Goosemoose Pet Portal

So, i'm mad. Seething.  At my SO.  And his parents.

I have three horses.  One is in my backyard (see thread "My "Pony" farther down the page).  The other two are boarded at my SO's parents house.

I just got back from the barn, and had a big surprise.  I'm still burning with the pain of it.  So, i'm blind.  Stupid.  Kicking myself in the ass now.  I was brushing my mare, the kinda crazy one (to say the least) and my SO's dad was walking down the aisle (in the barn).  I said "Gosh, she's getting quite the grass belly, its insane!" I was laughing, but was kind of growing concerned because she's quite rotound and the grass hasn't been quite that plentiful.  I was thinking diet time, as she's almost 11 years old now and is slowing down and isn't quite so pyschotic anymore.  He stops and looks at me with a huge smile on his face "Well, heres to hoping she's not pregnant!".  I laughed, thinking he was joking.  Wrongo.  "Oh, you're nuts, thats impossible." I say. He just laughed it off, started walking away "Just ask Sparky, he had other ideas a few months ago." I kinda felt my heart flutter to my feet.  Sparky is their 5 year old Haflinger stallion.  A horse i haven't agreed with them having since they bought him.  They are not experienced enough to deal with a stallion, and this one is full of it.  The facilities aren't made for housing a stallion, but from what i know they've kept him stalled the majority of the time.  I was like... kinda 'struck dumb' for a minute, and took a few deep breaths before practically running to my SO (who was working with cows in the other barn), with a jumble of "What the.." "How in the..." "what did he MEAN!!!" 's.  My Fiance kinda gave me the uh oh face, and said...and heres the killer.

"I didn't tell you because i knew you would freak out and i was hoping it wouldn't have resulted in anything."

1) I've been freaking out that she's getting far too fat, and he doesn't say anything to me? I was OBLIVIOUS!
2) Thats something SERIOUS to talk to me about, Vet care being the biggest issue, 'lifestyle' changes coming in a close second.

So i think my horse is pregnant.  And i'm completely PO'ed.  After a screaming match, i calmed down enough to get the full story.  SO's dad came home to find Sparky had gotten into the pasture with the mares (and two geldings).  I guess he had completely twisted a metal gate as though it was made of rubber... on afterthought i remember wondering what the hell had happened to that gate...
Total time elaspe with mares: 5-10 hours!!! Approximately..  ::)  Must have been one of the days i wasn't able to make it to the barn.  And nobody chooses to tell me that because, "Chances are nothing would have happened."

I spent an hour checking over ALL the mares.  I knew their Haflinger mare, Molly, was expecting.  And also one of their Haflinger/QH Cross mares, Belle.  I wasn't told that Molly wasn't intentionally bred, this happened when Sparky decided to have his own ideas.  Belle, however, was bred intentionally.  They DO breed Haflingers, and nice ones to boot, but this is their first experience with their own stallion.  It appears that the other mares are safe, nobody seems to be overly large besides Belle, who is close to being due.  They didn't even mark down the day this happened, so i have no idea what to expect.

How mad do i have the right to be?  I was prepared to demand, on the spot, that his dad (who i love dearly and has done tons for me in the past 4 years) pay the vet bills to get her checked out.  I don't have the money for this, wasn't prepared for this, and sures the heck don't have the TIME for this.

Granted, i don't know for sure yet... but i'm pretty damn close to being sure.  I'm freaking out, but can't help the "Wonder what it will look like?" From creeping in, along with the "Wouldn't it be awesome if it was a colt?" (I only have mares and have been wanting a gelding for a coons age).

I need to take a few deep breaths, and then take the proper steps.  I'm most angry that i've been grumbling about this stallion for the past two years, telling them they were going to have to be more precautious.  I KNEW this was going to happen, and i was dumb enough to put my horses at risk.  Yeah, i find a way to blame myself for everything...

If my 3 yr old is pregnant, i WILL throw a fit.  Please, please, don't let that be!  :worry:  Tina was a broodmare before i got her (not respectfully, but she's successfully had three foals in her life without a problem).  Socks, the 3 yr old, is Tina's baby she was carrying when i bought her (unbeknownst to me).  I'm dying with worry that Socks could very well be too.  How many mares could a stallion get in 5 hours?  :-\

Gah!!!!!!!!  :doh:  I've managed to keep male and female rats together (seperate cages of course) for 10 years and never had an accidental pregnancy.  I guess horses are a little more determined than rats.   :confused:

Okay so, i'm going to try to make the best of this.  IF Tina is preggo, this is the daddy.  These are the only two pics i have, taken after he had been brought in from his turnout.  Ignore the dirt.
(http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b46/ratgirl87/100_4741.jpg)


(http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b46/ratgirl87/100_4742.jpg)

And this is from left to right, Tina, Socks, and one of their geldings, Flash (a crazy lil guy).
(http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b46/ratgirl87/100_4751.jpg)

(http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b46/ratgirl87/100_4755.jpg)
And Tina again (aka Sassy, the name she came with stuck to her even though i wanted to change it to Sassy 'cause it fits).

 >:(  >:(

Yikes...  so the goosemoose outbreak doesn't only pertain to humans then.   :o

Maybe I need to go on a hiatus for a little while...   :poke:

^  :yelcutelaugh:

THAT EXPLAINS IT!!! Uh oh, its getting closer to me.  I really better watch... hope i don't catch it next.  :P

Well on the positive side, Haflingers are wonderful horses with naturally awsome dispositions?

I sold my mare to a sweet family who were very serious about horses about 10 years back now. For whatever reason they decided to participate in this Canadian Horse (INCREDIBLE horses) breeding program. They sent her a 6 year old stallion and a 27 year old mare. The mare disagreed with the idea of letting this fiesty young thing anywhere near her, and he figured the 3 mares in the next field over were more appetizing. They've since sent the Canadians back to their original ranch, and now have 6 horses instead of 3: 2 QH's, 1 appy (formerly my mare), and 3 half Canadian horses.

The kicker? They NEVER caught the stallion in the other field, he would go back to his field, and who knows how many times it happened? So how many mares could he have gotten to? All of them.

There are OTC pregnancy tests for horses that aren't terribly expensive (and if they breed they should have some around, but not all breeders do). WeeFoal is a brand that's easy to get ahold of that you can use to test the urine. There's also blood tests, but you'd have to lance her (the breeding stables I worked at made a small cut inside the lip... squicked me out everytime).

You could try a human pregnancy test as well, and quite a few people do, though they aren't acurate. The horomone is similar, but it's not the same.

I'm sorry this happened, especially the way it happened. Fingers are crossed everything goes well regardless of the outcome!

Wow, I am really sorry about the situation.

I guess my only advice is really try to make the best of it, at least you have a place to keep the baby (if there is one, it sounds like there probably will be, though  :-\ ] and at least Tina has had experience with foaling before.  You're also experienced enough that you'll do right by the baby and make sure he/she becomes an upstanding member of the equine community.

Just be thankful it wasn't your elderly Appy mare (and that she was far away from the situation)!  That would have been far, far more disastrous.

I think a vet check is in order, and due to the negligence of the stallion's owner (whatever his relationship with you) I think the stallion's owner should pay the vet fee.

I also think you need to have a long discussion with your SO about hiding things from you that could "upset" you.  Explain that being secretive about things that are that upsetting could lead you to have a lack of trust in him.  Also, since proper vet care is important for a breeding mare, it was irresponsible for them not to warn you about the incident.

That aside, both stallion and mare are gorgeous and apparently sound and you can care for and house another horse, at least it isn't a tragedy.  But, that doesn't let them off the hook.

Oh man i'm sooooo sorry .

I'm a horse person too ya know. My aunt keeps horses and I used to help with them a lot and go riding a lot and i've done a lot of reasearch.

Personally I think it's VERY VERY irresposible for your SO's parents to be keeping a Stallion when they are boarding other people's mares.

Most proffesional boarding stables won't even keep stallions because of the possibilities that could end in lawsuits.

Here's hoping though that if she is preggers that its a nice healthy baby. Perhaps you should talk to your SO's parents about helping you with the extra vet costs that will come with it since it was THIER stallion and THIER fault he wasn't where he was suppose to be. Thats the least they could do.

ALL the vet fees for the level of care you choose to provide the horse. Also, don't let them make a profit off the foal!

I do think asking them to pay for an initial vet check is fair, but after that it gets more complicated. I would hold off on saying much else about it until you know 100% for sure whether she is pregnant. If she is not it may not be an issue, although you might want to move your horses.

If she is prego . . . Yes they were negligent, but at the same time they were doing you a favor letting you house your horses with them. Frankly I think they should pay for all the vet care, but if you don't want to rock the boat, you might need to be more diplomatic. I think talking to them about your situation and letting them know that you appreciate their help, but are in a tough situation now because of this and wonder if they can help shoulder any costs this new horse would bring, might go over a little better than insisting on anything. ;)

Yeah you've got the right to be angry. Boy, my blood would boil. They sound more than irresponsible. Nothing like adults should sound. And I certainly would want people like that breeding. If it were me I'd say goodbye to the whole lot of them and take my horses with me. And this is why I live alone.

It is wishful thinking that the 3yo is not also pregnant.  You need to have both mares checked ASAP.  Have you not done your spring shots yet?  Why not call and schedule to all of that at once?


I personally would move my horses.  There is no place in my world for people like that when it comes to the care of my horses.  I would also think about your relationship with your SO.  Exactly what else has he kept from you that might upset you? 

If they had been even slightly responsible people the mare could have been given meds and the pregnancy would not have taken.

With the horse economy the way it is, more foals are not really needed.

I want to clarify one point, they dont board other horses.  Just theirs and mine.   And one of their grand daughters, but its essientially their horse as well.

I really have not agreed with a lot of what they do, but they take wonderful care of their horses.  His dad is a truck driver and isn't around a lot, which leaves his mom in charge a lot (and she's the inexperienced one).  They were planning on only breeding Belle this year, for their own foal.  They actually work these Haflingers.  They do the job they were originally intended for. The first year BOTH Haflinger foals were bought in utero by a wonderful Amish man (he is also my farrier, the misconception that Amish dont take good care of their horses is no longer in my mind thanks to this great guy!).  They were both colts and are now a WONDERFUL working team.  I actually just saw them out in the field yesterday, they look great.  Okay sliding off topic here but... what i was getting at is that they actually haven't had any foals in a few years, its all very small scale and Belle was the only one they were planning on breeding this year.  One thing that irks me most is that they aren't prepared for this, not that they should be given that it was an accident, but there isn't really room for more than a couple foals.

I calmed down a lot and talked to my SO last night.  I explained how hurt i was that they didn't think it was worth telling me, when it was so very important.  He explained that he really didn't realize how big of a deal it was, and he really thought it woudln't have resulted in any pregnancies.  I can understand this coming from him because he's more of a cow person and anything he knows of horses i've taught him.  We kinda came to a truce last night, besides on one topic... i mentioned the vet bill, and he basically called me insensitive and made me feel sort of bad.  A few minutes before the bomb dropped that my mare might be pregnant, Carl (his dad) had just found out this he lost his job.  He has been on unemployment for the past four months because the company they deliver to was on a strike, and he just found out yesterday that because of the strike, his boss would be closing the doors permanently on Monday and he wont have a job to go back to.  So now i guess i'm not allowed to ask for help with the vet bills becasue they are going to have their own vet bills to deal with their own unexpected pregnancy with Molly.  >:(  Kinda ticked me off, because i do feel kinda bad that i had forgotten that... but at the same time, i dont want this baby... and i'm not prepared for it.

So this leads me to something else.  I want to bring my girls home.  But i dont know what the chances are of being able to do this.  I have a two strand high tensil fence for Tia.  She doesn't need much of anything, she's an easy horse to contain.  I can't say the same for the other two.  I only got $300 for my economic stimulus.  This is just about what i have to work with...
I have ONE stall right now, and it opens to the pasture, for Tia to come and go as she pleases.  If i bring the other two home, i need two more stalls.  I have the room in the "barn" (it is an old Semi garage, its a B*#ch to work in because the ceilings are so high, building the one stall was hard enough.  But money is the issue.  The vet bills from Socks (my first foaling experience) were extremely taxing, and i dont want to use the money i'm going to need fo rhtat.  So i have that $300 to work with and thats about it...
My SO's sister and her hubby jsut bought a house with a barn that has three box stalls in it.  Originally they were going to give one stall to us, and the other to the SO's parents.  Then th ey decided they wanted to keep two stalls incase they want to raise 4H projects at home (they keep their kids 4H animals at the SO's parents).  So thats one stall.  If i can get that stall here, and get it set up, and get her home... thats one thing down.
Any tips on the 3 yr old? Do you think she'd be fine in the pasture with Tia?  I MIGHT be able to afford to put up another strand, but that would mean having to go buy taller posts and that could get me over my budge for the 2+ acre pasture...  but if she's preggo, that would need to be another stall.  Anybody got any ideas on how to build a stall on a budget?
The other two weren't supposed to come home til next spring when we could afford the set up.  What now???  :-\

Oops, forgot...

*Whispers: Trubnloki... i do mostly all my own shots and care.  I work for a vet, and my boss was a large animal vet for 15 years before he got in a tussle with a horse and hurt his neck.  Now he works with small animals out of his clinic.  But he is willing and able to order me everything i need to do this stuff on my own, and offers his guidance.  Only time i really have a vet come out is emergency or things such as... pregnancies... grrrr. 

That makes me wonder... i doubt he'd be willing to come check them out for me.  Or rather, i would feel funny asking because he does enough on the side for me.  But... that'd be kinda nice.  If he would, that would leave me with a little more money to work with.  He'd probably charge me, but i get a discount.  I doubt he'd do it though, he's washed his hands of all the horsie business and has really bad neck and back problems so he's not supposed to work with them at all....  Wishful thinking.

In my state you need a vet to at least administer Rabies and draw a coggins, so I assumed you would have the vet out to at least do those two things.

I have a hard time going along with the 'they take good care of the horses' thing if they were willing to not tell you about your mare being bred.  You  missed out on lots of vet care not knowing.  In my world that is not taking good care of horses. 


You do not need stalls for everyone.  Just shelter.  (heck, in NY you are not even required to provide shelter for a horse)  That can be easily accomplished with one of those fabric garages.


I re-read your original post and I know it is there but I am a little confused.  How long ago did this happen?  I get like five months ago, right?  I would be surprised that she is showing up at 5 months.

I have yet to be told exactly WHEN this happened.  She's not huge, but definitely got a noticable weight gain.  Like i said, i'm not sure yet.  She is a big and stocky girl, she's got one of the biggest bums i've seen for a horse her size.  She hides things well.  I was at the barn this morning, but forgot to tape her to see exactly where her weight is right now.  Also was going to talk to the SO's dad but he wasn't there.  He's the only one who knows any details of this incident.  My SO only knew by hearing about it. 

They DO take good care of the horses, but like i've said before they do not have the proper facilities to house a stallion and i think they underestimated him a little bit.  He's in a different area of the barn now, where he's not so "tempted" by the mares (he's got his own stall in the cow barn).  My horses are boarded for free, and i feed and care for ALL of the horses a few times a week.  Its our agreement.  Usually none of the major care falls on me, i usually just have to move horses in from pasture, out to turnout from the stalls, and feed.  The horses are taken care of very well, i have to say.  They just need to use an off-site stallion, or board him somewhere appropriate if they are going to continue breeding.

From what i understand, Sparky twisted a 10 ft high metal gate to get to them.  I'll have to take a picture of it when i go back this evening.  Its insane, i checked it out again today, it doesn't even resemble a gate now.  I don't know how he did it, but thats how he got access to the pasture where everybody was else turned out.  It didn't even happen while he was turned out, which is what i had been fearing prior.  I was actually comfortable with him when he was stalled or let run in the arena, i just didn't like when they turned him out because i didn't feel ANY fencing was appropriate to hold him when he's on one of his kicks.  When he got out, he was in the arena from what i understand at this point.  WHY he left him to run the arena while he was not at home is beyond me and definitely irresponsible.  He's a really well behaved stallion, when it comes right down to it, and i think Carl has trouble seeing the "testosterone" side of him. 

I can fault Carl for not telling me, i'm convinced my SO is just ignorant.  He doesn't have horses and doesn't care for them so its okay that he's horse-dumb.  But the father, thats who i'm irritated with.  My SO said that he did make a comment that he (carl) checked all the mares afterwards and saw no reason to believe anyone was bred, so maybe thats why he was hesitant to say anything.  I could imagine he knew i'd be upset, i know thats not a reason for either of them to not tell me, but if they really thought it came to naught, i can kind of understand sparing me the breakdown.  I'm very very spazzy about my horses.  But there had to be some niggling doubt in their minds, if not they are just stupid.

I'm going to try to get the exact date (if he was smart enough to record it), the vet is coming on Wednesday provided i can manage to not get called into work that day.

As far as i am aware you are allowed to vaccinate your own animals in my state.  I can even order Rabies vaccines through my clinic, or online.  For dogs, cats, sheep, cattle, horses etc.  If not, ooops, i'm guilty.  I do my own cats, but take my dogs in to get vaccinated because i want the record.  Dogs are different than horses, for the most part.  I don't think i shall ever have to prove my horses are vaccinated for rabies because they attack somebody... or should hope now.   :cheeky:

I do have the vet out once a year, occasionally i will have them vaccinate, depending on which horse it is and what i have done already and if they are due for anyting at that time.   :)  I just find it silly to pay for things i've gone to school to learn how to do.  I can just take blood with me to work and run the proper tests or analysis.  I dont have day to day experience drawing from horses, but draw from Tia every six months to run her blood as a precaution (with her age).  Theres only a few things i can't run from work, and i just send those out to the lab - all horse stuff goes to Idexx since he no longer works with them.  However, i am NOT a vet, and never try to diagnose my own horses.  If i am almost certain i know what is going on, i discuss it with my boss vet.  He'll tell me flat out if i should call the actual horse doc out or if he thinks i'm right and its safe to proceed.  I know many may not agree with my way of doing things, but i dont compete, my horses rarely travel, so i never really need to prove anything to anybody and can feel stupid paying a vet to do something i can do for half the cost.   ;)

Back on topic: I'll hopefully be updating later with her new weight versus weight as of this time last year (last one i have recorded), and maybe pictures of that gate (its kinda cool even though he's a jerk).

I would be angry too if I were you. It really doesn't make sense to me that you weren't told; I mean, if she is pregnant, you're going to be mad no matter when you were told, and if she isn't, you wouldn't have been any angrier then expected. It just seems like it's your right to know what happens to your horses.

If Tina is pregnant, will you keep the foal?

Slightly off topic, but the barn I used to ride at had at least 2 stallions there, I'm not sure if the barn owner owned them or they were boarded, but they were kept in the barn with the other horses, towards one end and either between geldings or with the sides boarded up so they couldn't see who was next to them. I don't think they were ever turned out, just free lunged in the arena. In fact, I don't even remember ever seeing one of the stallions out of his stall, but I wasn't at the barn a whole lot.

In my state to enter any state property (fair grounds, parks, etc) you are required to have a rabies certificate for a horse, so I guess it is not a matter of waiting until they bite someone  :wink5: .
But, every state is different.

Your mare getting mounted by their stallion and them not telling you trumps any other good care they might provide.  They put your mare at risk for lots of things, infections, etc.  It is just wrong.

I am glad you are willing to assume Carl is just ignorant.  I would think if he breeds cattle he would know all about the breeding thing though so I have a hard time believing that he would think it is no big deal.  I have a friend who does the cattle scene and she said that she would assume if a mare let a stallion mount her then the mare was in heat and pregnancy is a risk.

I guess I am just more pissed than you are. 

I realize that, but i dont compete or take my horses anywhere.  Thats what i meant by the fact that i dont really have a need for it at this point.  I vaccinate against almost everything, even if its not really a problem in my area.  Rabies is a precaution for me, just incase.  If i get back into showing, i'll definitely have to change the way i do things.

I'd like to say no.  lol.  Buuut, when i rescued Tina she was very pregnant, and she gave birth about a month later.  Thats where Socks came from.  When she was born i said i wasn't going to keep her.  Her father is a very small pony, she still has time to grow, and i'm working with her to see how big she's going to get.  I'm not the smallest girl and she's quite petite and small so far.

If she is pregnant, and she has a colt, you better bet it'll be like pulling teeth to get me to get rid of it.  We'll see what happens.  I don't know if i'm in a position to have Socks, who is in training... and Tina, who is still showing day to day issues from her previous home, and then add another trainee to the bunch.  Or two... that thought makes me want to cry. 

I've been looking for a colt, and actually was set to adopt a PMU TB/Draft cross colt.  I had to cancel in light of recent events, and my little sweetheart is now without a home.  If it turns out my girls are not pregnant, i will still get him.  Regardless, everybody gross your fingers Dexter finds a home because he is amazing and touched my heart the moment i set eyes on him.

Despite being Arabian/Standardbred, Tina is a very nice looking horse.  She has a stocky build, where that came from i do not know.  Nice confirmation for the most part, she could do with a little shorter neck, but thats the standardbred in her.  She's a sweet girl, and has come a long long way.  I have yet to be on her back, if she's pregnant its going to set the retraining back a bit.  She hasn't had a rider on her back in 6 years... and was only green broke to start with.  My plan was to take her training to the next step this summer.  We've progressed to roundpen work/free lunging with full tack.  She's doing well, but needs side reins in place almost constantly as she loves to hold her head way high.  I have a feeling she's going to be a bucker, as it took us awhile to get her over that while lunging.  She still bucks a lot in the beginning of a workout.  I have not worked her over the winter because of the arena undergoing construction, theres nowhere else to work.  I've lunged her a handful of times in the outdoor corral as weather permits.  I'm afraid if she's pregnant, i'm going to have to start at the beginning with her.  The hardest part of her training so far was when it took two weeks to get her to accept the saddle pad.  I had to buy a black one, she wouldn't let me come near her with the white or blue ones i had.  Saddle was no problem though....

OT again... going to the barn when the SO gets home in a few minutes.  Going to try to get some full body pics of her, after seeing her again this morning i can't believe i didn't notice before.... its like so obvious now.  Just by looking at her, i've come to the conclusion she most likely is.  It just looks like it, she's very round.  I haven't been at the barn a lot over the last month, only once a week or so (working Overtime, 14 hour days some days), so i feel like its my fault for not noticing.  I feel like i've been negligent.  She's been getting good care, my SO loves her.  She's supposed to his horse actually, though she's not a beginner horse by any means.  He still adores her.   I just feel like an arse for not being there this past month, when i'm usually there every single day, twice a day.  I feel i would have noticed it sooner.  But at the same time i know that, without working her over the winter, i had no reason to think anything BUT that it was a natural grass belly.  I just didn't realize how BIG she was getting until i found out the possibility was there, its like.. "How did i miss that!?" now.

Sorry, once i get going i never seem to be able to stop...

Have you wormed her lately?  Just trying to come up with other reasons for a big belly than a big baby!

Yes she's been wormed, i'm actually very obsessive with that.  I have a phobia with parasites, whether they be creepy crawly or internal.  Ewwww.  And i keep forgetting to get a weight on her.  I'm very very forgetful.

The more i see her, the more i think she's preggo.  BUT, that could be my over-reactive imagination.

Pics coming soon, i've got tons going on today and was only able to feed and run.  I worked over on Saturday so couldn't even do much then.  We'll know the details by Wednesday as long as all goes well with my work schedule and i dont have to cancel - cross your fingers for this because i'm sick of my job interfering in my life, no matter how much i love what i do.  I'm not one of those people that's capable of making my job my top priority, like they seem to want.  :-\

Ha wow. Certainly not housed for a  Stallion. "The chances are nothing happened" He sure as heck would have wanted something to happen if he went out of his way to twist and break a gate to get to your mare. Pssshhhhhh. Well good luck, I'm sure it will all work out.

Only a few words for now because i'm still in shock and like this --->  :eek:

She is pregnant.  All is in order, all is well, the vet found nothing alarming.  Guessing early July for a due date.

Socks most likely is not.  Didn't do any real testing on her because i am almost positive she was in heat last week, and i need to save all the money i can for this unexpected "blessing".  My SO was joking around that i'm acting like I'M the pregnant one.  Might as well be, thats kinda what it feels like!

I'm going back to sulking now...

Sounds like your SO and his family are the type that 'just don't get it' ....  ::)

That is exactly what I was thinking.

I still think your SO owes you big time apologies.  Keeping this secret from you was a horrible decision on his part, and if it were me, I doubt I'd trust anything he said in the future.

That being said, what's done is done and you can't change it now.  I'd love to see pics of the pregnant momma and of course the foal when she delivers.

I actually did get apologies yesterday after the vet left.  I went into the tack room and sat down, and it hit me like "Wow, how am i going to afford this?" (thats the biggest issue right now, even with me working the hours that i am we cannot get the things done that need done, we REALLY need a hot water tank before we run out of propane because we are switching everything to electric.  Thats the biggie, and i wanted a nicer one...).  It progressed to tears, because i am already beyond stressed out.  This just topped the cake.  His father apologized to me when he saw how utterly upset i was, and he hugged me and said he really didn't know i would take it like this and he was SERIOUSLY almost positive nothing had happened.  He explained that he checked the mares, there was no "evidence" left behind that he could see, BESIDES on Molly (who ended up b eing pregnant as well).  Tina did not appear to be in heat, and was acting very standoffish towards Sparky.  He didn't consciously decide not to tell me.  He apparently didn't realize how big of a situation it was, and he apologized yesterday for not taking that into consideration.  He also told me not to take Tina home, and if i do he'll "help me out" with some of the vet bills and cost of perparing for such a thing.  I dont feel hardly any better about the situation.  I took a deep, calming breath when i was told that all appeared to be well and we got everything up to par on the medical side of things.  Thats a weight lifted, for now.  Won't be the last time we'll be seeing the vet in the next few months, thats for sure.  My two biggest problems are Time and Money.
But both my girls are coming home, its just a matter of finishing putting up some more pasture.  I really don't want her to drop her foal in the middle of the field, but first thing is first.  Its cheaper to fence in another couple of acres than it is to rush and build stalls (the pasture Tia is in would be a muddy mess in a few weeks with three horses in it).   We will be bringing the stall home from the SO's sisters house ASAP and hopefully get it up before she gets close.  I would feel way more comfortable to stall her when she gets closer.

Theres so many things to be considered, so much preparation at the last minute. 

I will definitely be keeping this thread, maybe i'll start a little "diary" and share pics once a week or something.

Oh, and i was talking to Carl (SO's dad) today and he said early August is the soonest she could be due???  I don't know who to believe, but at this point, i'm more inclined to take the vet's word and prepare for early July.  :-\

Do they not remember when this whole escape thing happened?  Gestation is 11 months.


I am glad that your SO's dad and you had a chance to talk.  That has to be a weight lifted.  I am not sure I believe him, but at least he made a good effort and that does matter.

The vet said early July, Carl says no, Early August.  He "says" it was the second week of July, but can't remember the date.  He "thinks" July 12th.  I can't believe he wouldn't have documented it, being that he knew Molly was bred.  SO says he thought his mom had put it on the calendar, but i couldn't find it.  I could only find Belle's breeding date.  She'll be having her little one any time now, btw.  I LOVE Belle, and can't wait to see her baby.  They called to let me know she's been pacing this morning and they think its going to be very soon.  I want to try to be there if at all possible (with my work schedule who knows).  I missed Socks being born by 20 minutes (i was in HS at the time and was on my way to schoolw hen they called me, i turned around and when i got there she was already born).  I want to be prepared since Tina will (hopefully) be home when she has her foal, i've only actually witnessed one birth before.  I dont want to be completely dumbfounded when she starts having it...  :P

I've been doing research, Carl is helping me get a "kit" together.  He knows his stuff when it comes to the actual labor and even gave me a book (He needs to read up on a few things himself...)

And as to the comments about them "just not getting it"... that is why my SO is not my hubby yet. 

Well, if the stallion was loose with the mares in July then the vet is MUCH closer than the SO's father.  340 days past the middle of July does not make it to August.

So if the horses were together mid-July, wouldn't she be due mid-June, which is 11 months later??   That is 11 months later according to my calendar!  :icon_scratch: :dontknow:

Figure 340 days, it's the "accurate" guess work.  Because horses don't like to foal on their due date, any more than rats, cats, dogs or people like to have their offspring on the due date :)

 :doh:

Wow, i butchered that an completely confused everything.  The vet was saying July for the due date, Carl didn't say July for when the horses were together.  It was early... and i dont know what i was thinking.  Brain and fingers weren't connected too well.

Okay:
The vet said his guess is early July for her to foal.  Carl says it should be more like Early August (for the due date).  He said Sept was the breeding month, not July(my fault).  Regardless i am more inclined to prepare in July (or get future opinions from the doc), which is probably why i keep fumbling the dates all over the place, i'm so flustered and have no idea what the heck to think.  July is on the brain, and i'm sticking with it.

I'm not trying to target specific DAYS, because i know how unpredictable horses can be.  When Tina came to me pregnant three years ago, i had no idea when to expect her to foal besides the vets best guess.  I'm just probably going to follow that same road this time.  I'm not even sure i can believe that he actually documented when this happened, and really wonder if he's going on a best guess.  I'm losing my mind, i reallllly am.

When it rains, it pours.

I think I'd have a hard time letting the issue go.  Having an intact animal, of any species, is a responsibility. Keeping that animal away from females that could be bred is simply part of that. The owner being ignorant about the issue, or not set up to keep an intact male, really isn't an excuse.

If I boarded my female dog (if I had an intact female dog that is) at a kennel, and an intact male on the property bred to her, there would certainly be some issues for that person. Not to mention if the person didn't think it important to mention to me ::) Seeing as how they have the male FOR breeding purposes, I have a hard time believing they didn't realize pregnancy could occur.

And if my SO knew and didn't tell me, that would be an entirely different set of issues :-\

I dunno, I still think they should do more than "help" with the vet bills and birthing costs.

I swear Tina has doubled in size in the past week.  Thats a litte exaggeration but she is getting huge, i can see a visible difference. 

I still have to get pics!  I've been insanley busy preparing for them to come home.  The new fence is almost up, we only have the back fenceline to do.  But i dont know when we can borrow a trailer to get them over here, but i'm hoping this weekend if the trailer is avaiable.  Then i'll DEFINITELY have tons of pics.

I can't deny it, i'm pretty damn excited! At least this lit a fire under us to get them home!  One more good thing to get out of it.

And i think i should mention, that me and the SO have been having a TON of problems for the past few years.  Thats probably one of the reasons i wasn't told, we fight a lot even without things such as this fueling it.  Its a very complicated situation, to say the least.  :-\  I know its not a good reason, but if we didn't own a house together and have so many furkids, i probably wouldnt still be here.  I tend to "run" from things, so maybe its a good thing.  Five years isn't something you can just drop, which i probably would have done if i didn't have things keeping me here.

A little update!

The vet is coming again on Friday for a routine (pregnancy) exam, and for one of her vaccines she needs before birthing.  I dont remember which he said this was, but i know he also wants to check again to see if we're developing at the right pace for the guesswork we already established for a due date.  I could do an ultrasound, which i think would be INSANELY cool, but its far too expensive.  It makes me nervous that we are like a month off of what Carl says, so i definitely want to get Dr Lake's opinion on that again.

But for my main point of updating: We've ballooned out to be quite the roly poly girl!  Aaaaand, Monday we're going to be moving them home!!! Yippee...

You guys aren't going to believe it when i actually get a chance to get pics and you see how big she is... she's such a big horse that when she was pregnant with Socks i didn't even know until like last minute almost (doesn't help the father was a small pony) so this is all new to me.

Wish me luck on Friday, i'm a constant bundle of nerves and can't stop running over her with a fine tooth comb like an old mamma hen.  :puppy_dog_eyes:

And just to mention: I'm poorer than dirt thanks to this situation, my hours got cut unexpectedly/without any warning whatsoever just this Monday.  Went from getting tons of OT to getting 20 hours scheduled.  Then they called me and told me not to come tomorrow, which was my 10 hour day.  So i'm going to get a 10 hour check, basically.   :'(  I dont know what i'm going to do, i might start a new thread about that.....

I haven't been able to update due to being bitten by the dreaded Virtumonde adware on my computer, which has made everything slow.
If anybody is still following this, i finally have pics (lots!)

They came home on Monday, it was uneventful for the most part.  Socks was a little attitudey, but she hasn't known any other place but the place she was born, so i can forgive her!  Her first time in a trailer, and she wasn't too freaked out.  She would only load for me, so we made her practice getting in and out with the SO AND his dad.  She always seems to think i'm the only one she has to listen to, and thats not going to fly!

Tina is getting huuuuuge.  I'm trying not to baby her too much, but i'm SO nervous and have to check on her a thousand times a day.  She's quieting down a lot, tiring out easily, and is getting annoyed with Socks constantly trying to get her to run and play.  It is very hard for me to believe we've got aways to go, she looks like she's going to pop.  But, as i've said before, when i saw her pregnant with Socks it was just barely noticable, so this seems "out of this world".  You can kind of see in these pics how small Socks actually is, she's probably not even 12 Hands.  I need to try to measure her, i lost track at 11 Hands and that was awhile ago, but she's done growing.  Its going to be very different raising this baby compared to her, she was so itsy bitsy when she was born! This is going to be a fun/newish experience for me i guess.

(http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b46/ratgirl87/100_5163.jpg)
This was taken out my window, against the screen so its not the best.  And they were far away.  But its such a nice sight to look out the window at :D

(http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b46/ratgirl87/100_5144.jpg)
Monday, the first day.  It was SO windy so most of the pics from that day aren't the best, if you get it just right the windy mane/tale look nice, but otherwise not-so-much.

(http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b46/ratgirl87/100_5135.jpg)

(http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b46/ratgirl87/100_5151.jpg)
This was after they finally calmed down that first day.  Tina wasn't cut out for thatkind of stuff, and she was pretty sweaty/foamy and tired out.  Not the most flattering for her, but it shows her stomach the best.

And because she's so gorgeous, my little pony...
(http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b46/ratgirl87/100_5145.jpg)

We're almost there!!!

I have been getting a little bit nervous.  Tina was not 'bagging up'.  The vet assured me all was well, but i thought we had the dates way wrong or something.  But then... over the last two days, she has a HUGE milk bag.  One of her "nips" is pretty swollen and very very sore, so we might have a problem there.  But the other one is okay.

I can spend hours just leaning against her, rubbing her, feeling the little "guy" move.  I'm in love already and he/she isn't even here yet.  :heart:  I really really hope all goes well.  Belle had her baby awhile ago, but it only lived for 5 days. :'(  She was TINY, and according to the veterinarian (not the same one i use), her lungs were underdeveloped. They were told she would be okay with vigilant care for the first few months.  It was a hot, humid, 95 degree day and she just couldn't cope even with fans and being cooled every few hours.  It was extremely sad. I was taking "shifts" helping to care for her, and even i thought she was going to be alright, after the first few days she seemed to be so much better.  It was Belles first foal.  I'm so scared, it really brought home to me how much can go wrong so easily.  Ugh.

Here is the most recent picture of Tina. Its over a week old.  The darker patches of fur are very strange, she had rain rot/ringworm when we got her.  Ever since her fur grew back, its always darker/thicker in those places.
 (http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b46/ratgirl87/100_5803.jpg)

I'm excited, scared, and anxious! I really want her to have it tomorrow, because i work 14 hour shifts Mon and Tues this week! :BlueDumboBigEyes:

Aw...
She's got such a big belly.
I love horses, and your girls are gorgeous.
You MUST get pics of the baby as soon as it's born!

all your horses are beautiful! i am so excited and nervous for you and your beautiful girl!

Im keeping my fingers crossed for a healthy wonderful delivery....I hope everything is ok.

I can't wait,either!And that little paint is just beautiful!

Great news! She's here, and happy and healthy as can be!  ;D *deep breaths* FINALLY!!!

So, on a day of grief and sadness, a little ray of light appeared in my life.  My great grandfather passed away at 91, on 4th of July, his birthday.  Up until last year we had always had a 4th of July celebration in combination with his birthday.  Last year he sat on the porch swing, drank a few beers, and it was like he was still a young man inside though his outside was wearing thin.  I'm going to miss that old man terribly, its not going to be the same without him.  Today is the calling hours, tomorrow is the funeral.  I woke up this morning to my SO coming through the door, at 7:30am (i stayed up studying until 3am - and also fretting over Tina and couldn't sleep out of nervousness!), with "HONEY!!!!" And the way he said it was scary, i jumped up, half asleep... panicked for a split second before he says "She had it!!"  Relief.  So i get up, first thing out of my mouth is "A boy or girl?"  He rolls his eyes.  "I haven't been out there yet, i wanted to get you first!".

Bad things is, we needed her to hold out a few more days.   I really wanted her in a stall.  The flies are terrible, Tina doesn't get along with Tia, and i knew it'd just be problematic for the baby to be born on pasture.  Sure enough, Tina had other ideas.  We've got her stall halfway done, but my father couldn't come out to help until after the funeral and stuff, and we really need him (I know nothing about this stuff -bare with me) for drilling some plate thing into the concrete to support it, because the ceilings are so high.  But anyway, so Baby was born out on the pasture.  Sometime between 3am and 7am.  She was still very wobbly and "fresh" when i first went out to see her.  Pictures aren't great, dont mind the flies (even with Fly Spray, fly strips, everything... we really need to do something about them!).  I'm going to go try to find a different kind of fly spray that might help.  And see if i can find a baby fly mast (not likely).  I took mama's mask off for the pictures, though the flies decided to all congregate to her eyes, so pictures with the mask may have been better.  :P

Any yes, its a girl.  A little disappointed there, but oh my goodness - she's perfect!

(http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b46/ratgirl87/100_5941.jpg)
I think we're going to have an exact replica of mommy! :D Though, she seems to be more 'gray-ish'. 

(http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b46/ratgirl87/100_5932.jpg)
I think mom has Percheron in her, and from this angle thats what her color reminds me of.  Minus the dapples.

If anybody finds the following two pictures indelicate - I just think its cute, so i apologize!

(http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b46/ratgirl87/100_5934.jpg)
Baby tongue shots!! WOOT!

(http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b46/ratgirl87/100_5935.jpg)
Its precious!  She's eating, Tina is producing milk.  She's EXTREMELY attentive.   She wont let the other two, even her older daughter, near the baby.  She's okay with us, but a couple of times she "steered" the baby away from us.  I'm giving her time before pushing the issue too far.

(http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b46/ratgirl87/100_5937.jpg)
She... is going to be HUGE.  :D

(http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b46/ratgirl87/100_5939.jpg)
This is my favorite, i wish it had come out better.

(http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b46/ratgirl87/100_5942.jpg)
Mama looks so pretty and proud.  :heart:  She's doing great after we cleaned her up and gave her tons of love.  I'm so happy! Everything is going splendid so far. Unfortunately i wont be able to have the vet come out today because of everything going on, but hopefully tomorrow after the funeral i'll be able to get an appointment.

 :heart:  :heart:  :heart:

I am IN LOVE!

Excuse the tires in a few of the pics, i really hate them! For those who do not know, they were all here when i moved in.  Those particular ones are Semi tires, and impossible to move without a tractor or something.  I hate them with a passion.  Just a small disclaimer so people don't think i'm a hill billy or something (no offense to anybody!).  :cheeky:

THANK YOU for posting pics!!  What a happy accident, huh?  I'm loving the little curls in her tail, mane and forehead...  she is adorable.   :heart:

A very happy accident!

I just came back in from out there. Tina is such a good mom.  I was almost in tears.  I feel bad, she had a horrible life producing babies up until she came to me.  And she still had to have one more.  That was supposed to be the end of it for her.  You can tell she's an "experienced" mom.  Especially compared to what i had just witness with Belle and her baby.  Its so precious, and i know she's MORE than happy that she has a baby.  But i still feel... horrible.  I dont really know why, i guess.  Just wasn't supposed to happen.  And maybe, i'm relieved a bit too?   :'(

More pics! I can't get enough of her, and i'm scared to stay in the house for more than a few minutes.  It is HOT today, and Mama isn't leaving the sun.  Baby is extremely hot to the touch (being so dark and all doesn't help), and i'm panicking a bit because of what happened to Belle's foal.  I know in the great scheme of things it will be fine, and its finally starting to cool off now, i think because rain is coming in. 

These are much better pictures, so i thought i'd share them too. 
(http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b46/ratgirl87/100_5967.jpg)
The "whole family"!

(http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b46/ratgirl87/100_5947.jpg)
She wants to see Auntie Tia, but Mommy doesn't like that idea too much!

(http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b46/ratgirl87/100_5959.jpg)
Its as if she's saying "look what i did!" :D

(http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b46/ratgirl87/100_5955.jpg)
Where'd her other ear go?

(http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b46/ratgirl87/100_5950.jpg)

(http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b46/ratgirl87/100_5949.jpg)





I need name suggestions.  I want something unique (all my animals have unique names, unless they already came named... Like Tia and Tina -Tia was Tina, but i changed it by taking out the N since she responded to it.  Never changed the second Tina's name. I guess i was meant to have a Tina after all! ;) )  I've been looking online.  If i could find something that meant something it'd be great.  Like since she was unexpected, i didn't really want her, but then she turned out to be a blessing in disguise? I've been somewhat depressed/stressed.  It was adding to the stress levels until today when she was born.  Then it was like a swoosh of relief/happiness.  I can't find what i'm looking for, and its probably a tough one, but if you have any suggestions, please tell!   :BlueDumboBigEyes:

Girl right?
Um,
Maura, Adrianne, Poppy, Cecily, Franny, Penny Lane (Penny for short), Crimson, and Lillian (I know thats not unique, but I just had to throw it in there.)
I personally love Poppy and Cecily.

What about Liberty, or Liberty Bell (Belle for short) in honor of your grandfather and all the wonderful fourth of July parties you shared with him?

she is soo pretty! i really like the liberty bell suggestion for the name too..

Belle sounds good. :) To me,she looks like a..Gracie ,Grace for short? Or how about..Bessie?? :tard: I dunno..Just picking random names..Or maybe Lucy. I don't know. :P She's so pretty,congrats on the foal,both you and the mom!

what a beautiful baby! congrats.

I got excited in the first pictures where you had removed the nylon halter. I was very pleased but then  saw them again in your second grouping of pictures. Please consider doing some research on using nylon halters on horses while they are turned out. Perhaps yours have a breakaway feature to them as some do? Leather is best or no halter at all. (hopefully you do not take this as targeting you  as is not meant to, just a suggest that you might want to consider)

keep post pictures, you will be amazed at the changes and development each day!

I personally like the name Rosemary. But that's just me! She's such a pretty horse! Congrats and good luck! :)

Name ideas;

Rosemary      Shaniya
Hyacinth       Filomena-a polish name meaning "lover of mankind"
Luna            Agnese- Italian meaning "gentle"
Artemis        Aida- Italian meaning "happy"
Apollo          Sophia- Greek meaning "wise"

I dont know why i hadn't put two and two together before, even after going and visiting my late grandmother's grave site that night... but this baby was born on my Grandmothers birthday.  She was like a mother to me and died when i was 13.  Her name was Evelyn.  My SO wants to name the baby that, but i dont know if i like naming her exactly after my grandmother.  I've really got a lot to think about now.  Thats quite interesting... what a great day for her to decide to make her appearance!

OdysseyDesign: I don't feel targeted, trust me! I would probably be right behind you asking this question.  The halters that i use are specifically "turn out" halters.  I buy most of them online.  They are break away halters, and they work extremely well, judging by how many they lose in one given month ;)  Thats why Tina has a different color on in all her pictures  ::)  She's the worst, if she keeps one for more than a week or two then i count myself lucky.  Thats why i order online, save myself a few pennies that way.  I've learned the hard way that now that they are on so much pasture, once the halters mysteriously disappear - they're pretty much gone forever.  They usually just have their fly masks on, i don't think i'd feel very good wearing a halter 24/7 so i don't expect them to.  But since the baby is here, i'm going to keep one on Tina probably.  I also have the most adorable little lavender colored halter for the little one you'll be seeing in pictures soon :D

The baby is doing great, no pictures for the moment.  Today has been a busy day.  As soon as this storm rolls through i'm going to go visit them.  We're also delayed getting the stall finished, but they seem to be doing okay out there together.  Tina doesn't want the other two near her, but besides that its going good.

you could always call her Evie ? sort of a pet name take of Evelyn

Aww!She turned out so beautiful!So,do you think she'll be grey?I can't remember what Daddy looked like...Man,the time flew by!Keep posting more pics!I wanna see this filly grow up!

As for names,how about Dezra?Pronounced like Debra,but with a Z.And,before everyone says "That's a awful name!",that is my name. :)