…pregnant work horse. An update on Annabelle!
Annabelle’s been doing well adjusting to her new home. She doesn’t like to be contained in her barn and prefers to be outdoors. You can tell that she’s frustrated when bad weather keeps her inside because she paces around the barn, constantly looking at the door.
The vet came to check on Annabelle last week, and he confirmed that she is pregnant. I was really impressed with how she stood still during the exam, munching away on grain. The vet felt the foal’s head and said that he/she is in the right position, has plenty of amniotic fluid, and is big! With a mom that stands at 18 hands and an even bigger dad, we’re sure this baby Shire will be a big one.
It was interesting to hear the vet’s prediction about the birth. He said that with Annabelle’s history as an experienced mom, she’ll prefer to give birth in privacy and we’ll probably find her with the foal one morning this summer. While he couldn’t pinpoint a due date, he said he’d be surprised if she hasn’t had the foal by July.
As far as eating goes, Annabelle is eating as much as you would expect a pregnant work horse to eat. She loves to eat grain and has identified my dad as the grain man, which means she loves him, too. She knows I bring her treats in the form of carrots, apples and pears, and she will head over to look for food as soon as she sees me. As soon as the treat is gone, she goes right back to eating grass. She grazes all day long, pausing occasionally to look around and listen to different noises like cars, dogs and birds.
Today when I visited her, Annabelle was eating grass constantly, so the only pictures I could take were of her eating. I followed her around for a while, taking pictures. When I said “Bye, bye Annabelle!” and turned to walk away, she looked up and followed me. Even though I know she was just making sure I wasn’t leaving without feeding her all the treats, I was touched that she came over to say “Bye” to me.
Farmer's Daughter 