Riding the Waves of Foal Watch

These days my emotions are floating up and down like surfers on the Pacific Ocean, riding the waves at Pismo Beach. In a tossing sea of suspended animation, lifted up onto crests of eager anticipation, riding high, then dropped down into unwelcome depths by inevitable dips into fearful territory of imagined "what-ifs." But all for a wonderful reason. My deep love of horses.

This week my two beloved broodmares, Euphorika IA ("Rika") and American Fashion V ("Serafina") are putting the finishing touches on foals they have been producing for the past eleven months. My girls are keeping me in suspense as to when they will decide to grace the world with their not-so-tiny miracles. Which angelic number will each of them select, as the final number of gestational days—340 being the average, plus or minus five days? Day 340 is tomorrow for Serafina. And who will go first?

Rika and Serafina became inseparable BFFs shortly after I introduced them last year, in late February. Of course, spring was in the air at the time, and they were living within plain view, scent, and whinnying distance of Major Mac V, the handsome resident stallion who represents six generations of breeding at Varian Arabians. Major Mac V was Sheila Varian's pride and joy.

It turned out that shortly after meeting last year, the two mares coordinated their reproductive cycles. Just as Dr. Joy Altermatt, their wise reproductive veterinarian, later told me might happen. On Dr. Joy's advice, in mid-March of 2024 I set out on a mission to determine if either of my girls were "in season." Armed with my cell phone, a portable speaker on my belt, and a recording cued up of a lusty stallion wooing a mare, I had fun sneaking up and hiding in the bushes by the big blue barn at Varian Equestrian Center, above the pasture where the mares were grazing. I played the recording, and immediately both mares looked up in the direction of the exciting sound and showed great interest. Bingo!!! A visit the next day to Dr. Joy and her ultrasound machine confirmed that both mares would ovulate that week. In fact, in Serafina's case, while I stood at the beautiful grey mare's head to reassure her, Dr. Joy exclaimed from behind, "She's going to ovulate today!!!"

Oh my goodness!! That certainly got the ball rolling, so to speak. We immediately notified ranch manager Kristy Gillot-Hogue, who quickly assembled her collection team in the breeding shed (the key equine member of the team being Major Mac V himself, of course, of course LOL). And before you knew it, Serafina had received the gift of insemination by Major Mac V. On her 12th birthday, which was also the Spring Equinox. Later that day, I felt inspired to get a tattoo in the form of the iconic Varian "V" logo, on the inside of my right wrist. (As opposed to placed on my left hip, where it is worn by horses carrying the famous V brand.)

The ever-intuitive Dr. Joy suspected that Rika might have coordinated her cycle with Serafina's, and sure enough, when we checked her by ultrasound "just in case," Dr. Joy determined that Rika would likely ovulate in two or three days. And so, Rika received her gift from Major Mac on a Friday, three days after the Equinox. And now the long wait for the babies is almost over!

I love to work with music with my Arabian horses, and the mares and their developing foals have enjoyed a number of dance classes with trainer Ismael "Mike" Perez and me during their pregnancies. For sure, the babies will recognize many tunes when they first make their appearance, and I'm hoping that before long, they will enjoy dancing with me and their mothers in a round pen. Perhaps the four horses will even learn do a Cape Breton square set!

Wish us luck and smooth sailing through the deliveries! We are in the best of hands with Kristy, Dr. Joy and the whole team at Varian Equestrian Center. See you on the other side of the foaling stalls!