Barn Recap: First Turnout Steps, First Birthdays, and Foals in Focus
It’s been a big week at Horse Husband Stables as spring unfolds around us. With three young foals, two developing yearlings, and mares preparing for the next breeding cycle, the season is well underway—even if one little filly is still watching it all from her stall window.
🎥 Scroll down to watch a new behind-the-scenes video from this morning, showing the foals and mares in their stalls and the yearlings wrapping up overnight turnout in the oval paddock.
🔹 Quick Status Overview 🔹
🐴 My Audubon & Filly (unnamed) – Day 9 – On stall rest with two mild, non-displaced rib fractures. Healing well, swelling reduced, and becoming more curious around people.
🐴 Lady Dyanaformer & Lady Calliope (Callie) – Day 29 (4 weeks + 1 day) – Bold and engaged. She hasn’t started playing with Thirteen yet, but she’s clearly interested and confident in her surroundings.
🐴 Elusive Surprise & A Dozen and Won (Thirteen) – Day 36 (5 weeks + 1 day) – Energetic, playful, and thriving. Surprise is recovering well from her recent stifle injection and letting him explore freely.
Audi’s Filly: One Week In, Healing Well
As shared in last week’s update, My Audubon foaled a bay filly by Brody’s Cause on April 9, her exact due date—making HHS 3-for-3 this year with mares foaling right on schedule.
At her one-week veterinary recheck, the filly’s two fractured ribs were confirmed to still be non-displaced which is great news. She’ll remain on stall rest until cleared for turnout, allowing the bones to stabilize safely since they’re still not fully healed.
📌 How it happened:
The injury most likely occurred during the filly’s first attempt to stand, when she lost her balance and fell beneath Audi—just as the mare was taking a step. The moment was captured on video and is included in this update. While accidental contact is likely the cause of this filly’s injury, rib fractures in foals—especially larger ones—can also result from the pressure and compression experienced during delivery, where broad shoulders and strong contractions may lead to minor trauma even in otherwise uncomplicated births. That’s one of the many reasons why a thorough veterinary exam is essential before turning any foal out for the first time.
🩺 Why rest is important:
Even mild rib fractures can become dangerous if displaced. A shift could puncture a lung or cause internal bleeding. Careful rest minimizes that risk and gives the bones a chance to heal without complication.
This week, she’s also shown a noticeable shift in demeanor—less timid, more curious, and beginning to show interest in the team caring for her.
Callie and Thirteen: Growing in Confidence
Lady Calliope (Callie) is now 4 weeks and 1 day old, and A Dozen and Won (Thirteen) is 5 weeks and 1 day. Both foals continue to develop beautifully.
They’re enjoying daily turnout in the large grass paddock with their dams, Lady Dyanaformer and Elusive Surprise. Thirteen is playful, confident, and constantly looking for a game. Callie is bold and observant, showing clear signs of wanting to interact with him, though she hasn’t quite joined in yet. Their relationship is just beginning to blossom.
Surprise’s Stifle Injection: Relief in Sight
Also on April 9, Elusive Surprise received a steroidal injection in her right stifle joint to help manage ongoing arthritis. It complements the Arthramid injection she received in December, which supports joint lining regeneration.
She experienced a brief post-injection flare, which made her slightly more sore initially—a known side effect—but since then, she’s shown significant improvement. She’s now moving more freely, grazing comfortably, and letting Thirteen play without feeling the need to keep up.
📌 Expected duration:
Her veterinarian anticipates relief could last up to 6 months, depending on how her body responds. She’ll continue to be monitored closely.
Yearling Colts: Exploring New Fields
Lord Paycasso and Emperor Caesarion got to explore the brand-new grass field behind the pond for the first time this week. It was a big step for the colts—one that involved a longer walk away from the main barn, new terrain, and new neighbors (including cows) across the fence. They handled it all with the same calm, confident demeanor they’ve shown since they were weanlings.
Overnight Turnout Begins
In addition to their new field adventures, the colts also started staying out overnight in the oval paddock close to the barn and house. This location was chosen to help them safely adjust to nighttime turnout while remaining easily observable.
As the weather warms, Horse Husband Stables gradually transitions to night turnout to reduce:
Intense sun exposure
Insect pressure
Heat stress in growing horses
It also supports better daytime rest and protects sensitive eyes and skin—especially important for young horses.
Between rotating in the new grass field during the day and the oval paddock overnight, Paycasso and Caesar have now officially started 24/7 turnout, and they’re thriving with the routine. They will still come into stalls for rest on occasion, but with the nicer weather they will get to spend even more time outside.
🎂 Happy Birthday, Caesar!
April 16 marked Caesar’s first birthday, an especially meaningful milestone given his dramatic emergency c-section birth just one year ago. He’s thriving in every way, and the whole team is proud of how far he’s come.
What’s Next for the Mares
As foaling season winds down, plans for each mare’s next steps are taking shape:
Elusive Surprise will stay at HHS to raise A Dozen and Won (Thirteen). After weaning later this year, she’ll officially retire from breeding and join the retired broodmare herd at Mareworthy Charities.
Lady Dyanaformer is booked to Knicks Go for a 2026 foal
My Audubon is booked to Zandon
Although Dyana could return to the shed next week, the HHS team has decided to skip her first cycle and breed both mares in May. This helps align their breeding schedules and increases the likelihood of April foals next year—avoiding early-season risks like the bitter weather seen this February and March.
🎥 In This Week’s Video
This morning’s video features:
All three foals and mares in their stalls
Lord Paycasso and Emperor Caesarion wrapping up overnight turnout
A glimpse of peaceful daily rhythms as spring continues to unfold
🗓 Coming Soon
The naming contest for Audi’s filly opens this weekend
The outdoor camera will be moved to show the mare and foal paddock
And once Audi’s filly is cleared, you’ll be the first to see her step outside
Thanks for following along as this year's foals grow into themselves and our mares prepare for their next chapters. Let us know what you’re most excited to see next!
Behind-the-scenes video from this morning, showing the foals and mares in their stalls and the yearlings wrapping up overnight turnout in the oval paddock.
A little extra time with Thirteen this morning
Audi’s filly enjoying a butt scratch
The scary moment Audi accidentally stepped on her newborn filly which is what most likely caused the broken ribs
Thirteen getting in his laps
Paycasso and Caesar noticing the neighbor horses for the first time
Thirteen waiting for Callie to come play
Thirteen being his typical curious social self
Caesar birthday video from c-section to first birthday
Audi’s filly starting to get curious and brave
