Comments: This is why you raise horses. It is so wonderful to watch and listen – the worry, the excitement, the surprise! Little Miss Pajama Pants (not her real name!) was pretty sleepy for the first hour and then once she got her sea legs, zoom! She now has every bit as much energy as other foals, or more. Maybe she was just pacing herself. Three hours post-foaling we are still watching closely and will do so through the night to be sure she is nursing. She has not gotten latched on well yet but has been in the correct general vicinity which got her all excited! Cookie does indeed seem sore and not content to stand still. Since she was looking for food from about five minutes after foaling, we decided to work with that desire and put a flake of hay inside the stall door. We put it there so the Buddies could have a good view of the baby! Once Cookie had some hay to munch on she stayed put a little better and Pajama Pants could get closer. Cookie has been a more concerned and interested Mom the first three foals she’s had, but seems pretty nonchalant about this little gal. Very laid back, almost unconcerned…and her food instinct is stronger right now than her maternal instinct! I am positive this will all switch around within 24 hours and we will see the real “Mom” stand up.

Cookie may now hold the record for fastest foaling. Holy cow! Her water broke and less than five minutes later the filly was delivered! Does anyone have the exact timing? She’d have to beat 8 minutes from laying down to standing back up and eating, with having a baby in between! The delivery was very easy, evidently, as a few good ouches and she was done. This filly is built really well, and bigger than Tux was. Not as big as Frosty’s babies, though – with Frosty’s babies we have to block the automatic waterer in the corner so they don’t get their noses in there! We like everything about this filly. She has a very nice head and neck like Tux, great hip, and a longer, thicker tail than he had. His was fine, but hers is better. She looks to be a bit thicker-boned, too, so all in all pretty fancy. If she eats soon and all checks out with the vet tomorrow for the two of them, life is simply amazing. And right on Cookie’s due date too.

We’ll put up a name poll tomorrow with our favorites for you to pick from, and run that poll a few days – maybe till Monday or so. And we will review the Foaling Contest for the winner and get their prize off to them in the mail! Thank you all for your company, and your good wishes, your cute screen shots you posted and your warm regards for our new little long-legged beauty. *thank you!*

We got a preliminary report from Chris about how Kate is doing down in Florida (besides enjoying the warm weather!) She has four of her own horses with her: Linus, Lucy, Lola and Fuzzy, plus one of her friend’s horses. They just started the first show this week, and her first day out she won a 1st and a 3rd in Low Amateur class. This is where the bar is set low, only a couple of feet; in comparison, Kate and Linus will compete on 5+ foot jumps! Chris will be going down to visit Kate this weekend.