German Shepherd

Published on by Amanda C

Well guys, we’re getting down to the wire. Sadie officially passed the 270th day of gestation last Friday – the last stop on our fun little timeline before Little Nugget is a fully developed foal.

He’s now approximately the size of a big German Shepherd (this timeline is more for stock horses than warmbloods so ours are a bit bigger), and he has a coat now, and a tail. The markings (If any… come on, give a girl a stripe or something.) are all visible now. We already know he’s going to be bay or brown, so that’s less of mystery. Mighty Magic has lots of white but Sadie has very little and her line seems to suppress it, so we’ll see who wins the battle of the markings.

So far, everything looks good. Michelle has been on “belly watch” for a couple months already, observing their activity. All of them seem plenty active, and one day when she put her head up to Sadie’s belly Little Nugget kicked her in the head. That sounds about right. Soon the mares will start getting super huge and more uncomfortable and then belly watch will turn into foal watch. Hopefully Sadie doesn’t take her angst out on the barn walls quite as much this time (eh… sorry ’bout all the teeth marks on your nice barn, Michelle…).

germanshepherd

Sadie’s “due date” is March 17, but of course horses don’t really have due dates in the same way that humans do. That date is just based on the average gestation of 340 days… anything from 320 to 360 is considered average. Last time Sadie went 330ish days, so we’ll see what she feels like this time. Things are about to start getting real, and anxiety levels are about to start going through the roof.

Next stop on our fun timeline: an actual foal! We’re close. We’re really close. So… holy crap, this is it y’all. The home stretch, after two years of planning.

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For those who have asked how Merlin is doing – he’s super! He’s had a couple of “pre-k” lessons (learning to wear surcingle, boots, and a little w/t on a lunge line) and reports from his owner and trainer are that he’s been super. He’s quiet, easy, and a quick learner. Also he’s a total giant already at 18 months. Granted, so was his sire. Super interested to see how the Mighty Magic compares to big brother since they have very different sires!

26 thoughts on “German Shepherd”

  1. Eeck! I’m so excited nervous for you! Thankfully Sadie has foaled before so you probably have a pretty good idea of how things will go. My maiden mare foaled last year at 305 days and it was pretty horrible. Needless to say the foal didn’t survive, but my mare is doing great. Is Merlin by Mezcalero? Mez is my mare’s damsire. Happy foaling!

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  4. wow that seems fast. Like seriously it seems like you were JUST talking about breeding Sadie for your own foal and here we are almost there 🙂 I know it feels longer for you! SO excited and hope for some splash of white somewhere too ! COME ON SADIE let the bling come on out 🙂 Oh you will be a mess the next 2 months or so HA!

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      1. per normal (You being a nut). I still remember you leaving me on the way to that show (when Sadie was born) NOT that i blame you but LOL! 🙂

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    2. Star +snip is my FAVORITE face marking. I really wanted Sadie to have a star and snip (like her dam), which… technically she does. She’s just such a smartass that her star is like 10 white hairs and her tiny snip is inside her nostril where you can’t see it. Mares. She’s been conspiring against me since before she was born.

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      2. ha! Mares….
        Rio’s star is a lightning bolt which is obviously the coolest marking ever. And his snip is just the best kissy spot ever. The other boys just have stars. That’s why they’re trouble makers I think… You need the snip for balance.

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  8. If I’m this excited and nervous for your foal, I don’t think I would survive of I tried to breed any of my mares. I’d probably write up some life insurance so my husband would have something left over when I died of a heart attack waiting for the foal.

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    1. I feel slightly better since she’s already had one foal and was an excellent mom (at least that part of the equation is a non-issue), but god, foaling itself. I’ve read way too many books and seen way too many things to NOT be a freak about it.

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  12. So exciting! And I really just came here to thank you for spelling ‘shepherd’ correctly. I see it misspelled so often online, I feel like I should give out medals for those who spell it correctly.

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