barn cat has come in to supervise and tail-whip the bottle feeder.
OMG – just checked the Mare Stare board. These people have already lost one filly this month.
Now they’ve finished feeding and and are petting and skritching Premie. Bottle feeder appears to be on the phone. Or maybe just resting her head in that hand.
Yep, it was a phone – maybe she’s been holding for a vet callback? Now she’s put it down, looks like taking off the leg wraps.
ETA: He’s not putting up much resistance to their handling, is he?
Oh, what pathetic skinny little forelegs he has.
Ah! Now he seems to be nursing better on the bottle.
ETA2: Must have gotten some into him (or spilled) – they’re milking Chantilly again.
Do you suppose he’s so premie, he doesn’t have a good suckle reflex?
Oh, damn. One of the women left. The other is lying next to Premie, gently stroking him. He’s hardly moving, and it seems weak and random when he does.
Damn, I’m crying.
Second woman’s back, they milked Chantilly again and are giving it another try at feeding.
Wow, they’re still trying to save Premie. Chantilly just let herself be milked without a second person holding her.
Meanwhile Pagan at Owens is frantic, pawing, pacing, lying down, biting her flank, then getting up again. Damn, and I wanted to go to bed! But she looks so close to going… They’re all atwitter at the Mare Stare board, and her human is poised to go in when the mare’s finally pushing the foal out.
I just looked in, and Pagan is still pushing, but looks pretty close. Down, then up again, down again, up again…
Wow, is she going to drop that baby standing up?
ETA: NOW!!!
She’s down, and here it comes!
And up again…
And out.
Another one with a star.
Finally, it’s here and getting toweled down.
I guess there’s one good thing about my cat waking me up in the middle of the night!
Hahahah – look at the little tyke flailing that front leg!
ETA: It’s a filly!
Are you sure? One person said filly, now another one said colt. I don’t think the owner’s given a sign yet.
I saw that, but if you look at the thread title in that very “colt” post you’ll see that FILLY 4/18 has been added to the title. Also, four posts up a monitor announced the filliness of the baby.
ETA: And the “colt” poster has now corrected his congratulations to the proper gender.
Oh, OK. I wonder where the colt thing came from. It’s a nice looking little girl, isn’t it? To my untrained eye, anyway.
Has more of a long, slender build than other foals we’ve seen, but since it’s a Saddlebred, that’s what it should be.
Whew! And with that, I’m off to a very belated bedtime.