Our adorable Easter baby
Anna-Carina is a proud horse mum
From the perspective of an Aiderbichler
(written by Gisela Pschenitschnig)
A few months ago it was “Pregnant mare to the slaughter?” – we are now looking ahead and looking forward to Anna-Carina’s Easter present: she has become a proud horse mum.
… and she acted very mysterious
In the last few days, you could sense a very soft, pleasant mood in Anna-Carina. Her eyes looked warm and full of expectation, she stretched her head towards her favourite people. Completely calm and relaxed, you could cuddle head to head with Anna-Carina. She was even cuddlier than she had been all those weeks before.
The belly was big and round, the udder was full and now the big wait for Anna-Carina’s foal began.
The filly was born in the morning of Palm Sunday
The keepers kept watching their 24/7 surveillance camera on their mobile phones. Everyone was ready to assist Anna-Carina during her labour.
On Palm Sunday, the night watchman did his last round before the animal keepers went on duty. At around 4.15 a.m., animal keeper Theresa looked into the camera and realised that the foal had just been born. It was as if Anna-Carina had waited until she was all alone and then started giving birth to her foal.
After the birth, Anna-Carina and her foal lay on the ground for a while. During this time, blood is still being pumped into the foal via the placenta. When the mother mare stands up to lick the newborn, the umbilical cord, the connection between the mother mare and the foal, is severed. After about 15 minutes, the foal stands on its own, albeit still wobbly, legs for the first time. Standing up and movement causes the lungs to expand. It is important that the foal stands up quickly and drinks breast milk to strengthen itself.
The most important food in the first stage of life is the first milk, also known as colostrum. This first milk contains vital substances for the immune systemand for the metabolism. In addition, the composition of the first milk ensures the foal’s first bowel movement, the so-called intestinal stool.
The foal was a little overwhelmed by the search for milk. It’s only natural: having just been born, you have to stand up and understand how to get the milk from the teats. With his head under his mum’s belly, yes, ok, and then? The keepers helped the foal, and now it’s doing everything on its own.
The little one has miserably long mannequin legs, a light brown coat, big, dark eyes with incredibly long eyelashes, and her mane is as dark as her mum’s.
Anna-Carina is a relaxed mum
The foal keeps its mother on her toes and peeks over the stall door here and there, but only very briefly. You can only see the dark ears, a little of the mane and the light-coloured coat. Then she has to go straight back to her mum and look for milk, because young horse life is pretty exciting and foals are actually so hungry and then have to go straight back to sleep.
Anna-Carina and her foal are also lying together in the straw and taking a siesta. The mare’s head looks lovingly at her sleeping, deep-breathing foal.
Anna-Carina’s foal is like a bright ray of sunshine in the main stable lane. Every day she gets even more alert and cheeky. The little one is worth a trip to Gut Aiderbichl and is sure to win the hearts of many animal-loving people in no time.
Anna-Carina and her offspring look forward to a happy future together. And animals are perfect at it: they don’t turn round after negative experiences. The future lies ahead of them.
Thousands of candles can be lit by the light of one candle without its light dimming. Joy does not diminish when it is shared.
~ Buddha
