Foaling Watch Update – March 16, 2025
🔹 Quick Status Overview 🔹
🐴 Elusive Surprise & Thirteen (Colt) – Day 4 – Full of energy and ready for new enrichment toys to satisfy his curiosity.
🐴 Lady Dyanaformer – Day 338 – Uncomfortable, with significant swelling and ventral edema, but producing milk. No milk test tonight.
🐴 My Audubon – Day 318 – No changes, officially added to the remote foal watch service.
Dyana’s Discomfort & Physical Changes
For the second night in a row, Dyana did not lay down as much as usual, and the remote foal watch service noted she was shifting her weight frequently—clear signs that she’s feeling uncomfortable. Her hind legs remain very swollen, and she has significant ventral edema, which is common in late pregnancy but can be uncomfortable.
Her milk production is increasing, and she has shown intermittent signs of waxing, but given her history, this could still mean weeks of waiting. Last year, she foaled at Day 357, so even though her due date is this Thursday, March 20 (Day 342), anything is possible.
One factor that could change things? The weather.
Will the Weather Trigger Dyana’s Foaling?
A sharp 25-degree temperature drop is forecasted from Wednesday into Thursday, and mares are notorious for foaling during extreme weather shifts. While we don’t fully understand all the mechanisms, research suggests that:
🔹 Barometric pressure changes may stimulate labor by affecting hormone levels.
🔹 Storms and temperature swings often bring increased barn quiet time, which mares prefer for foaling.
🔹 Some believe evolutionary instincts play a role, as foaling during cooler weather reduces heat stress on the newborn.
It’s far from a guarantee, but Surprise foaled right on her due date, and Dyana could decide to do the same. We’ll be watching closely!
Surprise & Thirteen: Full of Energy & Ready for Enrichment
After staying inside yesterday due to storms, all the mares were eager to get outside today. It was still windy, chilly, and damp, so Surprise and Thirteen only stayed out for about three hours, but that was plenty of time for him to burn off energy!
📌 Did you catch him on camera running and playing? He was full of himself, and it’s clear he’s feeling great.
This evening, he spent more time standing than sleeping, and he’s showing his mischievous streak—putting everything in his mouth and nursing at every opportunity.
Surprise remains an attentive and protective mother, but she’s not aggressive toward the Horse Husband Stables team, making handling him much easier. She is setting appropriate boundaries while still ensuring he gets everything he needs.
With how curious and playful Thirteen has become, the HHS team will be introducing enrichment toys to give him something safe to explore and interact with. This will help channel his curiosity in a positive way and support his early development.
My Audubon Joins the Remote Foal Watch Roster
While Audi is only at Day 318, she has now been officially added to CRF Equine Services’ remote foal watch roster.
📌 Why start monitoring so early?
🔹 Early observation allows CRF to get familiar with her normal behavior, making it easier to spot subtle changes as she gets closer to foaling.
🔹 If anything looks slightly off, they immediately contact the Horse Husband Stables team for an in-person check.
Last night, they actually called at 3:30 AM because Audi appeared disturbed. The HHS team confirmed it was just due to another burst of stormy weather, but this is exactly why having them watching 24/7 is so valuable.
With Dyana progressing, Surprise and Thirteen thriving, and Audi officially under foal watch, things are getting even busier. Stay tuned for updates as we keep a close eye on Dyana’s next moves!
A clip from Surprise’s stall camera showing Thirteen’s curiosity warranting starting him with enrichment toys. This is also a big part of the reason it’s good to have more than one foal born close together as they will start to play and explore together when they’re ready to go outside as a group.
