Foaling has been over for four weeks. Our last baby was two days early and made his appearance just after lunch, but I’m getting ahead of myself, he was the 5th baby since my last blog so let’s go back to April 16th with the birth of Sweet Halory ’23. As usual Sweet Halory was a week past her projected due date and didn’t show a lot of interest in having her foal until about 9:00pm when she started pacing her stall. At 9:45pm her water broke and 9:50 she produced a nice filly by Rock Your World that weighed in at 128 lbs. She was alert and nursing on her own within 30 minutes. I think she’s going to live up to her sire’s name and plans on rocking our world.
One week later Hit The Limit decided 12 days past her due date was long enough to keep us waiting so at 1:40am when her water broke, she was happy to let Chris and Chuck assist in her delivery of a colt by Classic Empire. Once on the ground he was very content to have a bottle fed to him, take a nap and not even try to get up for a couple hours. But once up he’s kept his mama busy chasing after him.
This brings us to the last weekend in April when life gets very busy with foaling & breeding but also the B&B is busy with guests in for the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event. Nina and Kim come in every year from RI and just like last year they were excited when they were at the barn to not only see a foaling but help towel dry the baby!! This was Flame Mingo’s turn just 7 days late she produced a nice filly by Practical Joke. This year Lisa finally got the call at 2:30am to join us at the barn to experience her first foaling.
Madaket Sunset was due the next day. The girls were thinking it was a really good chance that they’d get to experience another birth. Breakfast was filled with conversation reliving the foaling experience from the night before, and to which jumps were the best to watch the cross country event. Then back to the anticipation of seeing another birth. The cross country at the three day event is always thrilling to watch and this year we had the added excitement of seeing Zara Tindell participate, she is the niece of King Charles and the oldest granddaughter of the late Queen Elizabeth.
So while we were at the Kentucky Horse Park, Madaket Sunset decided she wasn’t waiting any longer and took Chuck and the guys away from their normal farm activities to assist her in the delivery of a bay filly by Mo Town at 1:45pm. Mom and baby doing good after an intense delivery. By the time we got back to the farm that night the filly was up and enjoying her new found legs.
So the crazy weekend came to an end with Lisa and Kelli leaving Sunday and Kim and Nina leaving Monday after breakfast. Life got back to our normal routine week, Teresa in the office, me going into Lil’s after breakfast and Chuck in the barn. Bellezza Rosso was having nothing to do with a normal day. Her projected due date was two days away and she typically delivers sometime after 10:00 pm but before 4:00am. So while the rest of us were going about our routine Bellezza was deciding how she could create some drama. I know some of you are thinking I’m crazy, horses don’t process thoughts and definitely don’t connive. Well think again, they do. When you are lucky enough to spend time watching the horses you see them interact with the other mares or their babies and see them communicating. The mares keep their hierarchy in tack but the best is watching mom’s and their babies. Mom’s and toddlers are the same four legged or two. It is so fun to watch. Some babies stay right next to their moms while others test their mom’s patience by running off and playing with the other kids. The best is when you hear the mom call the baby, hear the baby respond with a whiny but not return to the mother, and the mare calls again and again the baby stays with the other foals until the mare finally runs over to her foal and takes it back with her, and the baby usually is reprimanded by mom. Mares are rarely permissive.
Sorry, I digress, but it’s all true. So back to Bellezza Rosso, She’s watching the normal routine in the barn, the guys finish cleaning the barn break for lunch then resume their work. They notice she’s pacing in the paddock so they bring her into her stall in the barn. She stops pacing for the next hour but then viola at 2:00 delivers a colt by Echo Town. This colt exhibits so much personality that he earned the nickname “Rascal”. Would you agree?
I’ve rambled long enough, but I have to tell you that Skylarose has shipped into Keeneland with her two best buddies. We recently found out that First Shift ’21 by Always Dreaming has been named Dream First and Mo Bucket’s ’21 by Mastery has been named Lil’s Coffee ( no I didn’t name her). So add them to your virtual stable to follow as they begin their racing careers.
Oh, one more thing….as if all of this wasn’t enough excitement! The Washington Post did an article Celebrating the 50th anniversary of Secretariat winning the Kentucky Derby and included the Paris, KY connection. The farm, Tinner’s Storm, Lisa, Kelli, Kim and Nina were all included. Here is the link to the article:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2023/04/30/secretariat-triple-crown-50th-anniversary/
Thanks for reading!