'Nuff said. (*chuckles*)
Wednesday, May 27, 2015
Thursday, May 21, 2015
Photo update!
A couple of photos, taken one day after the last post. I would have taken more but my phone chose that moment to run out of battery!
I will start taking photos at more regular intervals now to track Indy's progress as she approaches the second half of her pregnancy.
This was only the second day I had fed hay - to date the horses have been eating grass only. They were starting to get a bit hungry and had done a good job of trimming all the trees and bushes they could reach over the fence (oops!) so have now been moved. My horses are getting a token feed once or twice a week to get their BioHelp "Equine Supreme," oats and hemp pellets (complete protein),
I will start taking photos at more regular intervals now to track Indy's progress as she approaches the second half of her pregnancy.
This was only the second day I had fed hay - to date the horses have been eating grass only. They were starting to get a bit hungry and had done a good job of trimming all the trees and bushes they could reach over the fence (oops!) so have now been moved. My horses are getting a token feed once or twice a week to get their BioHelp "Equine Supreme," oats and hemp pellets (complete protein),
Wednesday, May 13, 2015
Pregnancy progress
It has been a while! Indy has essentially been turned out. During summer I was getting a fair bit of groundwork in, and since daylight savings ended she's lucky if she gets 10 minutes of groundwork a week plus a couple of apples and cuddles!
Way back on 24 March I took her to the vets for another scan. Usually this is done at 40 to 42 days and confirms the foetus has a heartbeat. In consultation with my vet, we decided to delay this scan to 60+ days;
- If she was going to lose it by 40 days, we wouldn't gain anything by knowing then. It was already too late to re-breed, and if the pregnancy lasts more than 40 days the mare won't cycle again that season.
- If she was going to lose it between 40 and 60+ days, it would have been all the more disappointing, as we would have known it was still there at 40.
- If it was still there at 60+ days, it would have been there at 40 ;)
- I wanted to have a go at deciding the sex of the foal, which can be done after 60-65 days.
It was also nice to not have to throw yet another $50 or $60 at a thing that might not be there at all, or might come out upside down, back to front, with five legs and two heads, or not breathing. Who, me... cynical?! ;)
In any case, the scan was delayed a bit to accommodate my vet's holiday, at 77 days, or 11 weeks on the dot.
I got to see the head, the spine, the heart (beating! woohoo!), the shoulders, the pelvis, four legs, and - perhaps most importantly! - two white blobs around the pelvic area. One would be scrotum, which means two is ovaries. Babiche wasn't 100% sure as the little beastie was hiding a bit, but will be very surprised if it pops out as a colt.
That was all very exciting... Of course I'm VERY happy it's most likely a little filly, but the important things were all present and accounted for (heartbeat, legs, head, etc).
The "
Indy is now a little more than a third of the way through her pregnancy (128 days today). Her expected due date is 9-15 December.
Her foal is between the size of a small kitten and a rabbit, having surpassed the size of a hamster at 60 days and a chipmunk at 80. It is approximately 20-25cm long and 1.5-2kg in weight.
Indy, meanwhile, is already the size of a small bus.
Way back on 24 March I took her to the vets for another scan. Usually this is done at 40 to 42 days and confirms the foetus has a heartbeat. In consultation with my vet, we decided to delay this scan to 60+ days;
- If she was going to lose it by 40 days, we wouldn't gain anything by knowing then. It was already too late to re-breed, and if the pregnancy lasts more than 40 days the mare won't cycle again that season.
- If she was going to lose it between 40 and 60+ days, it would have been all the more disappointing, as we would have known it was still there at 40.
- If it was still there at 60+ days, it would have been there at 40 ;)
- I wanted to have a go at deciding the sex of the foal, which can be done after 60-65 days.
It was also nice to not have to throw yet another $50 or $60 at a thing that might not be there at all, or might come out upside down, back to front, with five legs and two heads, or not breathing. Who, me... cynical?! ;)
In any case, the scan was delayed a bit to accommodate my vet's holiday, at 77 days, or 11 weeks on the dot.
I got to see the head, the spine, the heart (beating! woohoo!), the shoulders, the pelvis, four legs, and - perhaps most importantly! - two white blobs around the pelvic area. One would be scrotum, which means two is ovaries. Babiche wasn't 100% sure as the little beastie was hiding a bit, but will be very surprised if it pops out as a colt.
That was all very exciting... Of course I'm VERY happy it's most likely a little filly, but the important things were all present and accounted for (heartbeat, legs, head, etc).
The "
Indy is now a little more than a third of the way through her pregnancy (128 days today). Her expected due date is 9-15 December.
Her foal is between the size of a small kitten and a rabbit, having surpassed the size of a hamster at 60 days and a chipmunk at 80. It is approximately 20-25cm long and 1.5-2kg in weight.
Indy, meanwhile, is already the size of a small bus.
Wednesday, January 21, 2015
Squeeeee!!!
We have a blob!
And only ONE blob, so no need to pinch a twin!
Now it's a not-so-anxious wait for the next scan. the vet has suggested either 40 or 60-65 days, the latter to sex. Both aren't totally required, as if it is gone by 60-odd days, it will probably have disappeared before 40. Very pragmatic - if it's going to pop out, it'll pop out, according to Babiche ;)
Now it's a not-so-anxious wait for the next scan. the vet has suggested either 40 or 60-65 days, the latter to sex. Both aren't totally required, as if it is gone by 60-odd days, it will probably have disappeared before 40. Very pragmatic - if it's going to pop out, it'll pop out, according to Babiche ;)
Tuesday, January 20, 2015
D-day tomorrow!
Two weeks of waiting is nearly up... I have to hitch the horse float up tonight and get an hour of work off tomorrow afternoon, so I can get to the clinic for a 4.30pm appointment.
Fingers crossed! Indy has been super grumpy while out and about, frequently making faces and putting her ears back at Pav (who she is often incredibly friendly with) and Billy, and threatening to kick them if they get too close to her. I'm hoping the out-of-character behaviour is indicative of her being in foal.
Fingers crossed! Indy has been super grumpy while out and about, frequently making faces and putting her ears back at Pav (who she is often incredibly friendly with) and Billy, and threatening to kick them if they get too close to her. I'm hoping the out-of-character behaviour is indicative of her being in foal.
Wednesday, January 7, 2015
On track!
The only time I could see the vet today without leaving Indy at Hannah's (with the resulting two trips to drop off and pick up) was 7am. Fine by me! She was a right tart to catch, preferring to race around the paddock and rark the grazer up, even after I got oats and Scarlett was hanging out eating them!
NORTY!
Indy hasn't been a pain to catch for the float for a while now, but I'd decided not to take Scarlett along, which may have been what set her off. Loaded up perfectly though and travelled well on the short trip to the clinic.
The scan confirmed she has ovulated and there is absolutely no sign of fluid. We have done everything we can do to ensure she gets in foal this time around, and Indy's done her bit too.
The 15-day scan will be Wednesday 21 January.
FINGERS CROSSED!
NORTY!
Indy hasn't been a pain to catch for the float for a while now, but I'd decided not to take Scarlett along, which may have been what set her off. Loaded up perfectly though and travelled well on the short trip to the clinic.
The scan confirmed she has ovulated and there is absolutely no sign of fluid. We have done everything we can do to ensure she gets in foal this time around, and Indy's done her bit too.
The 15-day scan will be Wednesday 21 January.
FINGERS CROSSED!
Monday, January 5, 2015
A little girl waits...
I couldn't resist that title!
I ordered another dose of semen yesterday, to be sent today, so that Indy could be inseminated after I got home from work and took her to the vet clinic. I still hadn't heard when it would be sent at 11am, so I feel like I spent much of the day waiting to be sure it would actually arrive! In the end it was sent to the stallion owner's partner (I am unsure whether it went on a plane or a courier) and arrived at 3pm. I expect there were several people wanting semen so they did a combined delivery to save costs. Sean picked it up as he's not at work this week, and I thought it would help get us to the vet sooner if I didn't have to detour into Matangi on my way to Cambridge.
The vet sorted Indy out and has recommended a scan in two days to ensure Indy has ovulated and to check for fluid (it is relatively common that mares react to the semen itself, and relatively uncommon, but possible, that they react to the extender used). She may treat for fluid anyway, especially if there is any doubt, as this is our last shot at a foal for the season (Campion was only going to be collected for one month due to his competition schedule). It is also getting very late in the season for a foal.
And so, a little girl waits, again....... (haha!)
I ordered another dose of semen yesterday, to be sent today, so that Indy could be inseminated after I got home from work and took her to the vet clinic. I still hadn't heard when it would be sent at 11am, so I feel like I spent much of the day waiting to be sure it would actually arrive! In the end it was sent to the stallion owner's partner (I am unsure whether it went on a plane or a courier) and arrived at 3pm. I expect there were several people wanting semen so they did a combined delivery to save costs. Sean picked it up as he's not at work this week, and I thought it would help get us to the vet sooner if I didn't have to detour into Matangi on my way to Cambridge.
The vet sorted Indy out and has recommended a scan in two days to ensure Indy has ovulated and to check for fluid (it is relatively common that mares react to the semen itself, and relatively uncommon, but possible, that they react to the extender used). She may treat for fluid anyway, especially if there is any doubt, as this is our last shot at a foal for the season (Campion was only going to be collected for one month due to his competition schedule). It is also getting very late in the season for a foal.
And so, a little girl waits, again....... (haha!)
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