The previous five foals from our Friesian mare, Salvana, have all come in the early, early morning hours. As such, we have never actually witnessed a birth. We've been close, and Tom caught the last push one time, which is more than I ever saw.
Not this time.
Last evening after dinner, I went into the barn to give Salvana some carrots. She was acting kind of spacey, and less interested in treats that usual. A short time later, Tom and his mother went in to check on her. She was pawing the ground, sweating, and showing what looked like contractions. No sooner did we drag some chairs in to wait, her water broke. Within a few minutes, out popped the foal. We have been hoping, after three colts in a row, to get a filly... and we did.
Everything went as well as we could possibly expect. Completely normal in every way. The foal was quick to get up -- within an hour -- and was nursing, peeing and pooping within the next hour... all good signs. By 10:30 last night, we left mom and baby to themselves and called it a night.
Early this morning we introduced "Elpis," named for the Greek goddess of hope, to the outside world. This takes a little doing, since mother will not allow herself to be more than a few feet from the baby. So with me leading Salvana very slowly, and Tom urging Elpis along, we made it out to the nearest pasture and let them in. Our other horses called out to them, as did the donkey. The barn cats both came out to see the show. (Dogs are banished for the time being, as Salvana will consider them predators and stomp the living crap out of them if given the chance.)
Gigger, the miniature donkey with the big mouth and bigger attitude, slipped out of where he was being kept and came up to the fence to gawk at the foal. Mother was NOT happy. She put on her most menacing look, charges the fence, spun around and bucked. Point made. Gigger sounded an immediate retreat. Amusing to witness, yet also a clear demonstration of how protective an 1800 pound horse can be when given a reason. I'm glad she trusts us.
We always think we'll sell the foals. So far, we've sold exactly one of the five Salvana has had since we bought her eight years ago. The first of those was purchased in utero by a good friend before we took possession of Mom-horse. We still own the four year old gelding Orion. Three-year-old Ulfie was sold to people who live nearby, so we see him all the time. Poor little Zevon from two years ago had to be put down because of a birth defect. Something tells me that Elpis has found a permanent home already. And I bet this is the last time Salvana will be doing the baby thing. But one never knows.
One thing is for certain: Salvana is a great mare, and seeing her give birth to a foal was one of the coolest things I've ever witnessed.