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Original poster

Surprise Foal!

13 replies

countingto10 · 28/04/2014 06:31

Groom at yard had a big shock yesterday morning!

We are not sure where she hid her, the foal is enormous. Owner competed mare in xc pairs on Saturday and came second! We all thought she had a bit of a grass belly which wasn't shifting. Vet even gave her jabs last week and didn't notice!

Owner is mortified, angry and upset ATM, feels incredibly guilty that she has made mare work to shift her weight (also did a sponsored ride last week).

Mare and foal seem to be fine.

Photos not brilliant as didn't want to disturb them too much.

OP posts:
cowsarescary · 28/04/2014 07:15

Squee!

DillydollyRIP · 28/04/2014 07:24

Ah gorgeous little thing. Poor mummy though, I wouldn't have fancied doing x country heavily pregnant.

Flexiblefriend · 28/04/2014 15:46

Oh wow, what a lovely surprise!

Mitchy1nge · 28/04/2014 15:56

oh I love it when this happens (to other people)!

that foal looks adorable

Willyoulistentome · 28/04/2014 16:06

Gorgeous. This happened at a riding school type yard I used to keep my horse at years ago. They had got a mare from the sales. Ugly fat thing with a broken dock. She couldn't lift her tail to pee or poo, and they had to wash her back end down every day. She was on a hack being kicked by a novice the day before she was found with a newborn foal in the field. She got one he'll of a lot of extra cuddles and attention after that and the foal was named Magic... (as if by).

Pixel · 28/04/2014 19:38

Ahhh very sweet. The mare looks pretty the little hussy, do they have any idea about the sire or was it from before they bought her?

Years ago I went into the barn early to fetch my mum's horse for the farrier, happened to glance into the next stable and got the shock of my life, a little foal that hadn't yet stood up and I was the first to see him Smile. The owner had no idea, she'd hacked several miles to jump in a show only the day before.

Original poster
countingto10 · 28/04/2014 20:56

The mare was previously kept in a field, next to some land owned by our "travelling" friends. They had an uncut stallion who had previously escaped and covered a mare owned by same lady so she already has a yearling kept elsewhere (sold mare). The stallion's owner owned up to that covering. Anyway he moved the stallion to a different field about 10 months ago for no apparent reason although now we assume he caught it in her field again covering this little mare (she is barely 13 hands, stallion 15.3 Shock) and obviously the foal's colouring gives the game away Hmm. The mare is a registered new forest so this was not the type of foal the owner had in mind for her.....

The foal is lovely though and should be a nice type, hopefully with her mum's temperament. The yard is not really designed for foals as a full livery yard but yard owner being very accommodating - who can resist a foal Grin

OP posts:
FlockOfTwats · 29/04/2014 00:18

Awww.

This happened to a friend of mine - He bought a little miniature for his kids. She was looking a bit round and he suggested to the vet that maybe she could be pregnant. Vet said she wasn't.

A month or so goes by, he rang the vet, saying he still thinks mare is pregnant. Vet said oh no no way, she wasn't pregnant etc.

Another month or so goes by, mare looks suspicious, he rings vet out convinced the mare is in labour. Vet says shes not, shes not in foal so not in labour.

Next morning, what do you know, a foal. "So, you know the mare that's not in foal, she's had the foal..."

Toughasoldboots · 29/04/2014 00:21

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

ruby1234 · 29/04/2014 15:24

Friend of ours bought a skewbald mare at the sales (probably came from the side of a road we thought). Anyway, mare was a bit plump and got plumper. Vet insisted she was just plump. Mare was turned out in a field next to our pointers and spent many hours galloping around with them, skidding up and down the field.
One morning - lovely little piebald foal in the field with them.

Pointers were brilliant with it, spent hours chatting over the fence with it. Mare was about 14hh, foal grew to 16hh.

SarcyMare · 29/04/2014 15:27

"covering this little mare (she is barely 13 hands, stallion 15.3) "
that really is covering.

but very very cute

LizardBreath · 29/04/2014 15:30

This happened to me! Bought a v skinny, underweight mare. Spent many months 'fattening' her up and getting her fit, thought she had got too fat so upped the excersise, she got a bit 'lazy' do upped the oats, took her on a pleasure ride on the Sunday and did all the jumps, the next Saturday got down to see mare frantically running to gap in hedge and neighing, ran down and foal had arrived! Madness, shed given birth with 15 other horses around all on her own! Interestingly the other mares were gathered around goal sort if shepherding him whilst my horse was getting our attention.

I had read somewhere that foals shouldn't walk in concrete in first hours due to the soft hoofs so made my dad carry foal to stable, my mare didn't bat an eye lid! Ah, I want another!!

Keep us updated, with cute pics if possible!

LizardBreath · 29/04/2014 15:31

Terrible spelling there- too much foal pic excitement!

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