As I sit here this morning, I think back on that morning one year ago when I was on foal watch in the cold dark before sunrise. I was waiting for a very health compromised mare to foal. I sat beside the stall knowing that everyone believed the mare not only wouldn't survive, but neither would the foal. It had been a long month nursing the mare along, hoping for a miracle.
Sometime before the earliest sounds of the new day began, the mare went into labor. I waited, & waited, & waited. Finally 2 little feet & a nose poked through. Then the mare stopped having contractions. She lay still, panting, but no more contractions. I waited some more. I did all those things I was taught to stimulate contractions, but nothing helped. The clock was ticking & I could feel the sick panic wanting to set in. I'd seen foals pulled before, but always with chains & multiple people. I was alone. I can remember pulling, begging, pleading, & pulling some more. I don't know how long I pulled because time really does seem to stand still. And then all of a sudden I was falling backwards with a foal half in my arms. A beautiful chestnut filly took her first breath as I pulled her clear & removed the sac from her face. A miracle had occurred.
The months that followed were tough & many times I thought I would lose my precious filly. But she proved to be a tough little girl with a very strong will. Today she grows more gorgeous as each day passes. She runs the pasture, playing with her filly friend. She greets me at the gate & follows along as I walk her pasture. she's a perfect (well almost perfect) lady with the manners many grown horses will never have. She's the little love of my life & I enjoy her every day. She brightens my world.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY FILLY!!!! I love you!
I really wish I could get some good pictures of Filly, but the little darling would rather pester me than pose for a photo session. She just keeps trying to show me her double swirls & big brown eyes.
