Foaling Season Begins…with a Pharmacy

Foaling season is kicking off the same way 2024 ended—bottles of medications and stacks of syringes.

Last November, we brought Elusive Surprise home from the Keeneland sale, after keeping an eye on older mares to make sure they landed in good spots. She arrived already in foal, and thanks to her previous farm being kind enough to send over her foaling records, we learned something that changed how we’re preparing for her delivery:

Her last foaling was a red bag—an emergency where the placenta separates too soon, cutting off oxygen to the foal.

Because of that history, we ran a full exam and bloodwork yesterday to check on her progress. What we found confirmed that extra caution is needed:

✔ Placenta thickening in some areas
✔ Lower-than-ideal estrogen & progesterone levels

At 19 years old, with 12 foals behind her, Surprise is at a higher risk for complications, including:
⚠️ Dystocia (foaling difficulty)
⚠️ Placental failure (red bag risk)
⚠️ Uterine bleeding

The Plan: Extra Support for Surprise

We’re pulling out all the stops with a treatment plan to give this foal the best possible chance:

✅ Antibiotics – To prevent placental infection
✅ Hormone support – To help sustain pregnancy
✅ Anti-inflammatories – To keep swelling down
✅ Medications to improve placental blood flow

This will be Surprise’s last foal, and we’re doing everything we can to ensure a safe delivery for both her and the baby.

It’s a lot of bottles, monitoring, and careful management, but she’s worth it. Foaling season is officially underway—stay tuned!

📸 Images of Surprise’s Foaling Records from 2021, 2022, and 2023 below