LEFT, top and bottom: 1) The “Team Twins” at their inspection. 2) From L to R, Erika Chomka, Darlene Ganong, Bianca LHF, Faelyn, Denise Pasieka, Mary Jane Hansen, Bijou LHF (aka Barbie), Peter Bagenstose, Dotty Coughlin. 3) Bijou LHF and Bianca LHF.
normal foal would do, but Barbie followed her humans because she knew we had her bottle. I slept in the stall at night and Barbie would lay next to me like a puppy, waking me by nudging my face when she was hungry, which was about every hour. This went on for about eleven days. Soon I began to notice that every time she finished her bottles, she would stand under Fae knowing she should be doing something, but she was not quite sure what to do. Of course, she had been watching big sister Bianca nurse. All of a sudden, she latched on and a huge sense of relief came upon me. We continued to offer Barbie a bottle frequently and there were days she would take it and others when she snubbed it. By day 14, Barbie wanted no part of a bottle. At this point, everything looked super. She was nursing from mom, was maintaining her body temperature and her hind legs were straightening.
Another Setback At a month old we saw Barbie’s front right leg beginning to bow inward because she had been over compensating for her weak hind legs. It was subtle at first, but worsened by the day. I immediately started her on Progressive Nutrition’s Rejuvenaide Paste and we were also supplementing the filly’s diet with the company’s creep feed. In addition, I had my farrier trim her feet every other week. A few more weeks went by and both my farrier and vet recommended periosteal stripping, a surgical procedure that encourages one side of the bone in the affected leg to grow faster. Even
though I wasn’t completely convinced this was the way to go, I did make the appointment on a Thursday to have the procedure done. I checked the weather the day before the procedure and found it was going to be hot, almost 100 degrees. I decided that it would be too stressful to ship Fae and her two foals in such heat, so I postponed the surgery until the next Thursday. Then a few days later, I noticed her leg seemed to be a bit straighter, but thought that perhaps it was because I wanted to think it was improving. As we approached the next appointment, I received a call from my neighbor who cuts our hay, informing me that he would be here that week and Thursday was the day the hay would have to be unloaded in the barn. So once again, I cancelled the appointment for the stripping. However, as time passed, it became obvious that Barbie’s leg was truly getting
straighter and straighter on its own. By now I was convinced that she was going to be able to fix her leg all by herself. By the time she was four months old, her knee was straight and she was turning out just very slightly from her pastern.
Beautiful Sisters Barbie is a true survivor. Her birth, along with her sister’s, is practically a miracle. As an embryo, she hung on and grew inside her mother even though her big sister was taking most of the nourishment. Barbie was born weighing only 40 pounds, straightened her legs by herself and grew into the loveliest filly one can imagine. Her will is amazing! At the end of August we took four-month-old Barbie and Bianca to their Oldenburg GOV Inspection and, needless
to say, they were a big hit. Bianca earned a premium status and everyone wanted to take Barbie home. Holly Simensen of the Oldenburg Verband spoke very kind words about their overall health and beauty and complimented us for the outstanding care we provided. She also remarked that that Barbie and Bianca were the best twins she had ever seen! I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who was instrumental in the foals’ survival as I could
not have done this alone. The support and love we received was abundant and I am truly grateful to have such wonderful friends who were a part of our “Team Twins.” I feel truly blessed that everything turned out this well as I know the birth of twins could have been a disaster. One or
both foals, along with my mare, could easily have been lost. It was an experience I will never forget and frankly one that I hope will not happen again!
40 March/April 2013
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