Foaling Watch Update: April 7, 2025
🔹 Quick Status Overview 🔹
🐴 Lady Dyanaformer & Ditto (Filly) – Day 18 – Big milestone day! Ditto had her first turnout with Thirteen and handled it beautifully. Her vet recheck showed a few lingering questions, but her clinical signs are strong. She's staying on GI support and will be monitored closely.
🐴 Elusive Surprise & Thirteen (Colt) – Day 25 – Thirteen was full of energy today and got his microchip placed like a pro. He and Ditto shared their first paddock outing, though their moms kept them mostly apart.
🐴 My Audubon – Day 340 – Audi is officially on foal watch. Milk calcium has passed 200 ppm, pH has dropped below 7.0, and her behavior shifted today—restlessness, reduced appetite, and less laying down overnight. Add a bath to the mix, and signs are pointing to foaling soon.
🎂 Happy 7th Birthday, Lady Dyanaformer!
Today is a special one at Horse Husband Stables: Lady Dyanaformer turned seven years old!
Dyana wasn’t just any foal—she was the very first born to the HHS team, and her arrival helped inspire the creation of the farm’s breeding and racing operation. From the moment she was born, she represented the dream. Now, seven years later, she’s a proud mom herself, passing the torch to her daughter Ditto.
🌱 First Turnout Together: Ditto & Thirteen Hit the Paddock
After weeks of individual turnout with their mares, Ditto and Thirteen were turned out in the same paddock for the first time today! Both mares received light sedation to ease the reintroduction—a common practice at HHS, even among familiar herd members, to help ensure a smooth and stress-free group experience after foaling.
🐎 How Did It Go?
Thirteen turned on the afterburners, zooming around like a racehorse in the making. Surprise tried her best to keep up, clearly proud but slightly overwhelmed by her son’s energy.
Ditto ran, stretched, and enjoyed herself with a more graceful approach, sticking close to Dyana but showing plenty of spark.
Although Thirteen made a few playful moves in Ditto’s direction, the foals never truly met. Both mares naturally maintained space between their foals, and Ditto and Thirteen—sensitive to their moms’ cues—respected that. There were a few comical moments when Thirteen darted past Dyana and Ditto, causing Surprise to go into a full trot to corral him, but no nose-to-nose interaction just yet.
📌 Why does this matter?
Early socialization is key in foal development, but today was a great reminder that herd behavior and maternal instinct often take the lead. Foals gradually gain confidence through watching each other, and the groundwork for future friendship was definitely laid today.
The team only left them out for about two hours, which is intentional.
📌 Why limit early turnout on spring grass?
Spring pasture is extra lush and high in sugar. For horses who haven’t grazed yet this year, overexposure can lead to digestive upset or even laminitis. Slow introduction protects their systems.
Foal legs are still developing. Limiting early high-excitement play helps prevent unnecessary strain on tendons, joints, and bones.
Back in the barn, both foals took long, well-earned naps, a sign of healthy exertion and good judgment.
🩺 Ditto: Strong Signs Despite Lingering Questions
The veterinarian visited today for a recheck on Ditto’s lungs and bloodwork. Although a few indicators on the scan and lab panels remain unclear, her clinical signs are excellent:
✅ Bright and alert
✅ Nursing eagerly
✅ Normal temperature
✅ Strong, consistent energy
She does have mild diarrhea, likely related to the antibiotics she recently finished. The team has opted to keep her on gastrointestinal support (including probiotics and sucralfate) for a few more days, just to be safe. Her temperature and vitals will continue to be monitored twice daily to ensure she stays on track.
📌 Why GI support after antibiotics?
Antibiotics can disrupt the gut microbiome—especially in foals, whose systems are still developing. This can result in soft stools or diarrhea, which usually resolves with supportive care and balanced flora.
📌 Thirteen: Microchipped and Ready for Registration
Thirteen had another big milestone today: he received his Jockey Club microchip!
💡 What’s special about the HHS chips?
HHS uses Bio-Thermo® microchips, which allow for:
Permanent ID
Built-in temperature reading via scanner
Compatibility with Jockey Club registration requirements
He handled the procedure well, and now joins Ditto, the mares, and the yearlings in the farm’s digital monitoring routine. No more thermometers needed—just a scan and a beep to check foal wellness.
🔥 Audi: On High Alert
The most significant development of the day? My Audubon is officially entering the final stretch.
She laid down less than usual overnight, and today the team noted:
Decreased appetite
Increased restlessness
Continued swelling but mild reduction in hind leg edema
But the big shift came in her mammary secretion test results.
🧪 Milk Testing Results:
Two days ago: 1.0 on the calcium scale (~50 ppm), pH above 7.0
Today:
First sample turned bright blue immediately, measuring just over 3.0 (~150 ppm)
Second test, with more careful sampling, showed a softer blue around 4.0 (~200 ppm)
pH dropped below 7.0
📌 How to read this:
200+ ppm calcium and pH under 7.0 typically indicate foaling within 12–24 hours, though some mares stretch a bit longer.
Audi’s previous owner describes her as a “stealthy foaler”, meaning she doesn’t always give the typical pre-foaling signs like waxing or dripping milk.
And if milk numbers, behavior, and a forecasted temperature drop into the 20s tonight weren’t enough... she got a bath today. 🧼
📌 Old horsemen’s tale or not, there’s a long-standing belief that giving a mare a bath invites a foal within 24 hours. The HHS team is certainly hoping that rings true tonight.
We'll be watching closely overnight. Tune into Audi’s camera, and keep your notifications on—tonight might just be the night.
Ditto whinnying to Thirteen before he takes off on another racing lap around the paddock with his poor senior mom trying to keep up.
