Another Bittersweet Ultrasound

It was baby Gypsy's big day today as well. This experience with her has been sort of bittersweet because this was not how it was supposed to be for her.

I bred her mama, one of my best girls, to her sire, in 2002. By that time, he was not shipping semen, so Nita had to go there. This was the year that I totaled the trailer, and almost the truck in the great ice storm in March, and it was in the shop for 4 months. This required me to hire these horses hauled to be bred. I sent three--two to Manions in Aubrey, and one to Waurika to see Jacspin. Interesting note--that Waurika visit turned out to be unnecessary--she had ultrasounded open, but got there and turned out to be 9 months in foal. Story of my life.

Anyway, off the girls go, Nita and someone else who I cannot remember right now--maybe Foxy. Nita has been around a long time and had a lot of babies, but is horribly swaybacked from all the work of it all. She does not hurt and is very healthy, but she looks crazy. I called for checkups on her preg check day and they were floored to tell me she was in foal---all those babies takes a toll on a sister, and she pools urine, and had 30 0ther reasons she should not get in foal, but she had done it!

As always, I eagerly anticipated the arrival of the baby--praying for a girl, preferrably a dun or grulla. I still remember the day she arrived like it was yesterday. She was born on a Friday on my sister's birthday in the middle foaling stall, with Playmate peering through the cracks in the oak walls at her. Playmate was so jealous, she spit out Haida Girl the next day, way before her due date. Nita's Baby Girl was good, but she was bay---and I did not care, because I thought she was wonderful and I knew she was Nita's last. I named her Gypsy after those kids books about a girl who finds a horse who was injured and makes her her own--I had been savnig that name for a special one, ever since I read those books as a kid.

I raised her up the best I could and sent her to the cutting trainer to have her started so I could sell her. I did not WANT to sell her, but this is a business and I knew she was worth good money and I had to do it. It made me sick. She was not there long before he called and said she had flipped over and was hurt, so he was resting her and hand walking her and I could pick her up when I picked up the other mare in training with her. She would have to be pulled from the sale she was consigned to, and maybe could go later to another one. He thought it was her stifle and she would feel better with some more rest.

I brought her home and she got worse by the day, til she was draggin one hind leg. I got her to the vet right away-- the verdict was broken pelvis. No cutting in her future. But I had my reason to keep her--who wants a cutting prospect that may not hold up?

Since then, she has steadily recovered until you really cannot even see teh difference in her hips anymore, and has not taken a lame step in at least 18 months. She has grown into a beautiful filly. She has her mama's beautiful head, and her dark brown color, and her loving personality (but not her back, thank God!)

This year, we had to make some tough decisions about whether she should continue to live the life of a princess or get on the payroll. After discussing it with several vets, we got the go-ahead to breed her. So we did. She checked in foal this morning.

Maybe it is because we have been through so much together, or maybe it is because I have only bred one mare that I raised on my own from buying the mare to conception to this stage of breeding her, but it was wierd to breed her the first time. Gypsy and I have always had a wierd connection.

Whatever it is, I am happy she is in foal, but a little sad too for what could have been for her. She could have been somebody, and I kind of feel like just being somebody's mother really shortchanges her. I worry that I am thinking too much with my wallet because the IRS requires me to, instead of my heart. Not that I could fix what happened to her short of finding a time machine anyway, it just feels funny.

Bittersweet is the right word I guess. I know this will be one foaling that will be fully attended!