It was early evening, about eight or nine hours after the new colt had been born, and Tabitha and I were waiting at the barn for Dr. Friend’s arrival. This would be his fourth visit in the past three weeks–he had seen Jo’s Magic when she was born and on her second day of life, and then again just before she turned two weeks old. Today, he was coming to do a routine first-day exam of Brush Back and her new foal.

Another bay foal with a white star–but this one’s only a couple of hours old.

The little pen where Jo and Hermione spent so much time is right at the front of the barn, and is the first thing farm visitors see as they get out of their cars. It’s a convenient place to keep horses when they need to be easily accessible, but when being outdoors is preferable to being stalled–and is perfect for turning out a mare for her first few days with a new foal