Making a New Mom for a Rejected Filly

Today is race day for Jo’s Magic. Her first attempt to run for a purse. Her opportunity to do what she was bred to do: compete against other fast horses to determine which runner has the most talent, the best fitness, the...

It’s been almost two years since I started watching my Thoroughbred broodmare, Exotic Blue, for signs of imminent foaling. A lot has happened since that cold February morning, when she gave birth to a little bay filly with...

It’s been four months since I signed off, and I’m not sure whether to characterize this stretch as "mundane" or "extraordinary." Jo’s Magic enjoys some "people time." Hermione and...

Just under ten weeks ago, I was heartbroken and scared because I had a rejected newborn filly and didn’t really know what to do or how we could provide adequate care for her. Today, I can’t imagine Jo in any...

Spring has arrived in the Bluegrass and the two foals have stopped tagging along quite so close to their dams. They now venture off impressive distances across the field, darting back to their moms only when some horse eater...

Jo is going to be a "people" horse. I really picked up that feeling for the first time tonight. She’s done well with being handled and has always seen people as a pleasant source of good food, but tonight she...

Watch any mare as she interacts with her foal, and you’ll see her nip and push and generally physically dominate the foal to put it in line. There’s a short window of opportunity when people have a physical advantage...

If you ever want to see horses in motion, just switch their fields around. It’s good for at least a half hour of excitement. The farm where Jo is growing up is divided into four main pastures. The way the land lies, the...

Jo didn’t seem to notice that her supplemental feedings were becoming less frequent. In fact, the longer we waited between feedings, the less interested she was in the formula. The filly still whinnied at our approach and...

Jo is thriving. We suspect that Hermione is producing enough milk to keep the filly well fed, and that the formula we’re providing is just a nice dessert. A week ago, we dropped down to five daily feedings. Today, we...

Hermione and Jo were upgraded from the small grass pen to a three-acre pasture when our new colt was born four days ago. The original plan was to keep the colt and his dam in that same small pen for the first 10 days, and then...

I have greatly enjoyed the daily letters of support and encouragement from readers of the blog. Thank you all for following along on this little adventure, and for your kind words. Exotic Blue is slowly regaining condition....