How The West Was Spun: It's a Boy!

Edit: Finally decided on the baby's barn name, which will be Cisco, although we haven't decided on the full registered name; we are still working on that. D also decided Digger needs a new little brother, so when Cisco is old enough, he'll come and live with us and (hopefully) pester the hell outta Dorkboy.

We've been awaiting news of a new arrival over at Pam and John's place. John's riding buddy, Charley, was due around the 10th of June, and she had a day last week where we thought she might be in labor, but apparently just spent the day shifting the baby around into position. That Charley would make a great poker player - she really doesn't show many signs (other than the obvious huge bump) and while Pam has been dutifully checking on her every hour or so at night, it really was a crap shoot.

Sometime in the wee small hours of the morning today, Charley had a colt - who is doing just fine, and got a clean bill of health from the vet. He's still a little wobbly, but he's also a few days early, and they expect him to have Charley chasing after him in the next couple of days. His dad is one of Pam's boarders - a really really nice stallion named Sachemo - who is black, with 4 white feet and a small white blaze. Sach is one of the least stallion-y stallions I've met. He's actually pretty mellow.

(Please excuse the listing in the picture - I was trying to take it with my arm stuck through the gate so I didn't disturb Sach).

The proud father:

Charley and the baby:

A closer-up shot:

We aren't quite sure what color this little fellow will wind up being. He does have 1 white foot - you can see it there on his right back foot - but otherwise, he's all one solid color. He almost has a silvery-gray appearance, like a smoky black, but he also might have grullo markings. He's got some very faint zebra-like stripes on his back legs and a slightly darker stripe along his spine, but we'll have to see about that as he grows into his adult coloration.

Either way, he's a cutie!

All for now.....

(PS - extra special thanks to Charley for hurrying up and having this baby before we left for Montana AND for providing me blog fodder with pictures that don't include Pam's broken nose and 12 stitches from a training accident on Friday night.)

July 2008

Comments

Oh my! I hope Pam isn't in too much pain. That little one is a doll! I'm waiting for news on Deb's baby 'paca...she was playing the same game...baby getting into position.

Posted by:margene | June 04, 2007 at 01:43 PM

How adorable!

Posted by:Carole | June 04, 2007 at 02:22 PM

Such a cutie!!! He's going to be a handsome one when he gets bigger.

Posted by:Sheepish Annie | June 04, 2007 at 03:41 PM

Awww! Too cute! I just love foals with those spindly legs!

Posted by:Marcia Cooke | June 04, 2007 at 03:51 PM

That one is SO cute it hurts. Spindly young beauty.

Posted by:Laurie | June 04, 2007 at 04:55 PM

Beautiful baby! Much sympathy to Pam!

Posted by:Chris | June 04, 2007 at 04:58 PM

Congrats!! Great looking horses and beautiful colt. What are you going to name him??

Posted by:Robin | June 04, 2007 at 06:18 PM

Posted by:Robin | June 04, 2007 at 06:19 PM

Cute! The best kind of baby pics *g*

Posted by:AnnaMarie | June 04, 2007 at 06:41 PM

Colt legs! How I love them.

Posted by:lanea | June 05, 2007 at 06:36 AM

What great pictures! The little one is so cute :-)

Posted by:Kim | June 05, 2007 at 06:49 AM

Cute! What's his name? Poor Pam - nothing like broken noses to make a person reconsider horsetraining.

Posted by:Cathy | June 05, 2007 at 08:29 AM

Oh, so cute. I love, love, love foals. It's been a few years since we've had one around our place so I have to get vicarious thrills through others. Lets see, mommy looks like a chestnut and daddy is black? Hmmm, that's a tough one. I'm afraid I don't know enough about the genetics of coat color to tell you what color he'll grow into. I do know in Arabians that you have to have one grey parent to be a grey, but I don't know if that goes beyond arabians or not.

I've played the waiting game with mares due to give birth. They're very good at bluffing, for sure. And, they'll often wait until you're not around to be there when it all happens.

Have fun in Montana!

Posted by:Nicole | June 05, 2007 at 11:53 AM

Poor Pam! Oh dear. :-( But the foal is adorable. :-)

Posted by:Beth S. | June 05, 2007 at 12:23 PM

Cisco is great. A new one to look forward to! I love your sharing, b/c no horses are in my future here. I'll live vicariously through you. Cant wait to see Montana images.

Posted by:kathy b | June 05, 2007 at 05:44 PM

For half of the post, I thought you were referring a human baby! The picture of the father came of something as shock!

Posted by:AmyP | June 06, 2007 at 01:29 PM

Oh he's a cutie!

Lol to AmyP's comment!

Posted by:Karen | June 06, 2007 at 04:13 PM

Oh what fun - a new baby for you! Congratulations! And now there is one more reason for me to plan a trip out your way.

Posted by:Chris | June 07, 2007 at 05:53 AM

Awww! Cisco is a little cutie pie! What a great life you have to be around these awesome happenings:) Poor Pam, yikes.

Posted by:Carol | June 08, 2007 at 07:52 PM

The colt is quite beautiful; you can see the great lines in him already. Congratulations!

I do hope Mommy is mending well.