I’m Having a Baby!
Ha ha ha! You thought I was referring to me?? NO WAY JOSE. I love my two girls but no more for me. My husband and I have our hands full with them.
For those of you that know me, you know that we do what we can locally for dogs and horses in need of rescue. This past March a friend called that we got one of our first rescue horses, Tuff Enough, from. She mentioned that some 13 horses were just rescued by her friend a few towns over and asked if I would take a ride out there and consider taking one of them in. Of course I couldn’t refuse if for nothing else than to help them situate all the new bodies and get them cleaned up and fed etc…
When we got there I was HORRIFIED! I have seen some tough cases but to see this many in one place was HEARTBREAKING!! The ones that she brought in and had in the barn consisted of 2 Mares (one we took), a yearling, a stud and a gelding. There were some appies that I think were out in the pasture but were pretty decent on weight. When I walked in the two mares caught my eye. One, a buckskin, was ABSOLUTELY precious with the best personality and demeanor. I was told, almost instantly, that she was staying. She was with foal. Poor baby, both of them. She looked terribly ill and had this pleading look in her eyes that would bring a grown man to his knees. The mare next to her reminded me of black beauty, one of the versions, where Joe is in a courtyard market and Black Beauty is being sold with a group of wild horses. There is a shot in there where they show just one eye and that look, desperation, beaten, tired, that just makes your heart melt. Well it did mine! This is what she reminded me of. I knew immediately that she was coming home with me. If they would let her that is.
A few days later we got the call to come get her. It has been a long road getting her back up to weight and she if FINALLY there. We have known, since we got her, that there was a small chance that she was pregnant. Shortly after picking her up we heard that the other mare did not make it. Her and baby passed away. We didn’t see any signs of pregnancy but with horses that is not uncommon.
This past weekend a friend of ours came out and brought a breeder friend by. I mentioned, casually, that we may have a foal but my heart wasn’t sure. I think I WANTED one but my mind was telling me that if she were she probably wouldn’t have made it due to the nutrients the baby and her need during pregnancy. Well, the breeder examined her and guess what?
She felt the baby MOVE!!!! What an amazing feeling to have felt. She told us that she is about 7 months which means she will be due sometime in Feb probably. That means that she LITERALLY got pregnant JUST before being rescued. Now, there is still a level of uncertainty as to whether she is and how the baby is because the vet says we need to wait past a certain period to do a physical exam to know for sure but what a GREAT feeling. We have a mama!!! She exhibited signs of, what seemed like, collick symptoms. However, she was eating FINE. She is a pig and her appetite was PERFECTLY fine. So it looks like we are getting more and more confirmation…We are having a baby!!!
I realize this was personal but I find that far too often we get caught up in work and forget about the REASONS we work. I live for my family, INCLUDED THE animals, and that drives me every day beyond boundaries. Sometimes we forget to ENJOY those people and things that we work so hard FOR. So take a break today. Middle of the week just stop and go make a phone call or give a hug or send a note to the one that drives you. If YOU drive you, then go have a drink and toast to your success! Either way, don’t forget what’s important.
