We have a winner!

I am a name nerd. I greatly enjoy researching meaning, etymology and impact on character and personality. I strongly believe that names are vitally important in forming our identity,
dictacting how people respond to us and influencing our interactions with others.

It is no different for our animals. They know their names and, more importantly, they know how people relate to them because of their names. Name a horse Brutus and he'll likely be treated like he is a brute, even if he is not. Name a dog Cookie and people will likely treat her with sweetness.


This is why I am particular with the names I choose for my
animals. They are relevant.



Naimah is an arabic name that I chose specifically because of its' meaning. Peace, tranquility and a long and comfortable life. After all, is this not what my noble mare deserves! Even her nickname, Naia, has significance. It means, frame of reference, standpoint or a view of the world. I know this much, Naia has changed my view of the world.

Now, what of Naia's sweet son? I firmly believe that he deserves as distinguished a name as his mother.

And so we come to the close of our contest.

The instant I looked at this vibrant boy the name Seraph (sayr-eff) entered my mind. I couldn't think of the meaning of it off hand. I had to go home and look the name up again.


Seraph is a name of hebrew origin that means an angelic being of glorious and fiery appearance; of the heavenly realm, having six wings, singing over the throne of God; serving in obedience.
A good name indeed!

Even though I thought that he should be Seraph, I decided to continue with the Name the Foal Contest. After 4 days, over 50% of the voters agreed that his name should be Seraph but I also had some fantastic suggestions come in.

I have now made my final decision. His name will be Seraph, BUT, if I am able to register him, he shall be called...

Al-Mahdi Heaven Sent

Congratulations and gratitude to Shelagh! Interestingly enough, Shelagh looked at Seraph's picture and immediately thought, "heaven sent". We both had his name come to us, in a sense. I think that maybe, just maybe, God named him.

Al-Mahdi is also arabic and it means "guided to the right path."

Fitting, isn't it?

Naimah's Name the Foal Contest

Naimah's son needs a name!!!
For the next week ONLY, I will be taking suggestions for naming Naimah's son.Guidelines:

• You can enter as many times as you would like
• The name MUST have meaning
• Consider his bold and energetic personality
• Consider what his mother survived and what she gave to him
• Consider a tribute name
• Tell me the story behind your suggestion
  

Send your entry to NNTFContest@gmail.com

A New Arrival

Last night when I went to check on Naimah I wondered if she could be in labour but thought that, again, I was jumping the gun. She had no telltale wax on her udder which was the last 'sign' I was waiting for. Even so, I knew that she must be getting close as she was bagged right up and very loose around her tail head. Her behaviour was perfectly normal and she did not appear to be in any discomfort aside from the irritation of mosquitoes. I decided that one more check late at night would suffice until morning...

I arrived at 6:30 am to find Naia (her most recent nickname) walking the fence line in her paddock. When I approached she came to greet me but there was none of her usual nickering. She slowly walked to the front fence then stood shifting from one hind leg to the other, tapping her hind hoof on the ground. I checked under her tail and saw no discharge or amniotic sac. Then she passed some very loose stool.

I decided that she was very likely in stage one labour and that I best make a few phone calls to change my day. I went back to my car to 'gear up' and call the necessary people. As I chatted on the phone, I watched Naimah from a distance... slowly walking around her paddock but now her tail was slightly elevated although nothing was yet showing.

I gathered my towels, gloves, camera, navel dip, etc, and turned to head for the paddock. As I did so, I noticed a pendulous amniotic sac hanging from her and quickly called a friend while I hurried out the the paddock. I saw her lay down, not, of course, in the clean straw I had put out or in the dry or grassy parts of her paddock, but in the muddiest and dirtiest part possible!!! This is certainly NOT what I had planned. (It's actually funny that I thought my plans would have an influence on my mare!) I thought that, perhaps I would be able to get her up to move to a cleaner location. That did not happen. I didn't know it at the time but it was going to take her less than 5 minutes to foal out.

After I entered her paddock I forced myself to slow my pace and calm down. As I approached Naimah I talked softly to her. She seemed quite unperturbed by my presence. As I rounded behind her I saw that she had delivered all but the hind legs of a beautiful chestnut foal. The sac was already broken away and the baby's shaky little head raised. I helped to clear the fluid from the tiny nostrils and watched as a new life took it's first few breaths. What a glorious privilege.

Naimah turned to nicker at her baby and it answered back with the sweetest little whinny. I carefully unshrouded the newborn and a quick check revealed that Naimah had given birth to a son.

I started to towel him off while Naimah rested. He was certainly a vigorous little boy. His mouth was already searching for something to suck. Before the umbilical cord was even broken or his back legs fully delivered he tried to stand.

Once the cord was naturally severed, I treated his umbilicus to prevent infection and knotted the afterbirth to help prevent Naimah from stepping on it and tearing the placenta away from her uterine lining.

Naimah and baby rested briefly although it wasn't long and baby started to stir again. As the colt tried to stand I guided him as Naimah took to her feet as well. She is so careful of him. She seems to move slowly, methodically and intentionally, making sure she does not injure him.

It took him 15 minutes and several ungainly slow motion tumbles to gain his feet. When he finally did it was a real Bambi moment; spread eagle! As he stood for the first time, he gave a shrill little whinny as if to say, "I did it!" His triumph was short lived... as he attempted his first step, he achieved his next fall. I made sure that I was on hand for his little falters to help shield him from injuring himself.

It took him about 25 minutes to begin walking with some stability. It really is amazing how fast these little guys are up and moving.

As he took his first tour of his new home, he began to lead his mom around. He is very bold, wanting to greet all his neighbours and start little adventures already. He is definitely a high energy horse with abundant attitude! At one point Naia gave him a little nip on his rump and he tried to buck and toppled over! He was uninjured... well maybe a small bruise to his pride. Attitude!

He is also responsive. When he got too close to other animals, Naimah was very quick to correct and defend him. She was gentle but she got her point across. He is readily learning these early lessons that mom is teaching him.

As he wandered he made several attempts to find a nipple. He tried a hock, an elbow, an ear, a tail, two cannon bones... After two hours of this I was beginning to think he would not figure it out. I put a halter on Naimah and carefully milked a small amount of colostrum onto my fingers and rubbed it onto the outside of her udder hoping that the smell would help baby to locate the right part. I left her halter on for the time being, just in case I needed to further intervene. I gave her more hay to eat at leisure and sat down on my pasture chair (two old tires) and waited...

As momma mare ate, baby continued his investigation of her body. Soon he caught the smell of the milk and literally began to drool as he bunted at her udder. Then, finally, I heard a few slurps followed by swallowing... success! He ate for a few minutes, took a short break and went right back to feeding. He came away smacking his lips... mmmm.

Immediately following his first meal he took his first nap. It was a very brief snooze which ended with a pert little whinny. Once up on his feet, the little guy decided to try his hand at a faster pace. Trotting went well so he quickened to a canter was rather graceful, if that term can be applied to a three hour old colt!


After a good romp, he settled in for a good long sleep. It was too funny, he would stir every ten minutes or so, give a whinny and then crash again. He slept for about an hour and then was up, eating, romping and doing all the fantastic things that young horses live to do.

I sat in the pasture all day marking each of his 'firsts', making contact, contemplating names and praising Naia. My beautiful mare did a great job!

So, by days end, baby has been born, been fed, walked, trotted, cantered, peed, pooped, and slept very soundly with mother keeping watch.

Naimah is a fantastic mom. Actually she is just plain amazing in every way. I am in abundantly blessed. A gift to me has given me yet another gift.

Over the past few weeks I have been asked the same question, countless number of times, "What do you hope it is?"
My answer was always the same, "a dark bay filly with no white would be perfect!" I truly believe that God knows that what we think we want and what we really desire are often two very different things.
Well, in the end, I didn't get the dark bay filly that I wanted, instead, I got the vibrant chestnut colt that I desired...

and he couldn't be more... perfect.

Consequences?

For a moment, I want to contemplate the consequences.

I know that we are all anxious to see some measure of justice for the horses of the Rescue 100 Horses Foundation but it would seem that we will have to wait far longer than we would have hoped.

Axel Hinz-Schleuter and Dale Huber had their second court date on Monday the 26th of May and, again, they opted to have their lawyer represent them in their absence. Their lawyer requested an adjournment and a new court date was set for September 8th.

We need to be aware of how vital it is that we show our solemn presence at these court hearings. It will be harder to minimize the degree of cruelty perpetrated against these animals if the court room is filled with people silently stating their abhorrence of the abuse that the herd endured.

It is imperative that we do not demonstrate, rant, shout, picket or hurl anything (be it jeers or objects). We will gain more ground for the horses if we let our Rescue 100 Horses Foundation T-Shirts and our presence do the talking.

That said, WE MUST SHOW UP! If we, the dedicated supporters of this herd aren't there, the consequences could be that Dale Huber and Axel Hinz-Schleuter WALK AWAY or face minimal inconveniences for what they have done.

I DON'T mean to point the finger at those who were not able to attend... I didn't make it there on Monday either. I am simply saying that we need to do all we can to make sure that the ones who face the consequences, are the people who sat back and watched 27 horses starve to death.

BUT...
The battle does not end with the court case. There is the problem of the Federal and Provincial laws concerning animal cruelty. In my on-line poll I asked the question...

Do you think that people convicted of animal cruelty should be subject to periodic inspection?
The response was unanimous: YES, they have lost their right to privacy where it pertains to the care and ownership of animals.

Right now, a person residing in Alberta could have been found guilty of horrifying cruelty and their property can't be continually monitored to ensure that the same problem does not reoccur.

If this is going to change, then we need to commit to seeking amended legislation. This too will take time and perseverance.

I can't determine the consequences that Axel and Dale face but I can speak for the horses and speak for change. I challenge you to do the same so that the beautiful consequence of all of this suffering is a future where this pain can't continue.

***

Incidentally, Naimah is still in foal. I will post the happy news as soon as the blessed event happens!

Immovable!

Okay, another old adage - "you can lead a horse to water but..." I think we all know the rest. I have a new adage, "You can pull up on a horses foot until you turn purple and pass out, but you can't make her lift it." I should really place this addendum on that quip... "you can't make her lift it unless you make her WANT to."

I am sure that somewhere along the road, someone did get Naimah to stand and relinquish her feet to her handler or a farrier. That said, it seems to be a lesson that she has either long since forgotten or one the she doggedly desires not to recall. Nonetheless, I have been working consistently since her arrival to get her to yield her feet to me.

When she arrived, I could get her to lift her front feet but she would not allow them to be held up, picked out or manipulated in any way. They would come up and then go immediately back down. I had to move quick a few times to avoid having squished toes! At that point her back legs below the hock were absolutely OFF limits as far as she was concerned.

After a week of work, I still couldn't handle her hind legs much but she had become quite responsive on her fore. I could pick up a front hoof, tap it, rub it, but not pick it. As far as manipulation went, she would let me flex it forward completely and flex back. In fact she was yielding control to me so nicely that I could move her joints through to her shoulder with no resistance. BUT... those back legs! As soon as I would get my hand onto her cannon she would resist, step away or threaten a kick.

Well, last night we had a breakthrough. I finally took a step back and considered the fact that I was asking for the whole enchilada when maybe all she was ready to give was small yields. I watched her behaviour and realized that I was asking for too much, too soon.

I know that some people are thinking, just get it done... assert yourself. I realize that, with a horse who is just being obstinate, that this can be an acceptable approach. I don't think that Naimah is being obstinate. I truly think that what I was dealing with was fear and fear only responds to force with more fear.

So...
We took it slow last night. VERY slow with constant reward through verbal praise for every SMALL yield. I decided that I wouldn't ask her for her leg. At first, I would ask her to stand and submit to touch with varying degrees of pressure. So I set a plan to work down the leg from joint to joint.

The results?
Well on her forequarters, she remains very yielding and FINALLY allowed me to pick out her hooves!
On the hindquarters I was able to touch her legs completely from hip to hoof with varying degrees of pressure and she would stand, relaxed for each part. Toward the end of our 2 hour workout, I got bold and asked her to give me a hind foot.

She relaxed it for a moment and I lifted it for a SECOND. That was all I wanted! PROGRESS.

Perhaps one of the many lessons Naimah will teach me is how to marry perseverance with patience.

Muddy Mares at Midnight

I can't articulate the joy I feel every time I go to see Naimah. The saying that "the outside of a horse is good for the inside of a man" rings so true in my relationship with my beautiful momma mare. In fact, she has caused me enjoy to things that I previously would not have even entertained doing.

I have never been a morning person but have found myself actually enjoying the opportunity to rise early in the morning regardless of the amount or quality of the sleep that I have had.

I have found myself going to visit my mare straight from work, wearing my 'good' clothes and not minding so much when she nuzzles my dress jacket leaving a swath of muzzle dirt.

I have braved pouring rain to stand ankle deep in muck, bent over with water dripping UP my nose, just to see her udder. I couldn't tell if the droplets I saw were water spots on my glasses or wax!

I have driven home from Sherwood Park, arriving after midnight and walked quietly to her paddock in the pitch black, using my cell phone as a flashlight... just to make sure that my mare is warm, safe and comfortably covered in mud!

I love my horse. I love the peace, bliss and ridiculousness that she brings to my life. Thank you Naimah.

Waiting!

I am asked daily if I am a new "Grandma". I guess the thought is that I am Naimah's "Mom" and therefore this makes me an expectant Grandmother! In truth, I don't mind being mother or grandmother to some 'furkids'.

As you likely gathered, I am still awaiting babies arrival. Naimah is shaping up for delivery but seems content to take this process slowly. On one hand I am VERY thankful that she is progressing slowly because the more her body prepares for delivery, the more likely it will be that she and baby come through this without difficulty. On the other hand I am like a kid before Christmas. The present is under the tree and I am jittery with anticipation.

A couple of days ago I was recounting a story I had heard about the great Arabian stallion Khemosabi, to a friend of mine. I told her how the dam of Khemosabi, Jurneeka, went past her due date and that the breeder jokingly said, "perhaps she's adding white markings!" When Jurneeka finally went down to foal, two white forelegs were followed by a white muzzle... in the end Jurneeka's son was a striking colt with four high whites, a star, strip and snip!!!

Perhaps this is white, or what, Naimah is up to! Only time will tell!

I also find myself pondering names... I would prefer to use a name of Middle Eastern origin with significant meaning. I am open to suggestions; in fact I would appreciate any that you have to offer.

For now, I am waiting.... waiting
WAITING