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Ariel, six hours old, naps.
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I saw the birth of a horse.
As I begin to write this, I’m perusing my favorite book in
childhood, a Carolrhoda Nature Watch book, Birth
of a Foal by Hans-Heinrich Isenbart and photographed by Thomas David. I checked
it out of my library over and over, captivated by the images wondering what it
would be like to see a foal be born.
What the book misses is the beauty— the groans from
straining, the first breath of air, wobbling first steps, the instinct to
suckle, and the bond as dam and foal touch noses for the first time.
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Ginger’s big belly
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When I left off blogging, my husband and I had parked the RV
and were wintering in an apartment attached to my friend’s breeding stable
where Ginger,
a Welsh pony, was in foal. As winter went by and spring came, Ginger became
very large, and her moans during naps could be heard across the pasture.
Heather and I made a plan so I could be present when Ginger
foaled, but we had our doubts that it would happen. First I had to be home—harder
than you think for a girl working nights, the time of the day when horses
typically give birth. Second, Heather had to wake up and see signs of labor on
her foal cam—Ariel’s legs were just poking out. And, third, I had to wake up to
hear my phone and make it next door—I had just fallen asleep when the phone
chimed.
As I tip-toed into the barn—where a foal was entering the
world.
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Ginger gives birth to Ariel.
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The foal sees the world for the first time.
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First-time mother Ginger is apprehensive.
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Soft hooves prevent the foal from breaking the membrane sack.
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Ginger nuzzles her newborn foal, helping them learn each other’s sent
and strongly bond them.
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Ariel stands for the first time.
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Just outside the barn, as Ariel takes her first steps, the sun rises. Mariah
knows something is up inside the barn.
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Ariel takes her first—very wobbly—steps.
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Ariel isn’t the only baby at the stable. A parent barn swallow has a
nest of hatchlings.
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Barn swallow chicks
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Ginger is exhausted and lies down as she will several more times
through the morning.
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| “You can’t sleep yet, Mom. I haven’t nursed and I need colostrum!” |
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| Ariel’s instinct to nurse is strong, and she follows Ginger around the stall making sucking noises. |
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But Ariel doesn’t know where to go to nurse.
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She’s getting warmer…
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Later in the day, Ariel has her first visit outside when they head to
the paddock.
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Chive flowers
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Ariel, 5 days old
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Ariel, 5 days old
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Ariel, 5 days old
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Ariel, 5 days old
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Thank
you for following 1,000 MILES on my own two feet,
the
visual journal of Abigail Austin Photography
All
rights reserved
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