Almost full circle.. but not quite

Those of you who have raised your own foals know the satisfaction that comes from a successful birth. From the time the pregnancy is confirmed, to following the pregnancy, waiting anxiously for the blessed wee foal to arrive, (never mind the anxiety and the sleep deprivation that go along with that, more on that later), the thrill of seeing a new life emerge and a new personality take shape. The hours and hours and hours upon hours of daily care, handling, gently teaching, shaping, guiding their young equine life so they have the best chance to live a good life, loved by good people.

We have always put a LOT of time into our foals. It terrifies me knowing that even great horses can end up in bad hands or bad circumstances. It is my job as a breeder to make sure our foals have the BEST start in life, and are willing, easy to teach, a pleasure to be around, and are a comfortable and drama free ride later in their lives. While any horse can fall into a bad situation, it's so much easier to find available homes for smart, trained, willing horses than unhandled or aggressive ones. It is not only my job, it is my DUTY and RESPONSIBILITY to these lives I have had a hand in creating.

We have not produced a foal in the last two years, with the economy and the horse market both crashing. The foals we have produced are in good hands, in performance homes, and every horse we sell (foal or adult) is sold with a right-of-first-refusal. While we can't do everything to keep one of ours from slipping through the cracks, we do all we can. I still have not started up our breeding program again... it's very expensive, and there is still a glut of good horses on the market priced much cheaper than it would be for me to produce one. The market seems to be recovering, but it will have to recover a lot more for me to get back into it.

But.. there is nothing else like producing your own, and raising them right from the beginning. There are no "other people's problems" to fix. There is the immense satisfaction of watching your youngster turn into a willing, pleasant, teachable equine who will hopefully bring someone a boatload of joy, and possibly even win them a few ribbons.

The very first foal we bred for is still with us. She is 4 now, and while she has had several interested buyers, there were some I felt was not a good fit and wouldn't sell to, and others who passed her over in the search for their perfect horse. I always did in my heart want to keep this one, she is extraordinary. However, being a "commercial" farm also means you have to take your heart out of at times and let them go. She is the only homebred we still have.

In November of her 2nd year, she suffered a devastating freak accident. Sliding around the corner of the barn, she slid and jammed a stick up in her hoof adjacent to her frog. Of course, the stick broke off and the frog closed back over, and if I wouldn't have heard the "pop" I wouldn't have known when it happened at all other than she was 3 legged lame in 10 minutes. Upon exam, (no evidence of a breach in the sole at this time), a coffin bone fracture was suspected. Long story long, 8 days later the hoof avulsed enough that the stick was finally caught on a hoof knife on that daily exam. Almost 2" of broken stick, and partially rotted fragments. The infection was immense. She was given a very grim prognosis. Even survival was suspect, and the chance of soundness close to nil.

She had some great things going for her. She was smart about being confined, and protected herself by lying down frequently. She was good taking her bute, and 5 weeks of daily shots of Naxcel. She was sensible when we were able to turn her out with a hospital plate on. Every day that went by that she still was bright and alert and fighting to live added a bit to her chances...

Let me pause here to say the effort on our part was exhausting. Hours and hours of daily care for weeks, on top of full time jobs, and a farm to maintain. It was expensive, too. We never once thought about giving up on her. It was all up to her.

Fast forward 18 months. Our filly, our beautiful miracle horse, is completing her first round of training under saddle. We found a wonderful trainer we could entrust with her, and are very blessed for that. She is sound. She is healthy. She is awesome.

Last night, on a trail ride with her trainer, myself, and another friend.. I got to ride my girl on a 'real' ride for the very first time. For over 2 miles of a 4 mile ride.... I got the immense pleasure of seeing the fruits of our labors. The months of planning, the years of effort, the weeks of uncertainty and heartbreak surrounding her injury.. faded into the here and now. She is soft, willing, and responsive. A dream. My dream.

Soon, after a 4 day Horsemanship Clinic at the end of this month, our "baby" will be coming home to us for a few months before continuing advanced training later this year. I can't wait to have her in my daily life again, and to start this new chapter in our lives.... soon, soon, we will be full circle.