Ah, that wasn’t so hard . . . .

Just a few days old, and already wearing a halter!  Her loving and capable trainer eased her into it and is already working with her to lead.  Glowing reports about “she’s so intelligent!” and “she has such a good attitude” fill us with anticipation for what a great horse she will become.  She won’t come home with us for some time, and we can hardly wait.  The work won’t wait, however, as we have to build a new corral and we are still working on repairs to an ancient loafing shed that will shelter Tilly from the elements.

Still a baby, need some rest . . . .

Tilly spends time running laps around her mother and by all reports is healthy and very active.  Her blue eyes are sun-sensitive and she wears a mask to shade her eyes part of the day.  She took to it with no outbursts of temper, which is a credit to her and her trainer.

Hey, Doc, I’m doing the best that I can . . . .

Tilly’s stable-mate is a little filly born the day after Mother’s Day, which was when Tilly arrived (what a great Mother’s Day surprise she was!). This little filly was a breech delivery and she had a rough day of it.  The veterinarian is fitting her with splints to help support the tendons in her front hooves so she can stand.  She is progressing beautifully and can now nurse, which is so vital.  Soon, she’ll be running wild with Tilly and they should become great companions.

Be a lady and smile for the camera . . .

Eleven long months of waiting and we have our foal!  She is less than 36-hours old in this photo, and ready to embrace the world.  We named her Tahlequah and have nick-named her “Tilly” for short, although she will have more names when she is registered with the American Paint Horse Association.  Her sire is a beautiful black and white Tobiano paint, and mom Tia, although a solid color, was sired by a great sorrel Overo paint.  The joy and excitement of breeding a paint is the surprise package of color and variation!

These legs are made for running . . . .

“Tilly” is quick and nimble and is going to be a very active foal.  She was only hours old and trotting around the pasture.

Ah, lunch time.  Mother’s milk is the sweetest, most nutritious nectar of life.

Four Amigos waiting for lunch . . . .

The trees are alive with the sounds of hungry baby birds calling for a meal.  We believe we  have identified these as Brewer’s Blackbirds, but we’re not absolutely certain.  At any rate, they are an incredibly noisy group, buzzing furiously when they are hungry.  Any day now there will be practice flights and aerial stunts that will likely result in a few crash landings.  These babies are going to be at risk from Mr. Mouse, the cat who patrols the grounds, as well as a curious dog Rosie who will want to play with them.  We will be on guard.