An Arabian Mare's Journey to Motherhood

The past couple months has been a whirlwind educational horse journey for me. Most people I meet seem to have grown up with horses or have gotten them early on in life. For me, as a child, birthdays and Christmas' would skate by without any sign of a pony or horse, in my backyard, wearing a big red bow around it's neck. Besides a few chickens, rabbits and ducks and the usual dogs and small rodents, that's all we had as pets.

But starting this year, I've been taking weekly horseriding and handling lessons. And in March, my very first horse arrived to make Laughing Orca Ranch her home. Through daily interaction and handling we've learned how to care for our new horse and with our neighbor friend, Val, I have a buddy to ride with. And she has also given me some pointers on riding, saddling and horse behavior, too.

And over the past couple months she started the process of teaching her Arabian Mare, Annie, to trailer so she could eventually be bred. I gladly offered my help and the use of our trailer to give her an extra hand, and it was a very interesting process and I learned alot along the way.
After several weeks of trailer training, some assistance by a trainer, and quite a few bruises on my part, Annie finally figured out how to step up into the trailer, to the relief and joy of Val, and me, too! haha

Soon after the trailer success, began the weekly horse ultra-sounds at the vet, to see if Annie was ovulating so Val could coordinate the shipping of the semen from the Arabian stallion in Colorado. It was quite nerve wracking at times, hoping that Annie was finally in heat and developing a follicle but then being dissapointed, only to go home and have to come back the following week, yet again. I went along to take photos and give Val moral support and to to help her handle the horses if she needed me to.
Val trailered her other Arabian mare, Nadia, along to help calm Annie, so she had quite a bit to organize and prepare for each vet visit.
I think she has surprised even herself with how strong and self sufficient she has become through this entire experience, while even teaching herself some new skills, too.

And along the way I picked up much interesting information about horse trailering, handling horses, horse behavior, vet visits, giving shots, horse anatomy, equine breeding, and the AI process. Thankfully John's schedule and patience allowed me to go along with Val each time, so he could take care of Jenna while I was 'horsing around' with her. (Thanks, John!)

Now, we're in the waiting, crossing fingers and praying stage. The horse 'wedding' has been completed at what seems like the optimal time. So, in two weeks we go back to the vet and hopefully see the tiny equine embryo attached safely and firmly within Annie's uterus.

I can't speak for Val, but I sort of feel like an impatient and excited Auntie waiting for that first baby. Send positive wishes and prayers, please!
And if you want to read more about Annie and her AI experience, check out: "The Wedding"
My neighbor friend's blog is also fun to read about the love she has for her horses, dogs, cats, kids and David Bowie.

But I also took a ton of photos from my trips to the vet that I'd like to share. And here they are:

Annie in the trailer
Val checking on Annie and Nadia.
On our way to the vet.
Val with Annie preparing for the vet visit
Walking and waiting.
Nadia in one of the pens at the vet, worried about Annie
Annie still walking and waiting. The vet had an emergency surgery, so it was a long morning.
Tired of waiting. Time for breakfast and more waiting.
Finally! Sedative time.
Val keeping Annie calm.
Starting the ultrasound. It's inserted through the rectum.
Amazing that an entire human arm can dissapear in there.
Bummer. No follicles were forming.


Here we go again. At least this time the wait wasn't very long. Val walking Annie up to the exam 'room'
During these vet visits we finally realized that Annie prefers to walk in backwards insteads of forward. She feels safer backing in and is not afraid of hitting her head on the roof as she is going forward.
"I don't want to walk in in there forward"
"Ahhhh, much better going backward"
And even backing into the stockade/chute is easier and stress-free.
I really like this picture. You can see that Val adores her Annie. And what a pretty mare she is, too. Even with that brown helmet on her head. haha!
The day before, I went over to Val's barn, while Val was at work, and helped her daughter give Annie a shot of HCG to help stimulate her ovary to release one of the eggs from a follicle. We were nervous wrecks because it was our first time giving a horse an injection, and after the needle came out there were a few drops of blood and a little lump at the injection site.
But apparently our efforts were successful. Look!
Next there was the big rush in contacting the stallion's farm in Colorado to get the semen so it could be shipped for delivery the very next day for the AI procedure! I think we were all a little in disbelief that it was finally happening, especially Val.


The next afternoon we were basically seen right away, and after Annie was given her lovely sedative, the tech started cleaning and sterilizing Annie's perineum. Val, her daughter and I were surprised that Annie tolerated her tail being wrapped in a plastic bag and barely flinched during the entire procedure.
Annie was mighty clean back there!
The AI procedure was surprisingly quick and simple. Well at least to watch. haha! Check out that full vial of the stallion's semen.
After the procedure was over you could tell that Annie felt a little weird back there. Annie got a little crampy during the AI, but she did just fine. I think all of the moisture under her tail just felt a little odd. She held her tail up very high all the way out to the trailer.
I like this picture of Val walking Annie to the trailer, where Nadia is waiting for her, or rather stealing Annie's hay. haha
Of course, I just have to say it....."The End!!"