May 30, 2009
Just when you thought you have done it all, there is nothing like following a mare a maiden one at that for days on end, having a huge follicle on the edge of ovulating and then loosing power thanks to a horrific storm, welcome to our Saturday night!
Breeding with frozen semen takes some skill and accuracy, timing is essential. In order to do our very best we ultra sound every few hours when we feel a mare is close to ovulation so we are able to breed as close to ovulation as possible. This is time consuming to say the very least and it does require power.
After following Zolette P Keur [Prestige x Odette N (Houston x G. Ramiro Z)] for literally days she was progressing nicely with a huge follicle on the verge of ovulating when we lost our power due to a massive storm like a tornado with high winds lightning and thunder pounding down in all directions. Many trees and branches in our area where thrown everywhere blocking roads and taking down power lines with them. It was bad enough without power compound that with a mare that is just about to ovulate and no way to check her.
Out comes our generator and an evil eye from Roy, imagine trying to ultra sound a maiden mare with a massive storm going on and powering your ultra sound machine using a generator and my husband Roy telling me I am nuts. Zolette was not impressed with our flash lights and the noise of the generator, I think she thought we were crazy but there was no way we were going to miss this heat cycle after all the effort we put into it and let me tell you it was allot of effort following her.
Sure enough our first generator powered ultra sound revealed she had just ovulated and was ready for breeding. We are now faced with next issue, on a farm no power means no water as the power was already out for over four hours by now, we had no water in our well because the pump needs power to run. Our phone also did not work because we have a phone system installed in our barn and the battery back up ran out of power, we had to thoroughly clean Zolette prior to breeding her thus we must have water to do so. Our dear friend Pat Hartley came to the rescue when we placed an emergency horse 911 call from our cell phone, Pat had power at her home in Stouffville which is a few minutes from our farm.
The devise we use to thaw frozen semen also requires power...what does not actually...thankfully only a few weeks ago I ordered a convertor to plug our thawing devise into a car cigarette lighter so this was an easy fix. Imagine Roy in the dark getting the semen ready using a flash light, Pat and I trying to get Zolette ready in what little light we had and then there is Zolette she was just not impressed all round.
In the end we THANK GOD got the job done and now Pat even knows how to work an insemination gun perhaps she will considering assisting us again! What a way to spend a Saturday night and here is irony for you just as we finished breeding Zolette to Flemmingh and I mean literally our power came back on, I think I need to get drunk!
I had a quick peek at Rumpole in her foaling stall, it was nice to see her with the lights on, she is due on June the 9th and up until tonight did not look close to foaling so I was rather surprised to find her milk had come in sometime during the day. She looks unsettled I guess the drink will have to wait because there is no question I will be watching her like a hawk and suspect very soon her Chin Chin foal will be here...stay tuned!
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June 29, 2012
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June 27, 2012
» Tindorette (s. Indorado) placed in the grand prix Spangenberg (Germany)
June 27, 2012
» Young Corland wins 6-year old competition
June 27, 2012
» Indoctro-son wins 1.40m Competition
June 26, 2012
» Sensation (s. Corland) wins 1.45m in Drammen
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