Chapter’s End — Foster goes home
Written by Deb on October 10th, 2010
Foster, 5 months old
It’s been quite a summer having both a litter of puppies and a foal to watch grow up and become more independent. Foster has been here since May 3rd. He has been eating grain and hay on his own, drinking water from buckets and nursing less. He leads fairly well and stands for grooming and the farrier. Lately at times he and Cookie would even be a pasture apart from each other (but a gate opened in between) and they were fine not being right by each other. Foster also had become good friends with my gelding, Nick.
Seeing how he was getting more independent his owners felt it was time to wean him and take him back home. On Friday we loaded Cookie in their trailer and in a short time Foster jumped in with her and they were off to Foster’s owners’ farm. Cookie stayed there with him all weekend to help him with his transition and tonight she came back home, her job done. She didn’t have a problem leaving there but now she has been galloping all over our pastures whinnying and looking for him. Nick was calling for him (and probably Cookie) Friday night until quite late so Nick had to wean from Foster, too.
I know it will get better with time but right now we are all sad to have come to an end of life with Foster. Fortunately he is only 5 miles away and we can visit him. Plus through this experience we have made new friends. Maybe some day we will have a foal of our own to raise here. Thanks to Foster our experience with raising him has eased the pain of our loss of our own foal for both Cookie and ourselves and we’ve learned a lot.
If you hadn’t read the story about Foster the original post is here: http://dunnsmarshlabs.com/bbfarmblog/2010/05/foster-story-about-a-foal/
It is a nice end to the story.
Thanks, KC, I know you’ve followed his story.
Great job Deb! The world needs more people like you.
Thanks, Sharon. We were so fortunate to have Foster in our lives. We could have had nothing but sadness the day our foal died, instead we gained our experience with Foster and new friends.
I know it was hard for you to lose your own foal, and the happy to find Foster to care for. Now you have to say goodbye to him. You have had your ups and downs this summer. Poor Cookie too. Foster’s people were lucky to have found you.
Yes, hard to say goodbye and to see Cookie upset tonight. Just put her in the barn and she ran to her stall like she was expecting him to be there then started pacing, licking his feeder, etc. I feel bad for her because her udder is full right now, too, which has to remind her of him more.
And they all lived happily ever after – What a great ending. You should start righting books Deb. I would be first in line to buy one. I’m with Sharon – the world would be a better place with more people like you in it……..
Thanks, Donna. I started the blog a couple of years ago when people said I should write a book about all the things that happen in our lives. I like to think others in our position would do the same thing we did (taking in Foster). I could not have turned him away and looked myself in the mirror.
Wonderful story Deb and we are proud of you
I’m generally not the kind of person to submit comments on people’s sites, but for your article I simply had to do it. I have been cruising around your blog a lot recently and I am super impressed, I think you might really become a main voices for this topic. Not sure what your workload is like in life, but if you began devoting more effort to writing here, I would bet you would begin seeing a lot of traffic eventually. With advertisements, it could become a nice reserve revenue stream. Just something to ponder. Good luck!
I am so happy Cookie did get to raise a foal after all- I can totally relate to her crushing sorrow of losing her baby. It is such a basic primal loss that the love of another baby can help soothe. She gave of herself and now Foster is going to grow up to be a fine horse! She taught him the ways of herd behavior, and the fact that Nick bonded to him just shows what a capable mama Cookie is.
Take care and stay tucked in for the winter. See you for agility in the spring- and also see you around the clinic as Cordelia grows!!
hey there, when you get a chance, go here
http://paintedpromiseranch.blogspot.com/2011/01/thanks-ms-martyr.html
you are “This One” #9