Our Little Miracle – Ember

I know it has been forever since I posted about our fence progress but I live, sweat, and bleed that pasture fencing right now and tonight I’ve decided after a day spent laboring in the unforgiving southern sun…I’m taking the night off!

Now I realized a short while ago that whilst I litter my Instagram and Snapchat with photos and information about her, I haven’t mentioned our little Ember -once- on here!

Prepare yourself for the cuteness overload slideshow…

Two days after we closed on our farmhouse, a friend and I drove out to pick up an emaciated mare that we’d fallen in love with a month prior. She has the sweetest disposition and simply enjoyed being groomed. After trailering her home and taking her to the barn we kept reminding how her much better her life was going to be now, that she wouldn’t have to fight for feed, would receive proper hoof care, and loads of TLC …something that has been horribly lacking in her life these past fifteen years. Sweet ol’ Lilah didn’t even know what a treat was! She does now, I’m happy to report and will sniff every single pocket you have to find one. Food oriented – ahhh…just like her new momma.

After settling her in with our geldings I headed home and off to an early shift at work the following day. Everything seemed like your run of the mill Monday until I received a text, “Congratulations Mom, it’s a girl!” Following said text was this picture:

That’s right…the emaciated mare we’d rescued was skin and bones with no muscle left on her to speak of…and was pregnant, though her former owner claims she had no idea of her condition but we won’t go there, it’ll just get me riled up again.

Shock was our first initial feeling, how could we have missed it? How could a mare her age, in the condition she was in when we brought her home have gotten with foal let alone carry to term?? And on top of everything else, this sweet mare foaled by herself with no one there to help had any complications arose. So there I was, staring blankly at my mobile screen trying to figure out what had just happened.

We hadn’t signed up for two but…I mean, look at her! She was sweet as the day and born without complications from a mare that had endured the worst of conditions. I can only assume she looked as pitiful as she did as she was giving everything she had to support growing little Ember.

Fast forward a few weeks, Ember just turned one month old this past Monday. She is sassy as the day, heavily muscled, and endlessly curious. Watching her grow stronger everyday only makes me more excited to have her home and placing her foal-sized halter on for the first time gave my heart a little leap.

Foals are 50% precious, 50% mischievous.

As I’m feeling nostalgic looking over her growth-progression photos, I’m leaning towards the precious side right now.

Not for nothing, Lilah (or Mama), has packed on around 30-40lbs over the past month on her new feeding regime. She and Ember have an acre to themselves, whereas she came from a barn where 40 horses shared 10 acres. She willingly hurries to the gate when she sees you approaching and no longer dreads being haltered. Grooming is something she’d never previously experienced and you can watch her physically relax as she begins to yawn and those eyes start drooping when currying her withers and hips.

All in all, we are so happy to have these special gals in our lives.

XOXO,

Christy