Suprise baby !!!!

[velvet]

Ok, this makes us seem a bit dim... but it was such a great suprise...

my mum just called me at work, we have a good friends shetland mare agisted at our house, who was supposed to foal october last year. she never came into season leading up to october, but months came and went, and she never foaled. - during the time when she was 'supposed' to be in foal, our mini stallion escaped - as mini's do- fence devils! - and he got into the mare paddock - all the other mares were either in foal, or much to 'out of his league' to worry too much- and we thought the shetland mare was already in foal- so we didnt think much of it-

Mum fed the horses this morning, and when she got to the mares paddock, found the shetland with a little buckskin colt foal...... how exciting and cute !! - I fed them all last night, and the mare was fine, i didn't check her udder- as we didnt think she was in foal - just fat like normal shetlands are !

I cant wait till 5 tonight so I can go out and see him.... ohhhh how cute.
:) :) :) :) :) :)

[ann]

What a lovely surprise! Can you backdate the service certificate so it can be registered?

[velvet]

hmmmm... no, unfortuntately- the little fellow is not registered to bred with, we were waiting for his other 'jewel' to drop to get him gelded, but it has not done so as yet.

The vet checked him out a little while ago, and it looks like he will need to be knocked out and have the operation to be gelded.

We have been putting off the surgery- as we are a little hesitant (with the risk involved) and the cost , given the expense of feed in the drought at the moment - he is very well behaved, and we have fixed his fencing quite a while ago now, so he isnt a hassle as he is.


So much for them not being fertile !!!

The foal will be eligible to be registered buckskin, but even if we wanted to bred from the stallion, we cannot, due to the one 'jewel' and some silly ruele about him being out of a paint bloodline?? - I am not 100% on how that one works!

[ann]

What a shame about the registration. And how silly if there is a fear of skewbald/piebald offspring. Who cares, unless it is a breed that is limited to a specific colour, what colour a horse is?

BTW, I heard on the radio this morning that it was raining over most if not all of Victoria. Have you been lucky enough to get any of the rain?

[velvet]

Well, we will register him as a colour- Buckskin- I cant rememebr if mum was talking about the buckskin registery that wouldn't except him, or the miniture horse registery - ???

Nope, not yet, its been overcast and windy all day, I have my fingers, and toes, and arm, and legs, and any other crossable body part crossed in hope that it rains. It has gotton so bad, we have friends who are shooting horses becuase they have no water or feed to keep going! - Its so sad

All our horses are fat still, and we are buying in feed and water - at the cost of running a small nation ! - but if it doesnt rain soon, I am very scared!

[ann]

Oh, dear. I do hope it rains very soon!

[velvet]

we got 2 inches of rain over the weekend!!!

Little baby weas swimming, so he is snuggled up in a nice warm stable with his mum now.

Our dams are almost half full (from being completly dried up) So we are very happy!

The weather man says there is still more to come - fingers crossed !!

[Em Lambe]

Please send some our way! I could do with a swim... or a bath even, for that matter! ;-)

[ann]

Ooh, well done! I hope you get as much as you need.