H&C

22
Mar
2010

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A new eye socket and foaling watch

Alifra models one of the foaling alarms used at HFD

"Sunday came and with it operation day. Staff at the Royal Blackburn Hospital were super and I left hospital on Tuesday evening with my new metal eye socket. I looked a bit like shrek with my face feeling like I had overdone the botox - but hey my husband and my horses still love me! Just had a little double vision; we'll see if that goes in a week or two - either way I am on the road to recovery with eyesight and all four limbs working.

Thankyou for your reassuring comments on my blog, it is a very comforting feeling when you recieve support ,especially from the lady who had the same procedure, it lifts the spirits. Thanks to Jen from Devon (Elton hfd's new owner - by the way thanks for the update on Elton's lovely new home) and Margaret C. xxxxx

On Tuesday I had a little hack on Mooiman, naughty I know but he is a good boy and I just needed to sit on my horse. Plus he is nominated for Saumur at the end of April, so now is not the time to be climbing into my sick bed.

Alifra hfd (Obelisk x Jazz) and Samantha hfd (Ulster x Apalatin) are getting close to foaling with both due around the 24th of March. Alifra hfd is begining to what we call 'bag up' - this is when the mare's udder begins to fill with milk ready for when her foal is born. The size of the bag varies considerably; some have lots of milk and some much less. Some mares bag up and foal in a matter of hours while some mares bag up for weeks so it does not necesserily mean that foaling is imminent, it does mean however that we need to be paying attention to the foaling cameras, so from now until all the foals are safely on the ground we will be watching the CCTV throughout the night. Brian will have the odd nap while I take over for an hour or two when he needs to close his eyes...but really Brian is quite amazing as he manges to sleep like our pooches cat napping here and there, and some how managing to get sufficient sleep in a 24 hour period.

On Thursday Samantha hfd follows suit with bagging up, so the CCTV flicks every five seconds form one to the other. It's a little like having a traffic light in the bedroom, but well worth the effort. A few years ago we had more than an average incidence of 'red bag syndrome' births - a conditon where the foal bag comes first depriving the foal of oxgen during birth. Samantha hfd was one of these foalings so Brian and I had to act very quickly to get the foal out. The foal was born with a blue tongue and not breathing but nasal CPR brought life into the foal. But one of our breeders was not so lucky - we recived a call for help in the early hours of the morning and headed out into the night to their place in pyjamas but sadly we were too late, so we take foaling attendance very seriously.

As a back up to CCTV, we fit the mares with foaling alarms. We use two types - one is a neck strap which works on moisture detection and triggers the most irritating alarm which goes off in our bedroom but can be heard all around the house. The second alarm works from a surcingle that activates the land line or mobile phone - a little like your mare calling you up on the phone to tell you she's foaling. Both give you a very good back up to the CCTV.

The mares benefit from a little turn out. Even though our foaling bays are huge - around the size of three average stables offering lots of room for roly poly mares to get down - it is important to facilitate the mares' urge to roll as when mares approach foaling, part of the process involves the foal getting into what we call 'birthing position.' The mares' part in this process is to get up and down rolling and wriggling helping to reposition the foal and making herself more comfortable in the process.

Turn out does have its down side. Some mares just inisist on going back to nature and get on with it in the field, so a vigilant eye to has to kept on them when so close to giving birth. Dealing with foaling problems in the middle of a field is not a good option; if we feel one of the ladies is starting to get itchy feet, we get them in their playtime is cut short.

There seems to be quite a lot of interest in the Ampere foal. I've just recieved a picture of one his first foals for 2010 born in the USA. He is a nice model, already showing a strong frame and super top line, so we are very excited. Alifra hfd is an exceptionlly bred mare with a good predicate.

It's now the 18th of March and Alifra hfd has been waxed up for two days now. Some mares wax within the hour and some keep us on red alert for days, as is the case here. Sam also looks set to pop, so here's to another long night and I hope to introduce the foals in the next blog!"