Conference noted::equitation

    Hi Holly,
    
    Oh, I am so sad to hear of the loss of your foal. It's heartwrenching
    to be so excited for the 11 months and then for it to end that way.
    
    However, something good can come out of this trajedy. You could 
    spread the word that your mare could be a foster mom. This is the
    foaling season and some mares die due to complications leaving
    their foals lost and forlorn. It may be worth a try for you to
    match Torrie up with an orphan foal, donkey, calf... etc. Their
    need to mother is so great, you would be surprised at what they
    will adopt.
    
    For what it's worth, my mare also delivered between 2-4am.
    I was with her all night. She waited until I went in for a short
    nap and when I came out, the foal was born. Thank goodness it was
    healthy, because it was the mare's first foal and I was worried.
    
    Keep us posted with the outcome of the foal's autopsy and mom's 
    health.
    
    Tina
    

    So sorry to hear about Torrie's foal.  That is so sad.
    My thoughts and prayers .......

    our thoughts and prayers for you both...

    Sorry, Holly. I know how you feel about your horses. I can imagine how
    bad you feel over this. Hopefully, Torrie wil recuperate well. Can I
    send her a bag of peppermints? Brach's Starlights, of course! Nothing
    but the best for her!

    
    	
    What good horse friends we have in these notes...
    
    Thanks for all your thoughts.... we're feeling better by the hour. I
    talked with one of the young women who works for Meg and my sister
    called yesterday evening to say "Torrie has finally started to eat
    again - in fact she's eaten three flakes of hay this afternoon and
    was peeking out from under the curtain over her door to see if anyone
    out there had a mint for her!"   Her temp has dropped back to normal
    and it looks like we're on the other side of whatever it was that
    caused her to lose the foal.  I'm still waiting for results and we'll
    make decisions about what to do once we have them.
    
    Yes!  John you're right on - Brach's Starlights - her favorites (tho
    she will not turn the cheaper pastel models away if your hand is full
    of them...)  makes me smile to think about her nose and how she demands
    the attention she knows she will get.
    
    	thanks for all your thoughts and wishes - I'll update this when
    	I hear autopsy results or if anything changes.
    
     				best - h

    re: .1
    
    Wow, little did I know that when I wrote reply .1 that I would be
    helping a mare in distress later in the day !!!
    
    I was on my roof shoveling off some snow on friday afternoon.
    I watched my neighbor's horses running around. Next thing I know,
    I heard a big crash and the pregnant mare (9 months) fell or
    dropped onto the wooden fence. She was stuck and she was thrashing.
    Then she just stopped thrashing and laid there. 
    
    I couldn't get off the ladder fast enough! I drove over and the
    mare was still hung on the fence. I kicked the boards out. She got
    up and walked off. I looked around and there was a placenta under
    the fence boards!
    
    After the shock wore off, I looked around the paddock, there was 
    blood everywhere and sadly, a little premie colt that was dead.
    
    The mare kept dropping and having contractions. I got her up, 
    threw a blanket on her (she was soaking wet) and a halter. She
    was squatting and passing alot of blood.
    
    I drove home and called the vet and drove back. The vet said that
    it was the most violent abortion he ever saw. The mare was still
    pushing so hard that she almost pushed her uterus inside out!
    
    I walked the mare to my barn (big stalls) and the vet gave her
    Banamine, Dyperone, Rompum, and Penecillan. 
    
    We looked at the colt and all his intestines were torn out of him.
    He said the mare must have gotten up and the cord did not break
    off so she dragged him.
    
    How horrible this was to see. I was flabberghasted! My neighbor
    was not home and I had to tell her this sad news when she arrived.
    
    The vet thinks that she may have come into a false heat and the 
    stallion that she was with may have mounted her which would cause
    her to abort. Or she may have aborted because she is 18 years old
    and has had 11 babies and was never given time rest in between 
    breedings. Or she may have just slipped and fell.
    
    He did not think an autopsy on the colt would show the cause of
    abortion, because the foal was normal in every way.
    
    I had to go home and give my 2 month old filly a big hug! It makes
    you appreciate how precious they are. 
    
    
    	Tina
    

    
    
    	Whew Tina... what a thing to have happen.  Thank the lord
    	(and whoever else is responsible for such things) that you
    	were home to help the mare.  Neighbors like you are the
    	finest folks in the world. 
    
    	I'm sure the owners were upset - it is tough losing them
    	under 'passive' conditions - I can imagine what runs through	
    	your mind when it is agressive and crazy like you described.
    
    	I hug my horse every day just because I often think it makes
    	her know that I'm not just 'doing the routine'..  Sometimes a
    	hug is "playing" (like this morning I raced her to the gate
    	from the barn - well she had a halter and leadshank on but I
    	GO first and she flags her tail and trots and snorts  - then
    	when we get there she stands REAL tall and pretends shes at
    	OKC at the world championships and everyone is watching... what
    	a ham)
    
    	Take care - h
    

    
    
    	An update from New Hampshire......... The autopsy results are
    	in and the foal was stillborn/never breathed and the histopathic
    	results showed no significant leisions or indications.
    
    	What that means is that Torrie aborted the foal due to some
    	condition SHE was dealing with (the elevated white blood cells
    	indicate some type of enteritus) but this was not viral (as in
    	it wasn't rhino or someting awful like that).  
    
    	That leaves us still not knowing exactly what caused her to
    	abort - but the last thing to do now is wait for her to come
    	back into heat and culture her as well as do a tissue exam.
    	That may (or may not) indicate any passive infection... alls
    	we can do is try.  It could be that this was just a back handed
    	smack from God and we'll never have a clear answer.
    
    	Meg and I will talk more about what to do once the culture is
    	complete.  
    
    	Meantime Torrie is looking great and feeling much better.. We 
    	are all relieved at that.  
    
    	Thanks again to everyone for your thoughts and support.. if I
    	learn anything else I'll update the note.
    
    		smiles - h
    
    

    Holly-
    
    The same exact thing happened at my friends farm last week.  Except
    the mare was a maiden mare.  She was slightly overdue, and had shown
    no signs of foaling.  When they checked on her in the am, there she
    was with the dead foal (The foal happened to be a beautiful sorrel
    overo arab pinto).  The owner did not want to do an autopsy, so I
    guess we'll never know.
    
    Michele
    

    
    
    	Michelle .. send along my condolences.  It is hard to wait for
    so long and then have the ending be a dead foal.  The owner of "dv"s
    father Peter Schwartz use to say to me "Holly, remember it is always
    a miracle when a foal is born" and he's right... it is incredible
    that they do as well as they do.  And, my vet in Maine - Charlie
    Brown (ok - her real name is Charmaine but she goes by Charlie) 
    described it as "A real insensitive slap in the face by the hand of
    God".  You just never know....
    
    	God bless the little ones who never breath.
    
    

                                                        
    
    	It's Monday April 4th and the trucking company just called and
    said they would be picking Torrie up tomorrow morning... that means
    she'll be arriving here sometime Saturday.  I'm really excited and
    glad that she is on her way - I think that all the warm weather we
    are having here and the green grass in my pasture - and reuniting her
    with her daughter "d.v." (who has her first horse show under saddle
    this week too!) will all be good for her.  It is a long ride and I
    have the usual worry-some feeling in my stomach - but I suspect it is
    because everything is out of my control for these 4 days.  Alls I can
    do is wait for her to arrive................... and say a prayer for
    her safe trip.
    
    	Stay tuned for any news .. and say a prayer for me and 'the deev'
    Her first class under saddle, my first time in the ring since 1988....
    I must be nuts.
    
    	smiles - h

    
    	Hi all... Thought I'd write a quick update to officially end
    	note 1855.* and let you know how very well things have been
    	going!!
    
    	Thursday and Friday d.v. and I had our first saddle classes at
    	the New Mexico Charity Horse Show in Albuquerque.  She was very
    	brave about the whole thing - confident and fairly steady.  I
    	showed her in Morgan western pleasure - jr horse and novice.
    	She placed 2nd in both classes which my trainer won, but it was
    	more important to me that she just have a good go - which she
    	did.  I learned another lesson during this show (you folks who
    	show western already know this but I learned the hard way...)
    
    	** Don't use a one eared bridle with a snaffle bit **  If you
    	do you risk having the headstall pull up and over the horses
    	ears [head]...  d.v. was  MORE than patient about the whole thing.
    	It is a leverage thing - logical when you take time to think about
    	it.  Needless to say we put a regular bridle with a crown piece 
    	and throat latch on for the second class and things went much
    	smoother !!  
    
    	Saturday evening Victoria arrived in EXCELLENT condition.. I can't
    	say enough about the folks at "Horsein' Around" and the way my
    	horses have been taken care of during the very long drive from
    	Maine to New Mexico.  Torrie poked her head out and was very 
    	bright eyed and snorted on the way to the barn.  She and d.v. had
    	the night to talk and Sunday morning I put them out in the pasture
    	together and it was so very wonderfu to see them back together
    	again!  Torrie immediately announced her dominance ("I'm the mother
    	and you're not"!!) and d.v. accepted.  They play and talk alot.  I
    	was delighted to drive into the yard yesterday after work and
    	Torrie ran to the gate and whinnied at me just like she use to in
    	Maine.  I don't think she knows where she is but for sure she knows
    	she is home...  Sunday night in the barn I opened the mints and she
    	nickered and talked to me in total recognition...  a calming thing
    	for both of us I guess.
    
    	I have pretty well decided to give her the year off from breeding
    	and let her soak up the sun and give her body a real break.. I hope
    	that will heal whatever she has had that needs rest.  
    
    	Sign me - Holly with a big smile on her face! 

    Holly,
    
    Congratulations and congratulations.  I just love family reunions!
    
    gwen