I know I have not posted to my blog in several months. Life has been pretty busy and a few challenges along the way. I'll be honest, I have not felt very motivated to write, until now. My heart is swelling as the excitement of the long awaited reality approaches. Marcus, my dear gelding, is making his first start as a race horse on Saturday evening at Colonial Downs.
it seems like, yesterday, when he was born, and I was struggling to save his life and the life of his mother, Scarlette (Red Devilette). Marcus was trying to enter this world upside down, a position a horse just can not be safely born in. I was 5 months pregnant with my youngest daughter and already having a complicated pregnancy. I was on the phone with the vet, as soon as I realized there was a problem, but he was 1 1/2 hours away, so it would be up to me to deliver the foal.
I had my husband hold Scarlette, keeping her standing while I worked on trying to move the foal, who's head was wedged tightly against his mother's pelvis. I did what I could, until I had to sit down. Every 10 to 15 minutes, a cycle was repeated, the vet would call to check on the situation and even ask me how I was holding up, as he knew about my difficult pregnancy, then he'd offer encouragement and advice, I'd get off the phone and go back to work on the foal's position, until I had to sit down in exhaustion, all over again, until that phone rang a few minutes later. This repeated over and over, and I lost count of how many times it did. During the time I would sit down or be on the phone with the vet, my husband would encourage Scarlette to walk and try to keep her from laying down.
Finally, I was able to unwedge the foal's head, but I was terrified I'd blinded him, because the only thing I could grab to move his head, was hooking a finger into his eye socket. But it worked and his head was free. Finally I got his hooves pointing more to 2 o'clock, instead of 12 o'clock. When I told the vet this, he was excited, "Wonderful, just get the foal's feet pointing to 3 o'clock and let the mare lay down. She can deliver a sideways foal."
So, i worked a bit more and got him turned a bit more. I told Gordon and we let Scarlette lay down in the foaling stall. Gordon came to assist me at Scarlette's rear and we each took ahold of a leg and began to pull with Scarlette's next contraction. As we gently pulled on the foal, it began to turn more and more into a normal position and by the time his hips came out, he was in the correct position.
We got the foal all the way out and I reached down to check what we had and it was a colt! A glorious colt! Gorgeous dark bay with a big white star and 4 white socks.
I grabbed a towel and started wiping him dry and sat down in the straw beside him, utterly exhausted. Vet arrived 20 minutes later, me still sitting the stall with this huge colt beside me, starting to try to figure out those wonderful long legs of his.
It is a night I will never forget for the rest of my life. He was so perfect and I had not injured his eye, some how, miraculously, it was totally fine.
Marcus was always sweet and gentle and remained that way until he left our farm for training when he was 18 months old. Every time I visit him, I am greeted with him sniffing my face and gently nuzzling me. Does he remember? Does he know what I did to save his life and the life of his mother? Part of me likes to think he does.
And now, my glorious colt, now a gelding and 3 years old, who we allowed to grow and not rush too fast, is finally ready to make his racing debut!
Not only am I visually impaired, but we have taken on several racing partners to help this dream become a reality and of the 6 other partners, 3 of them are also blind. All 4 of us use guide dogs from The Seeing Eye, Inc.
One partner plans to give any money she gets from Marcus racing directly to The Seeing Eye, Inc. First earnings will go back to his expenses, so anything past that will be donated, she owns 4%. I also plan to donate money from his earnings to The Seeing Eye, Inc. So, he will not only be racing to fulfill my dream of owning a race horse that I bred and raised, fulfilling the dreams of several others to own a race horse, but he will also be racing, in part, for The Seeing Eye, Inc. and it's continuing to provide the most wonderful guide dogs for those dreaming of more independence than their cane provided.
Please pray for a safe race, it will be super hot tomorrow. Continue to pray he always comes back from all his races safely, sound, and healthy. I do not pray for wins, but just the above and that he might earn enough to pay his bills and give us a little extra.
The dream is about to become a reality!
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