Experience the ENDURANCE of Foundation Breeding
CIROCCO
Our first ever mule foal! He is SO adorable. (Famous Dodie Sable story at the end of the photos)
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| EIGHT MINUTES | 11 MINUTES | |
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| 36 hours old - first time outside | That's some big ears! | |
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Ready for a story? I bought Angie (Cirrocco's dam) last fall supposedly in foal to a few spot leopard stallion. Since I run Appaloosas for endurance, I was thrilled to get her at such a reasonable cost, even though she's 23 years old. The stallion she was to be in foal to has many ancestors known for their distance work. All winter we watched her blow up like a balloon as her pregnancy advanced. I have to put in a side note at this point...I don't have much to do with Arabians but this is the absolute nicest horse of any breed you could want to meet. She loves attention, rides little kids safely, goes on a good speedy trail ride and is very versatile. I wish I had known her as a younger horse.
Okay....so I was watching her like a hawk from the day she waxed because of her age. I've been breeding since 1980 and while I've never had a problem with an older broodmare, there are things that can go wrong due to their age. They can tire out faster and not be able to deliver, they can blow the main uterine artery during the pushing, they can prolapse the uterus during delivery, etc etc etc. This freakin' mare was waxed for 10 DAYS. 10 DAYS!!!! I obviously didn't get much sleep and was pretty cranky by the time I arrived at the barn at 8:00 PM on April 12th to do the night chores.
Well, I stomped over to her stall, expecting to see her big fat belly staring me in the face like some huge joke on me and OH MY GOSH! She's laying down and the sack is out, filling with fluid. WHOO HOO. I quick pull up a chair and sat down to enjoy the show. I totally ignored the 10 cats crying how starved they were or the 26 horses banging buckets asking for food because you know, no-one EVER feeds them. I waited a long time for this baby.
As soon as Angie saw me, she jumped up and started twirling around calling and calling for the foal that wasn't even here yet. She kept pawing the ground and snuffling around still calling and calling. I tried to explain to her she wasn't near done with this delivery yet, but she wasn't listening. Then she kept pushing me out of the chair as if to tell me to go find that baby. (sheesh)
A cramp hit her and down she went. Ah, a foot is presented. Yea - everything is in the right place and I can relax. She pushed and pushed and another foot was presented but HOLY COW, those are some big feet. And the leg bones were huge. We knew she had a big one in there, but this was bigger than I thought. I was a little disappointed to see black feet and black legs...that's not a good indicator that I am going to have some Appaloosa coloring on the foal. I was happy to see them moving, though.
Nose is presented but she is having troubles pushing him past that point. I let her push for about 10 minutes. In and out the nose goes and we're making no progress. Based on past experience, I know it's time to jump in there and give her a little help. On the next contraction, I give a tug on those big legs and "whew" he's stuck in there like a rabbit down a gopher hole. Next contraction I tug a little harder and finally his head comes on out. Next contraction, those shoulders do NOT want to break free. Next contraction, and the next, and finally I give one big tug and "pop" shoulders are free.
I let her finish it up, but I'm looking at this face thinking, "Geeze, I know Apps can have some big heads and ears, but this is way out of line." His tongue is out and he's not breathing yet and he still has his hind legs inside Angie. I grab a towel and start massaging his rib cage, clear his mouth and he gurgles. Yes, a successful foaling.
All is well as she gives one more push and he slides out. He's HUGE. And of course, no appaloosa color. I'm very disappointed. I am also looking and looking at these ears and I'm thinking that this is going to be the absolute ugliest Appaloosa I have ever seen in my life. When he finally struggled himself sternum, I KNEW he wasn't an App and I was laughing my ass off. Really! How fun is that? It was like a Christmas present, something I never expected, but great to have anyway.
He was remarkably quick to get up and balance himself (see the photo album). He had a grand time believing himself to be the next Olympic jumper. Unfortunately, he didn't quite clear his mama (chuckle).
As a rule, when a new foal first talks to their mama, my entire barn sings out in the joy of the new birth. (side note, I run my mares with their stallions, so the stallions are WELL aware when their honey-darling has a baby) The proud Papa usually sings the loudest. Even though Shark didn't make this baby, Angie was his mare and he watched the entire birthing process from his stall, giving Angie encouraging chuckles throughout the ordeal.
Okay, Cirrocco is moving around and BRAYS. The entire barn got pin-dropping quiet. Even Angie looked at him funny. I have never seen anything like it in my 26 years of breeding. Not one horse answered his call, including his dam. For about 30 seconds, it's totally quiet, no hay crunching, no rustling of straw, NOTHING! Then he brays again. This time Angie cooed to him and Shark chuckled and THEN AND ONLY THEN did the rest of the barn speak up and sing out.
I was rolling by this time, tears in my eyes. What a great end to a long and drawn out birthing wait. I was totally in love with this little fella. I have no clue about mules, their behaviors, their needs...but I'm about to learn all I can.
Instructor/Manager: Dodie Sable
Located in New Smithville PA at 37 Fenstermacher Road, 3 miles north of Kutztown University
Call us at 610.756.3836 or email us at dodie@newpromisefarms.com