It’s a Girl! Audi Foals a Filly on Her Due Date
Foaling Watch Update: April 9, 2025
🔹 Quick Status Overview 🔹
🐴 My Audubon & Unnamed Filly – Day 342 (Due Date) – Audi delivered a healthy bay filly with bold white face and leg markings just before noon on her due date. The filly is bright, strong, and developing well. Two mildly fractured ribs on her right side will require stall rest and close monitoring, but both mare and foal are doing well.
🐴 Lady Dyanaformer & Ditto (Filly) – Day 20 – Stayed inside today to support a calm barn for Audi and Surprise. Ditto remains bright and active and her GI issues appear to be resolving.
🐴 Elusive Surprise & Thirteen (Colt) – Day 27 – Remained indoors while Surprise recovered from her stifle injection. Thirteen kept everyone entertained with his usual energy.
Foaling Watch Update: April 9, 2025
🔹 Quick Status Overview 🔹
🐴 My Audubon & Unnamed Filly – Day 342 (Due Date) – Audi delivered a healthy bay filly with bold white face and leg markings just before noon on her due date. Two mildly fractured ribs on the right side will require stall rest and monitoring, but both mare and foal are doing well.
🐴 Lady Dyanaformer & Ditto (Filly) – Day 20 – Stayed inside today to support a calm barn for Audi and Surprise. Ditto continues to do well.
🐴 Elusive Surprise & Thirteen (Colt) – Day 27 – Also remained indoors while Surprise recovered from a joint injection. Thirteen continues to be his curious, engaged self.
🍼 A Foaling Rarity in More Ways Than One
Just before noon on April 9, My Audubon delivered a bay filly by Brody’s Cause—the third and final foal of the season at Horse Husband Stables. All three mares foaled on their exact due dates, a remarkable and statistically rare outcome.
While gestation length for horses typically averages 340 days, a normal foaling window can range from 320 to 365 days—or even beyond. Variations depend on the individual mare, fetus size, environmental factors, and even seasonal trends. This wide window is why 100% of mares foaling on their due date in a single year is exceptionally rare—not just in Thoroughbreds, but across all horse breeds.
Even more unusual: Audi foaled in the middle of the day. Most mares give birth between midnight and 6:00 a.m., likely due to evolutionary pressures favoring nighttime births for safety and reduced disturbance. A midday foaling, especially one without complication, is both rare and welcome.
🐣 Understanding Early Foal Milestones
The first few hours of a foal’s life are critical. Caregivers monitor a sequence of neonatal milestones to assess health and adaptation:
Sitting up (sternal) within minutes
Attempting to stand within 30 minutes
Standing unassisted within 1–2 hours
Nursing by 2 hours
Passing meconium (first manure) within the first few hours
Urinating within 6–8 hours
Remaining alert, coordinated, and interactive
This filly met her benchmarks on schedule and showed strong reflexes and coordination early on. The HHS team supported her throughout and closely monitored each step.
🤰 Shoulder Assistance During Delivery
Audi's foaling was considered smooth, though her caregivers did assist slightly with the delivery.
Sometimes, a foal’s shoulders—especially in taller or well-muscled foals—can become momentarily “locked” in the birth canal. When this happens, gentle traction may be used to guide the foal through. In some cases, one forelimb may be eased forward while the opposite is drawn slightly back to present the shoulders on a slight angle, allowing them to pass more easily through the pelvic outlet. This is done only with proper veterinary or experienced supervision, as excessive force can cause serious injury.
In Audi’s case, the team simply supported her filly’s shoulder passage with light, controlled assistance. Once past the shoulders, the rest of the delivery proceeded without complication.
🩺 Proactive Monitoring for Mare & Foal
Once the foal was safely delivered, the HHS team began their standard care and observation protocol, including:
Umbilical stump dips with iodine to prevent infection
Two saline enemas to ensure full passage of meconium
KickStart probiotic paste to support early gut health
Heart rate and temperature checks for both mare and foal
Placenta inspection confirming full passage of both horns and the amnion
Banamine for Audi to reduce discomfort and inflammation
Monitoring Audi for Postpartum Hemorrhage
While Audi has been stable and comfortable, the team is actively monitoring her for signs of postpartum hemorrhage, a rare but potentially life-threatening condition that can occur after foaling. Hemorrhage may originate from a uterine artery rupture and can be internal or external.
Caregivers are watching closely for:
Elevated heart rate
Pale or tacky gums
Cool extremities
Behavioral signs of discomfort or restlessness
Decreased appetite or sudden weakness
So far, Audi has shown none of these signs. Her temperature, heart rate, and gum color have remained normal throughout the day.
👩👧 Audi’s Fifth Foal
This filly is Audi’s fifth foal, and she handled the day with the calm demeanor of an experienced mother. She remained attentive, patient, and engaged. During the filly’s veterinary exam, she became a little anxious but settled quickly once allowed to stay in physical contact with her baby throughout the process. The bond between them was immediate and strong.
🦴 Rib Fractures: Why They Occur and What’s Next
During the veterinary exam, two mildly fractured ribs were discovered on the filly’s right side, along with some edema (swelling). This is one of the more common findings in newborn foals—especially those born at full term with broad shoulders or who experience any minor missteps while attempting to rise.
Shortly after birth, Audi repositioned herself and may have briefly placed a hind foot near the foal as she was trying to stand. Video review suggests no significant weight was placed, but the timing leaves it as a possible contributing factor.
Fortunately, the fractures appear non-displaced, meaning the bones are cracked but remain aligned. With rest and limited movement, these typically heal fully in 10–14 days.
To avoid complications such as:
Lung puncture (pneumothorax)
Internal bleeding
Displaced fractures
…she will remain on stall rest and be closely monitored for any changes in vitals or comfort.
🚫 No Turnout Just Yet
Under normal conditions, HHS introduces healthy foals to brief turnout within 24 hours. But for foals with rib fractures or orthopedic concerns (like Ditto early on), outdoor time is postponed to prevent reinjury.
The filly will remain inside with Audi for at least a week and will be reevaluated by the veterinary team before her first trip outside.
🧬 Plasma Infusion & IgG Testing Timeline
Though Audi’s colostrum scored well on the Brix refractometer (30), the HHS team proceeded with a proactive plasma infusion early in the day. This decision was based on previous experiences this foaling season and is part of their cautious, preventive approach.
They also drew a baseline CBC (complete blood count). IgG testing, which evaluates passive transfer of immunity from colostrum, will be conducted once the foal is 12–24 hours old.
Why Wait to Test IgG?
Foals don’t produce antibodies immediately. Instead, they rely on absorbing immunoglobulin G (IgG) from the mare’s colostrum in the first 12–18 hours of life. Testing too early can lead to inaccurate results.
>800 mg/dL = Adequate immunity
400–800 mg/dL = Partial protection
<400 mg/dL = Failure of passive transfer (treatment required)
CBC Panels Measure:
WBCs (white blood cells): Infection/inflammation
RBCs (red blood cells): Oxygenation, anemia
Platelets: Clotting ability
Fibrinogen: Inflammatory response
The CBC and IgG will help guide next steps in care.
💉 Surprise’s Steroid Injection: Expected Benefits & Timeline
While the filly was settling in, Surprise received a steroid injection in her right stifle joint to help manage her bone-on-bone arthritis. This follows her Arthramid injection in December, which helps rebuild the inner lining of the joint.
Steroids reduce active inflammation and typically provide symptom relief within 48 to 72 hours.
How Long Will It Help?
The duration of benefit can vary based on the individual horse and joint condition. While some horses may need re-injection in as little as 2–3 months, Surprise's veterinarian believes she may benefit for up to 6 months or longer. The HHS team will continue to monitor her comfort and work closely with their veterinarian to decide if and when another treatment is needed.
All three mares and foals remained indoors today—prioritizing a peaceful environment for the newest arrival and Surprise’s recovery. The weather cooperated by staying quiet and overcast, and the filly made a strong impression on everyone she met.
The team will continue to monitor both mom and baby carefully in the days ahead and look forward to sharing more as this filly finds her stride.
She’s already made a remarkable entrance.
All three mares and foals remained inside today to keep the barn calm for Audi’s delivery and Surprise’s recovery. With the weather on the chilly, damp side, no one seemed to mind the indoor day.
