Long Days

It's days like today that can make a person become weary. Today really began for me yesterday. One prayer was answered when KC foaled. The mares who are waiting to foal at our farm were beginning to resemble a log jam or a crowded airport runway. Now that KC has foaled, I was able to move another jumbo jet into the line-up to await her take-off. Unfortunately, with an answered prayer, came the additional burden of working with no sleep.

KC is a maiden mare and her foal needed assistance to nurse until nearly dawn. Newborn foals are fragile and teeter a fine line in the first few hours of life. They are born equipped with the ability to stand and run within about a half an hour but if they do not receive life-giving colostrum frequently, they can deteriorate quickly. So, in the best interest of KC's little bundle of sunshine, I patiently milked her, fed the foal, and coaxed him to try to feed on his own periodically throughout the night.

The morning dawned and the real day began. Before lunch, the stalls at the foaling barn were cleaned and a customer dog was groomed. After lunch, I began the normal Wednesday job of cleaning the arena stalls. Afterwards, I had about an hour to kill before Dr. Mather came to visit the new foal and complete his well-baby checkup. I opted to begin cleaning the cobwebs from the barn trusses with my handy-dandy new telescoping pole with a broom attachment.

Dr. Mather made her visit and the foal received the care he required. There is a concern that he was slightly dehydrated- most probably from his confusion involving nursing. Therefore, there will be the added chore tonight of making a few wee hour visits to his stall to ensure that he is observed nursing appropriately.

After the veterinarian's visit, it was time for Farrier Mike to begin his usual Wednesday task of tending to the hooves of some of the farm residents. In an effort which would have impressed even Henry Ford himself, we assembled the horses for their hoof trimmings.

Then, the foaling barn mares were nestled into their stalls, milk tests were done, and those horses were fed. I hopped onto the back porch and quickly apologized to Wayne and his father Les. They had been waiting for nearly an hour for me to come so that we could have a brief 84th Birthday celebration (for Les not Wayne). Then following the quick Birthday dinner, it was time to check mares again, help the KC's foal nurse again, and tend to a couple more Canine Companion customers.

So, that equals a long day. Tomorrow, hopefully, will be a little slower and a little easier. It's not the work I mind- after all, I like to stay busy. Rest for me is usually just finding a different job to do. But I have the feeling there are going to be a number of long days just like this one in the near future.