A Sunday Surprise!

The most INCREDIBLE event happened at Shiloh early this morning! This was such a shock to everyone, we can still hardly believe it!


Wanderer Sitka, the crippled Paint mare, gave birth to a foal early this morning at Shiloh! Absolutely NO ONE knew she was pregnant, she had no outward signs or changes in behavior. We even had the vet take a look at her two days ago to give us his opinion on her crippled leg and her quality of life. (The vet has looked at her a few times over the last few months.) This time, we actually discussed Euthanising her, but we felt it was not quite the time for that. We were planning on taking her into the clinic next week for a full set of x-rays on her front legs and to have her laid out so that the Vet and the Farrier could work on her together! She is the same body shape and size that she was yesterday! It's unbelievable!


But this morning there was a tiny newborn Paint colt.


The Hickey Family arrived early around 7am, and drove in to find a tiny newborn standing in one of the arenas. No other horse around, no mother in sight. For a moment we thought someone had dumped a foal at the rescue. We immediately all thought that it MUST be Apache's, but Apache was in her corral, as fat as she has been. After a search of all the horses, Sitka was found with a little bit of blood on her back legs and milk in her udder! Sitka and the foal were reunited and the baby was held to allow him to nurse. Eventually, both mom and baby were put into the Bunglaows where they have access to a heavily bedded stall and large outdoor run. The colt was a bit wobbly at first, but after a few hours of napping and nursing, he is much stronger and finding his own way to the milk. Sitka is a protective mother and both are doing just fine. We are keeping a very close eye on both of them. We gave the little guy an enema and all systems are functioning perfectly.


There are only two options as to who the father could be. Either Cabo, our old 35 year old stallion who passed away a few months ago, or we are thinking Carson, a young colt rescued off of the Fallon Feedlot. Carson was gelded by the vet within 2 weeks of his testicles descending, but he was very studdy in those two weeks and did escape from his corral at one time for a few hours in the night. For Cabo (who was left a stallion due to his advanced age) to be the father, they would have had to breed over his corral panel, but Cabo was so old and crippled that he would have had a very hard time getting his legs off the ground! Shiloh does NOT breed, all stallions and colts are gelded as soon as possible, this was an incredible accident and fluke. Sitka herself is approx 23-25 years old!


We are all so stunned, but so very thankful that Sitka and her little foal are doing well. We are calling the little guy "Sunday". He is one of the cutest babies we have ever had.
Sunday!




Nursing

Napping with his mom. What an exhausting day!