April 3 The Birthing of Pat's Pride

[Tinker]

The Birthing of Pat's Pride

An early spring morning,
I went to check on my mare
who was soon to foal. A newborn colt
lay off to her left, still shedding his sack.

St Pat approached me
as I cooed and spoke love words
to her, she dropped her head
so I could stroke her star
and lavish her with praise.
All the while she kept an eye on her foal
who awkwardly struggled to
stretch, flex, and bend
his long spindly legs
in an attempt to right himself.

I just watched as he finally stood
on unsure wobbly stilts
with a little help from his mama's nudges.
A black beauty,
sporting his mother's star.

She snickered and nodded, proud
and happy to show him off,
I took one cautious step in his direction.
Her ears went back,
she squealed, lunged, bit my shoulder,
and sat me down in the mud.
Once down, she backed off,
then gently nuzzled my hair,
her way of saying, "It's OK, just not yet".
                    ~~Judi Van Gorder

[dr_con]

That's really rather an amazing incident. Loverly!

J

[Tinker]

Haha, Thanks Juris,  Luckily I was dressed in layers for a day-long trail ride but still I carried a huge bite mark on my chest that turned all kinds of ugly colors over the next couple of weeks.  She took me totally by surprise.  She could have killed me.  17 hands, thoroughbred / quarter horse cross, probably 1300 lbs. She was a big animal, but I handled her daily, we'd been on hundreds of trail rides, and when I'd enter the pasture she'd come running to me.  She was my horse, but nature has it's own rules and one is, don't mess with a mother's newborn. She will protect it.  

~~Judi

 

[tonyv]

Very nice, Judi. It was a gentle nudge, a friendly equine warning lol.

Tony

[Tinker]

Yep don't mess with mother nature.  ~~Judi

[Tinker]

I found an old picture of St Pat with her foal. He really was pure black but this old photo and the lighting make him look like a bay like his mother. His sire was a black Tennessee Walking horse