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| Story Date | Headline |
| 15/03/2004 | The birth of Aurora. |
Marisma one of the giant Andalucian donkeys was due to give birth around March 6th, the time of the full moon. We watched her girth increase and she was waddling around and slowing down a bit towards the due date. She was enjoying the comfort of a stable and yard which gave her privacy and peace away from the rest of the gang."Our farrier Raphael arrived on the Sunday morning and he too agreed that she must foal that evening! It was impossible that she could hold on for any longer. The moon was full, the nights were starlit so it had to be. We had already spent the previous two nights on all night vigil, just round the corner from her stable, tucked up on sun chairs with rugs and cushions, so we too were hoping that Sunday would be the night!! Raphael also suggested that his father who bred horses reckoned that they always give birth between 10pm and 11.30pm. so they could go out to dinner and get back to be there for the birth! We hoped that too would be the case for Marisma. We changed tactics slightly and stayed in the house and popped down to the stable every half an hour. So at 9.30pm nothing, 10pm nothing, 10.30pm Marisma was lying down in the stable but got up and walked briskly round the yard as if to say “I am OK now go away”! At 11pm I came down and there just by the stable door to the yard I could see in the shadows a pair of ears and a bundle on the ground! The foal was half out of the bag ,umbilical cord already severed, and Marisma was lying just inside the stable. I called to the others and then moved the babe into the stable and where the lights were and saw that Marisma was rather tucked up in the corner of the stable , so I let her rest a little put the babe to her to bond, then fed Marisma some hay and towel dried the babe who was already wanting to stand up!My goodness she was strong and up on her feet really quickly. Then we turned Marisma so she could get up, and she did and then the babe was put to her and she suckled very very quickly. That was so important as she would get all the strength and nourishment she needed to give her protection. We have managed to film a lot of footage!! We shall share this with you all later. So, amazingly within the hour Marisma had given birth, the foal was up on her feet and suckling. I managed to measure the foal and she was 91.5cms to the shoulder!! Now that is tall and her legs are long and elegant and she is perfectly proportioned.We are so thrilled, particularly as it was a girl!! We have called her Aurora as we plan to start the old tradition that the Military used of naming by the letters of the alphabet each year. So this year they will all be having names beginning with A. We stayed with Mum and babe until 2 am to be certain all was well and it was such a magical and special time just to observe the bonding between the two of them. Gradually one by one the other donkeys that were outside on the terrace came to the fence and looked into the stable to see the new babe, that was very special. Marisma is proving to be a very good mother and now at the end of the first week she has introduced Aurora to the rest of the herd and they are all out together. Aurora is galloping up and down and is so full of energy. She knows who we all are as she knows our smell and comes to us for cuddles. Did you know that when a foal is born it is wearing soft cartilage bootees , which have protected the hooves in the womb so as not hurt the mother? These sort of melt away within the first few hours and the new shiny hooves are underneath. Already Aurora has two teeth coming through top and bottom!! I notice she is mouthing little pieces of hay too. All her equipment worked so no worries there. It is important to see that everything functions properly as it has been known for the colon to be blocked with disastrous results.So you can imagine this first week of her life has been watched by us all, so as not to miss a trick!. Aurora is the first foal of the year and the first of the giant donkeys to foal here. We wait now for the rest to follow, there should be 6 more babes this year!! |
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