The Tragic Side of Foaling Season

By: Brittany Bevis

For every gushing post on social media showing off a beautiful photo of a wobbly-legged newborn foal, there are countless other less-publicized moments that horse owners would rather soon forget. Whether it’s a difficult birth resulting in injury, a dummy foal, a stillborn, or the loss of both a foal and mare, the challenges that come along with being a horse breeder are unfortunately just part of this beautiful, but often heartbreaking process.

AQHA amateur and small breeder, Shannon Fisher, has experienced her fair share of breeding heartache. “In the past, I’ve had breedings not go right. I’ve had to make decisions to abort a baby to save the mare. I’ve had a dummy foal, and I’ve lost a mare and baby all together. You’re going to have the bad come with the good in breeding. It’s just a part of life, unfortunately.”

Sadly, the recent loss of a very special foal she nicknamed “Baby Twiggy” hit her particularly hard.

“Whether you’re a small breeder or a large breeding facility, I think we always imagine what an exciting time of year this is going to be. It’s the future and foundation of what our industry is made of. With that being said, the reality of what can come along with breeding season isn’t always pleasant. Unfortunately, this was the case for the beginning of my 2018 foaling season.”

Shannon decided, at the end of her show mare’s 3-year-old year, that she would pull a few embryos. She did her research and selected the perfect cross for her mare, She Dresses To Win, aka “Twiggy.” She decided on AQHA stallion, The Lopin Machine. In 2016, she embarked on a long journey to get her Baby Twiggy.

“Through many attempts, things just didn’t work out, and we had to call it quits for that year, because we sent Twiggy back to the show pen. In 2017, we started right at the beginning. Seeking the help of Gene Parker, we carefully selected a broodmare to carry Baby Twiggy. I’d taken a couple of my own mares for him to choose from, but Gene wanted to use an old show mare of mine who had a couple of babies already and was an exceptional momma. She was the perfect choice to carry this baby.”

The broodmare Shannon entrusted to carry Twiggy’s bundle of joy had carried several foals already, and each birth had gone like clockwork. The mare had both foals in the late morning to early afternoon. Within 20 minutes, they were out and healthy. Sadly, this was not to be the case with Baby Twiggy.

“Last Thursday, at about 11 pm, the mare went down, which was the first time she had laid down in two weeks, so I knew it was time. What I thought was going to be such a happy, exciting moment quickly turned to my worst nightmare. Knowing this mare and how easy labor normally is for her, after 20 minutes, I knew something was terribly wrong. My husband, Alan, immediately stepped in to start helping the mare and baby while I started making phone calls. Our vet, Dr. Brian Garrett, arrived and did all he was able to do. At this point, we were just trying to save the mare, because we knew the baby was already dead.”

Dr. Garrett was able to stabilize the mare, and she was transported to North Carolina State University. Fortunately, the vets didn’t have to do surgery to remove the foal. Instead, the mare was placed in a supportive sling for situations such as this.

“Afterwards, we talked with the vet from the university, and he assured us that there wasn’t nothing we could’ve done to prevent what happened to our baby. The baby had turned to get into position, but somewhere in the 24 hours prior to labor the baby wasn’t strong enough to bring her legs forward. Her head had rolled down towards her neck. Being the crazy horse lady I am, checking our cameras religiously, is what saved our mare, in the long run. Had I not seen what was happening, she would have died as well.”

Shannon has bred many mares over the years, but this is the first time she decided to invest in embryo transfer. “Twiggy is the first mare I’ve ever owned that I thought was special enough to do such a thing with. Even though I live by the quote, ‘things happen for a reason,’ it doesn’t make this loss easy by any means.”

“We did everything right. We were on top of things, as much as anyone could be, and things still didn’t happen as we hoped. It’s the worst part of breeding. But, without breeders, our industry can’t survive, and the love I have for these animals is what drives me forward.”

Although Shannon is deeply saddened and discouraged following the loss of this foal, she’s learned over the past week, by sharing her story, that she’s certainly not alone. “Over the last few days, I’ve learned of so many of my friends who’ve had the same things happen, or even worse. My heart goes out to all of them. But, like me, they’ve pushed on. As hard as it is, we have to keep going. The happiness and the rewards these horses give us are incredible. I have the best family ever, and it’s because of these amazing animals.”

What does give Shannon hope is the breeding season she has planned for 2018. While she will not be attempting an embryo transfer with Twiggy this year, (a decision made long before the loss of this foal) she does have two full sisters to Twiggy that will be bred this year. In addition, she hopes to breed a full sister to Don’t Skip Foxy to her original stallion choice, The Lopin Machine.

“Even though my 2018 season started so tragic, I’m still pushing on and actually breeding the most mares to date. With eight on the list to breed for this year, next year is going to be very busy. These horses have touched my heart. They have provided us with a less than ordinary lifestyle that I could have never imagined. Life without them is just not possible. I feel, even as a small breeder, that I’m doing my part to help keep the industry going.”

If you have a story you’d like to share with our readers, email B.Bevis@EquineChronicle.com.