SURPRISE!!

Welcome to the world, Maizie!

Momma's name is Domino.

No, we didn't know she was pregnant, we just thought she was fat!

No, we don't have any stallions on the farm, or for that matter, in the near vicinity.

Mama has only been at the farm since November, so obviously she found a stallion back in April or May! Flood baby, perhaps?!

Dad might be an arab. Or he might be a QH. Or a paint. Mom is a spotted saddle horse. Baby appears to be gaited.

See those two lovely ladies in the background? That's the vet (who happened to be at the farm today anyway) and the barn owner. Here's what they're saying:

Dr. Nicole: I didn't know you guys had a pregnant mare on the farm!
Anita: Neither did we.

Baby checked out healthy and had all her "baby stuff" done in a timely fashion. She's a nursing, pooping, independent little sucker! Mom follows baby around, baby doesn't follow mom! We learned that you must restrain baby FIRST then halter mom, or Maizie will take off and mom doesn't wait long to drag you along behind her! She is a very good mommy and had baby up, dry and she had to have nursed by the time Marie found her this morning.

We pretty much have the farm split with mares on one side of the drive and geldings on the other... the mares were ALL out of sorts today with a new kid in town!

At one point, while baby was up and working on nursing, mama was nibbling her backside to stimulate her... baby squealed and kicked out... "MOM! I GOT this... leave me alone!" Cuuuuute!!