We’re taking it slow with our mama-to-be! Our goal is to build trust and support her in bringing her foal safely into the world. We’ve already made incredible progress from those first interactions with this sensitive, protective mare.
When we first met Frida and Arionna, both wanted very little to do with people. During the seizure at the property in Yelm, we had to shoot load them into trailers without halters. Once at SAFE, Arionna allowed us to approach and halter her fairly quickly, Frida made it clear — sometimes with a very nasty expression — that she’d rather we stayed far away.
A small catch pen attached to her paddock became the key to our success with Frida. After just a few days of gently catching her and offering light grooming, she began to warm up, and a friendship started to take root. With the help of our skilled farrier, Daphne, we were able to trim her hooves, and by Daphne’s second visit, Frida let us handle all four feet without a problem.
Slow and steady is winning this mare’s heart. We’re mindful of her protective instincts and understand the changes her body and hormones are going through as she approaches the end of her pregnancy. Today, Frida kindly accepts our daily interactions. She allows us to easily halter her, walk in and out of her stall, and she shows a sweet side as we groom her ever-growing belly!
Soon, we’ll start monitoring her milk pH levels, which will help us predict when her foal might arrive. Her udder has started to develop, but there are no clear signs yet to tell us when to expect her little one. Our best guess is sometime in May — and we are all ready and waiting with excitement for the stork’s visit and the arrival of Frida’s precious foal.
