Any thoughts?

My one and only was last covered 15 Mar.

I think the gills have developed at quite an early embryological stage so it must be growing fins thats taking the time.

Out for a bedtime check...

She has alternated colt filly colt filly, though both last foals were 4 days short of a year. A colt would be welcome.

Ovalu. When you've just got the one it would be helpful if she were to do the right thing for sure

Mind you with more floating about and a shed load of fillies in production say, well that would be even harder to climb back from given the increased input.

Better a nice filly than a grotty colt mind so I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you on that front!

The one mare of mine is waxed up this morning and as she was the one who made (my own very selfish) headlines last year by having the slightly prem and subsequently keeled over foal, I am obviously very glad we have passed that stage.
Mind you, as she has held on to this considerably longer than any previous effort I have decided to worry about that aspect instead. Hence my interminable witterings on here.

I wonder if gestations are going a bit longer this year? Perhaps they struggled more than we think through the monsoon season.
I was minded however Proxy, that when yours arrives, dropping a few flakes into it's bowl once a day will prove a lot cheaper than the usual rigmarole when the result is equine not piscine perhaps?

Well done with your maiden Proxy.

My maiden only gets on the boat tomorrow still looking a bit wintery too. I don't aim for January foals, but a shot at Feb might have been nice.

Have you got your good scissors at the ready or will you get the vet out?
Email me if you are struggling with anything that you don't wish to go public on!

I am sure Tetra Fin is the way to go with your offspring!

Did I beat you to it Proxy?

Mind you said mare who has only had colts to date decided a filly was in order, and held on to it 2 weeks longer than she ever does a colt!

Still just delighted that she's put last year behind her and it's a promising type too.

I wish everyone on here all the best in what is surely a very nervous time for most ..Hopefully the mares decide to drop their foals at a reasonable hour , I wish says you ,  all foals are healthy ...Good luck all...

its almost like its the wife in labour
all i will say is all good things come to those who wait , nature will take its natural coarse  , it wd be a bigger worry if they were early to be honest , hope all goes to plan ,my best wishes to all !

Proxy, I am deafened, and not a little worried, by your silence.

Have you produced a tatty filly that has left you poleaxed?

I am now 2+ weeks over with a maiden who has very definitely got the potential to do a grotty filly but there's colts in these here hills that might balance things up so I feel I could cope!

With a single foaler you are more vulnerable. You're not ar5e end out of the gas cooker are you?

That's some gestation proxy!

Glad it appears, for now at least, worth the wait.

Your bed will be particularly comfortable tonight I shouldn't wonder!

It's a total pain in the posterior for sure proxy.

These bl00dy mares that foal late, you're all out to get 3 in a row let alone 5.

I don't ever try foal heat any more mind. It seems to me that as every thing about a foal heat cover is less satisfactory than an ordinary - conception and chances of abortion at any stage - that it just isn't worth it.
My vet always says that the week and a bit that it saves you versus a short cycle at 20 days or so isn't worth it.
And given that it just leaves you a 30 day jump, which with these late foalers is an aeon, when you don't get in foal with the 10 dayer I have no problem agreeing that the safest bet is somewhere in between.

I've got a 12 monther who has just missed on one jump last year and she's scheduled herself another year off.

Yet more technical talent on display. How I admire you who know how to get the best from these machines.

Well proxy, it seems like mum has the fine art of posing down to a tee and baby has a bit longer to go on that front!
At this age you want to give them a good stretch like they were made of dough or perhaps insert a balloon pump to iron out the 'cramped look' but as we always say, it would be a beggar to get them back in even after only a few days!
The mare looks really well, is she sorted?
Talking to a friend who sadly has become the victim of the supermarkets and regretfully just sold her dairy herd, if you fancied a shorter gestation period you would probably be ale to select a bull for it! They seem to be able to breed to just about anything undesirable in that game. Oh that we were in the numbers game that allowed that sort of tinkering!

that might need re uploading, at least the 1.00 to 2.14 section unless its just my PC...

"Talking to a friend who sadly has become the victim of the supermarkets and regretfully just sold her dairy herd, if you fancied a shorter gestation period you would probably be ale to select a bull for it! They seem to be able to breed to just about anything undesirable in that game. Oh that we were in the numbers game that allowed that sort of tinkering!"

Tinker away - it's the bull plus breed that affects gestation length in cattle but a cow doesn't have the same ability to dictate when she gives birth, unlike mares can. It's a bit rich a thoroughbred breeder criticising cattle breeders, by the way - I'd say people in glass houses, having a long experience of breeding both!

My good mare always went a couple days short of twelve month's gestation, regardless of weather pattern but interesting to hear thatthang this season mares seem to be hanging out across the board ! Good luck to all still to foal - I've just the one mare due to HELVELLYN in a couple of weeks.

REALLY pleased to hear about your 2 colts yer ma. I thought that after last year you really needed that tonic.

My 11month 3 week 3 day maiden foaled this morning (5am, don't you just hate those) and if any one recalls, she was the one I was largely advised not to cover. Well it's too early to say who is right but at least it's a bay colt and she is an attentive mother and disaster it is not. We shall see.

Winning, it was a typo, shoulda said they seem to be able to breed OUT anything, not to!

Yer ma, if you are still there... You've done Equiano. Still pro, or neg.?

Thanks yer ma.

I'm leaning away from Equiano perhaps right now. Who knows which way I'll go but she either needs to get on the boat on Tuesday night or get covered over here next weekend so I daresay even I have to make a decision shortly.

Sorry to here about your mare and even more apologies if you have mentioned it before and I have overlooked. You seem quite sanguine about it, so hopefully whatever happened was an acceptable, if regrettable, course of events?

Glad to hear about a nice Requinto colt, the pictures have looked nice, let's hope he's Zoffany II come November.
Although not at the expense of my foals by 1st season sires

So open season for guess the Irish boy now.
I have 4 that would be above Equiano and under 20k for a certain mare.
Dream Ahead
Lilbourne Lad
Lope De Vega
Power
Haven't a clue if any would match the mare but I think I can rule out 3 of them..

S not W

That sounds like gobbledygook so here's something almost as esoteric

Warning
Dream Ahead
Machiavellian
Dark Angel
Oasis Dream
Lethal Force
Green Desert
Averti
Lahib
Dynaformer
Alleged
Johannesburg
Mr Prospector
Shamardal
Danzig
Rousillon
Diktat
Street Cry
Storm Cat
Avonbridge
Lilbourne Lad
Cape Cross
Galileo
Medicean
Caerleon

A more unfurled picture.

Just because I had access to lots of food I didn't know how to eat on Thursday doesn't mean I've won the lottery.

Anyway Mrs P decided our anatomy might be better off if they stayed away after covering so they're still at stud.