Operation: Let's have a real-life Knabstrupper! Current Stage: BABY IS HERE

[FantasyRanch3]

After Mojo has her foal you'll have to keep us updated on how the foal comes along and later on when it starts training

This little one will be in training from the second it hits the ground, basically. Nothing overwhelming, but we're doing basic desensitization (plastic bags, rags, etc) as soon as it hits the ground. Then halter and leg handling, etc from day 1.

I'm also planning to train it for driven dressage once it's old enough. I've never done that before so that'll be an adventure.

Cool!

[RosesDemise]

This little one will be in training from the second it hits the ground, basically. Nothing overwhelming, but we're doing basic desensitization (plastic bags, rags, etc) as soon as it hits the ground. Then halter and leg handling, etc from day 1.
I'm also planning to train it for driven dressage once it's old enough. I've never done that before so that'll be an adventure.

Gosh, I love it when people take the time to start working with foals when they drop! They are so much better when they are older and are amazing horses.
Unlike our training horse who is 13 and freaks out when you stand by her. That mare hyperventilates when you touch her I swear.

I Hope this foal is everything you hope for! Super excited to see the little guy and I bet momma is gonna be happy to get em' out! She. Looks. Dreadful.

[Silverine]

Gosh, I love it when people take the time to start working with foals when they drop! They are so much better when they are older and are amazing horses.
Unlike our training horse who is 13 and freaks out when you stand by her. That mare hyperventilates when you touch her I swear.

I Hope this foal is everything you hope for! Super excited to see the little guy and I bet momma is gonna be happy to get em' out! She. Looks. Dreadful.

Yeah. I hate to call it "imprint training" since that can be a bit of a hot-button issue, but we're basically going to do a less-intense version of that, so long as Mojo is okay with it. If she starts to get agitated I'll definitely back off and let them be but I think she will be okay with it as long as it's me doing it. I want this baby to be a personable, well-adjusted foal for my own sake as well it's own if (god forbid) something happens and I end up needing to sell it.

Thank you! I'm keeping my fingers crossed. My biggest hope is for a healthy baby that's conformationally sound. Any other boxes it ticks are just gravy. And she does. I feel so bad when I go out. I keep telling her to just pop it out and she'll feel so much better.

[BlackOak2]

First one's always a hazardous experience.

Driven dressage, you're still going to teach it to ride, though, right? Always handy to have both instances... knowing you, that would be a 'Yes, of course.'

*Thinking back to that Pax filly in australia.*

[Silverine]

03/02/2022 PM Update

Foal Watch
Night 4

Oh my gosh, guys, we are getting so close. Here's the milk and milk test from tonight:
For those wondering what these pictures mean:

• Mojo's milk is much less amber than before and is less transparent. This, coupled with how it has started tasting less salty with the barest tinge of sweet, means that she's starting to get colostrum in her milk. This also means I need to be extra careful about how much milk I take for the tests so that baby gets enough colostrum.
• The milk test is much closer to the Foaling Range than it was before. It's still not quite in the foaling range but also isn't in the non-foaling range. So it's kind of a gray area. The top test especially is close to the 85% box but the green one is farther off (though some of that is just that the strip color is more saturated than the colors on the bottle).

So what does that mean for tonight? The milk test by itself says she could have the baby tonight, but not that it's likely. The other signs I'm seeing from Mojo's body tell me "not quite yet" so I've decided to stay home and just keep a close watch on the cameras.

The signs I'm seeing:

• Her hind end is somewhat soft but not "jell-o butt" soft yet.
• Her vulva was more contracted than I would expect, and the inside was soft pink rather than scarlet.
• The foal is still positioned a little more forward than I would expect.
• Her udder is not as full as would be expected, and though she had a little wax a few days ago she has not had any since then. Despite that it is much fuller than it was just two days ago.

So I am not sleeping at the barn tonight, but am setting alarms to check the camera through the night and am going over at the slightest sign of discomfort on Mojo's end. I only live 10 minutes from the barn, and while that is far enough away that I could miss the birth it is still close enough that I will be there in time if something goes wrong. (Something that can be fixed, that is. If it's something that can't be fixed then me sleeping at the barn wouldn't change that.)

I have plans for the morning depending on how she looks. I will be testing her milk again then and if she has jumped to the 95% box (unlikely but possible) I will skip work and spend the day with her but if she's still in the 85% or not-quite 85% area I will just ask my mom to check in on her around noon and keep an eye on the cameras from work.

My guess at this point is that we will meet baby by Monday. But this is still a guess and you guys have seen how my guesses have gone before.

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@BlackOak - Oh yes, baby will definitely be trained for saddle as well. Saddle work was the original plan, but I added driven dressage after learning the history of Knabstruppers being used in harness. It's also for me to learn something that I can do with horses if/when I get to the point that I can't physically be on top of them anymore for whatever reason.

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As an afterthought, here is a comparison of Mojo's milk on 02/27 versus tonight (03/02):



The right image is illuminated by my headlamp so the milk looks more transparent than it actually is.

[Toadally]

So exciting! Sounds like you'll be in for a sleepless week

Odd question, but I know with some goats their udders will really fill up the day of or day before kidding, are horses similar or is it more gradual for them? I also never knew that horses milk could even be tasted or change taste

[Silverine]

Odd question, but I know with some goats their udders will really fill up the day of or day before kidding, are horses similar or is it more gradual for them? I also never knew that horses milk could even be tasted or change taste

Not an odd question at all, and something that is causing me some amount of anxiety! Generally, mares that have had foals before will start filling up about 30 days before birth and fill gradually and consistently. Maidens are less predictable. Some of them barely fill up at all before the baby is born. Some never wax at all. On the flip side, some fill up super early and wax multiple times. It's all about knowing the mare. And unfortunately you can't know what'll happen with a first-timer since they've never done it before!

And yes, taste is an excellent way to help predict an imminent foaling. I generally squeeze a tiny bit into my hand or onto the tip of my finger and then use just the tip of my tongue to taste it. Mojo's milk the past few days gave me a distinct "yeah, this salty" reaction whereas tonight I actually had to taste it three times to get a good impression. It was more flavorless tonight with tiny hints of both salty and sweet with salty being a bit more prominent. Once the milk turns totally sweet the baby will be born within 24 hours.

[Silverine]

03/03/2022 AM Update

Foal Watch
Interlude 4

Well. Last night was... something.

Guys, I am so tired.

I had been checking on Mojo every hour or so. She had been hanging out in her run-in more than usual but otherwise looked fine. As I was getting ready for bed around midnight I checked again. She was standing in the shed and groaning.

I went back and forth on whether or not to go check on her. I finally decided to go simply because I would never forgive myself if I'd noticed that, done nothing, and then missed something. So over I went, in the back of my mind thinking I'd end up sleeping there.

I get to the barn and by the time I head toward the field Mojo is standing at the fence watching me, totally unperturbed. I checked her over and didn't notice anything out of place. I also pulled another milk sample. There were only six hours between samples but even so there was a definite shift in color. Still, she wasn't quite in the 85% box and she didn't seem particularly ready to do anything so I packed up and went home.

I got home and could not settle down right away. I spent about another hour chatting to my west coast friends and checking on the camera. Mojo went back into the run-in after I left and stayed there for a while. Finally she went back to eating and at that point I felt okay going to sleep. I spent the rest of the night sleeping fitfully and waking every hour to check the camera. Suffice to say baby did not make its appearance.

This morning I went over for morning chores and pulled another sample. She is now solidly in the 85% box. If she holds true with this pattern I expect that we will see baby before Monday if not sooner. But of course I will update again this evening.

[Cypress Creek Elites]

Hopefully she drops the foal soon so you can catch up on rest! I barely function without at least 7 hours of sleep, so I can't imagine how you're doing

[BlackOak2]

Envious and not envious at the same time!

It'll be a sight to see when it happens. Luck! You know, the GOOD kind!