Farm Rhythms- Spring

It's official: spring is in the air! Sure, we still have days in the forecast with cool weather but for the most part the grass is growing, trees are blooming, mares are preparing to foal and we're moving in to a very busy time of year.

Most importantly for our fans, spring means foaling season! On our part, this entails a lot of waiting around for mares to foal followed by a few very intense hours making sure all goes well and then days of monitoring the new arrival for any problems. We use a foaling alert system that we ran across in Belgium which monitors the mare's temperature via probe and alerts us when her temperature drops prior to delivery. This is our second year with the system and while the temperature drop is very apparent we find that we also get a lot of false alerts and interference with the system so it makes for some extra attentiveness to be sure we catch the real deal. When the mare goes into labor we want to be present to make sure there are no complications with the delivery and that the foal stands and nurses in a timely manner. As most mares foal at night (our seem to prefer 12-1AM or else 5-6AM) it can lead to some short nights and we're often sleep deprived during foaling season.

Another important spring task is preparing to turn horses out on pasture. We use a rotational grazing system to maximize the forage available for our horses and take the best care of the land. In the spring we spend a lot of time repairing or adapting fences, removing weeds, and mapping out our summer grazing plan. I also took a day this week and applied fertilizer to the hay fields to help with our hay production since one of our big summer tasks is preparing for winter feed needs. A final step in preparing for spring turnout is doing fecal egg counts on all the horses to determine which ones need to be dewormed and making sure that is up to date before turning them out on new fields. This is a skill I learned a few years back and while it's a bit time consuming it has helped our horse management and responsible use of dewormers on our farm.

Spring brings changes for Dehan as well, as he transitions from a winter spent logging with the horses to his summer work doing residential tree trimming. He enjoys getting to keep his chainsaw sharp and working with a great group of guys, but it does complicate farm work since they work long days! He is great about helping with farm projects when he gets home, which is great as some of our breeding work requires more than one person. We've been doing a lot of practice on collection with the stallions as well as starting to ultrasound mares for early season breedings in May. Before long we will be full into breeding season which means the plan for a day can change at a moment's notice based on what we find when we scan the day's mares.

If I had to sum up the spring season, it would be one of intense preparation. We're trying hard to be diligent in watching the mares and giving our foals their best start. We spend a lot of time working with stallions not because we need to collect them now, but as a means to ensure that they are ready to go when we do need them. The more we can prepare ahead of time for good fencing, grazing plans, etc the better off we will be for the summer when we need things to work well. Spring can be an uncomfortable season. There are some very intense moments but there's also a lot of waiting and preparing but not quite knowing when we'll be called on to act. Staying grounded is key along with remembering why we work hard now to make things run smoother in the days to come. And when it all feels like a lot, well, that means it's time to stop and snuggle the babies for a while!

When Control Meets Surrender

I am, perhaps, a bit of a control freak. I love schedules, lists, and knowing 'the plan'. While I don't feel the need to be the leader or micro-manage all aspects of a project once I know my own part I put everything I have into getting it right. As it turns out, farming is a terrible profession for a control freak. Need rain? Can't make it happen. Too much rain? Too bad. Want the critters to remain in their fence rather than jumping/running through/tearing it down in search of spring grass? In your dreams... One of the hardest areas for me to accept my lack of control is dealing with sick animals. I want to be able to make them all better but the reality is that there is only so much that I can do to help them, and the healing is not ultimately up to me!

Last week was especially challenging when we were faced with a premature foal and the associated struggles that brings. I knew that the mare was close to foaling and suspected that she could have some problems so we were watching her closely. On Monday morning around 12:30 she went into labor. At first all seemed well, but after a few minutes it became clear that we were facing a foaling complication. She had a 'red bag' delivery, which means that the placenta separates too early in the process and the foal is not receiving any oxygen during delivery. This is a situation that every foaling attendant knows is a MAJOR emergency. No time to get the vet out to solve it- you have to act right away and do what it takes to deliver the foal. Thankfully, the mare was pushing hard and with some extra pulling from me we had the baby on the ground and breathing quickly. Little did I know that would be the easy part of the process! Her little colt, now named Thumper, showed several signs of being premature including very weak joints on his front legs. He was unable to stand up and nurse and despite our attempts to feed him with a bottle he refused to take it. We made a desperate call to our livestock vet at 4 am and she came out to get milk into him with a nasal tube. Over the course of the first day, Thumper figured out how to stand on his wonky legs and tried to start nursing but generally without success. Thus began a long process of stopping in every 1-2 hours to stand him up, encourage him to nurse, and supplement with a bottle as we were able. We considered admitting him to an equine hospital but given his spunk and willingness to try, as well as his excellent antibody readings at 24 hours old indicating that he received the needed colostrum from his mother, we decided that we would invest the time and energy to keep him up and nursing at home since it was primarily a matter of giving his body time to mature to where it needed to be.

Throughout the week we faced several additional complications, including dehydration, constipation, an umbilical stump that doesn't want to close off, and a mare who did not come into milk as strongly as she should have. There were some very discouraging days and we were exhausted trying to keep on top of his care. Thankfully, as he gained interest and experience in nursing Thumper was also better able to keep up his energy and needed less prodding from us to stand and move. A real turning point came when we applied a set of hoof boots recommended by the vet that help him to stand correctly on his hoof, which drastically improved his balance and desire to be up and about.

Thumper's first week was hard. As much as I wanted to make him eat and stand and be healthy I just didn't have the power. There were lots of tears of frustration and exhaustion. And lots and lots of prayers. Again and again in this farming journey I'm reminded that ultimately control is an illusion. Only the Lord himself can heal the littlest hurt or the biggest health complication and as hard as I try the success of my efforts isn't in my hands. And as difficult as it is for this control freak to remember and surrender to that truth it's only there that I can find the peace and encouragement that I need to not break under the pressure. All of which doesn't mean that we quit trying. On the contrary, we put all the effort and skill we have into providing the best care possible trusting that it's the right thing to do. I've learned a few new skills this week (many of which I hope not to need again!) and we have been blessed with an amazing team of vets, family, and friends to help us out along the way.

Despite the challenges there have been numerous reminders throughout the week that we are not left to fend for ourselves in this. On Monday, I 'just happened' to wake up a half hour before my scheduled mare check- in time to see that she was nearing delivery and mentally prepare myself to assist, rather than arriving partway through the process. On Wednesday, our horse vet 'just happened' to be coming for some other scheduled work and was able to address Thumper's lethargy and dehydration, putting in a catheter that we used to administer fluids and medication for several days. The boots we needed had to be special ordered and while I could have the boots shipped overnight the glue used to apply them couldn't be sent by air and was going to take a few extra days. A desperate Facebook post and a phone call later I was in touch with a farrier who 'just happened' to live in the next town over and was willing to come out at the end of a long Saturday work day to put the boots on. And this doesn't even begin to cover the overwhelming support from our community: our vet friends who came out in the middle of the night and did several more check-ins throughout the week as well as answering a million questions via text messaging and those who provided the equipment and guidance needed to help us treat both his emergency dehydration and his long term leg issues on the farm, family members who loaned us equipment, ran errands, or checked critters at our other farm to save us a trip out, friends who gave up a day to foal-sit or took on night-time foal checks to allow us to get some sleep, and our amazing online community who offered prayers and messages of support. The list goes on and on.

Thumper is looking so much better than he did a week ago. He still has some issues to work through- including strengthening his legs over the next few weeks so we can see how he does without the boots- but for the moment he no longer looks like he hangs in the balance between life and death. We'll continue to care for him the best way we know how. I'll likely continue to stress out over his care and addressing any setbacks. But we remind ourselves and each other to surrender that burden to the one who can resolve it and we lean on our community as we all cheer him on together. You can do it, Thumper!

What's With the Percentages?

As the Brabant breed grows in popularity and exposure, I get a lot of questions about these horses. One of the most common occurs when someone sees a horse listed as a '75% Brabant' or a '50% Brabant' and wonders how that works. So what's the deal with the percentages in these horses?

Well first, a quick history lesson. The Belgian horse originated in, funnily enough, Belgium! Horses imported to America before the world wars were the foundation of the American Belgian breed. Due to the wars there was a time period where no importing occurred, leading to a difference in the look of the American Belgians and the Belgian horses in Europe. 'Brabant' was a term coined for the horses imported from Belgium after the wars who retained the European look and were distinct from the American Belgians. Unfortunately, things didn't stay quite so simple! With the release of a new breed registry through the American Brabant Association came a desire to focus on breeding the 'American Brabant'- a combination of the European and American bloodlines- as distinct from the European stock that were brought over as 'Brabants'. Today, the European style horse is generally referred to as either a European Belgian or a European Brabant.

With that in mind, the percentage system used by the registry is a way to track the amount of European blood in a given horse. The other breeds in the horse's pedigree will vary but are often American Belgian, Percheron, Suffolk or at times even unknown draft horses. The registry does not permit registration of light horses crosses as an American Brabant. Generally speaking, the more European blood in the horse the more they will look like the horses bred today in Belgium. There are exceptions, of course, but depending on the goals for a given farm you can often predict what kind of horses may be the best fit. The 100% European Brabant horses (imports or bred from imported stock) are generally heavier in their bone and feather and a little slower when working. The 50% horses tend to be a touch lighter in bone and feather and have a little more get-up-and-go to them, which can be beneficial if they are being used for farm work because they will cover more ground in a day. Of course, these are all generalities and you'll find exceptions on both sides as well as everything in the middle!

The most important thing to remember is that both high and low percentage stock can be good horses! I think at times this message gets lost when breeders are very passionate about the specific type of horses that they breed. Here at AKH we have found that our favorite horses to breed and work with are the high percentage European stock, but we also have some grade and Percheron mares that we use to produce 50% horses for our customers who are looking for a working horse or a team. In reality, there are differences to be aware of and the real fun comes in selecting a horse that meets the needs of the person shopping. We love this breed for the combination of beauty, brains, and versatility so there really is something for everyone.

As a final note, you can see some of the differences in type in the photo below of the two 3-year-old fillies that we'll soon be upgrading from the youngster field to our broodmare band. On the left you can see Spruce, a 50% filly bred here in the US out of European and American Belgian horses. On the right is Magnolia, one of our imported (100%) fillies. You can clearly see the difference in bone and feathering. Spruce will also likely be a bit taller and longer bodied than Magnolia at maturity. These are both good girls and we look forward to adding them to our breeding program. Follow along to see what kind of foals we get out of the same stallion when bred to Spruce for a 75% foal and to Magnolia for a 100% foal.