Vespa came to Roads End after another career (or two).  Much of her history was unknown, so we have no idea of whether or not Vespa had ever foaled before.  We tried (unsuccessfully) for years before finally in 2005 Vespa was confirmed in foal.

With twins.  With Vespa, things are never easy!  Our good vet reduced one and we watched Vespa carefully.   Thankfully, her pregnancy moved along uneventfully.  She worked under saddle until November when she made it clear she was done working.  (How?  She tried to buck off her rider to explain her feeling about working in her condition.  Vespa is quite expressive like that!)  Vespa held her girlish figure while the other mares grew to massive proportions.  Vespa, always the 'barn princess' seemed to revel in her svelte figure (while the other mares groaned as they moved about).

Around 300 days, Vespa decided to develop an udder.  This is a bit early, but not terribly worrisome unless other things indicate a problem.  Everything looked fine, other than Vespa's normally tiny udder was growing faster than the rest of her.  When she started dripping milk when the udder was handled, we calcium tested the fluid. 

The calcium test isn't fool-proof, but is generally a good indicator of the proximity to foaling.  When a mare is quite a ways out, the fluid has under 50 PPM (Parts per million) calcium.  Once a mare hits or exceeds 200 PPM, 98% of them foal within 72 hours.  Once a mare goes over 300, then foaling is generally imminent.  "Generally" is, of course, the operative word in this saga.

At day 322, Vespa's milk had a calcium level of 90.  This generally (here's that infamous word again!) indicates foaling within 10 days.  However, Vespa had a different idea.  Her calcium went up and down for the next two weeks, sometimes swinging by as much 50 points from one day to the next.

At day 333, Vespa's calcium spiked up over 250.  This generally means that we'll be drying off a foal shortly, sometimes that day, sometimes in the next few days.  It's not a long wait from 250 to foaling.  Generally.

At day 334, Vespa started dripping milk.  Dripping milk is generally (ahem, here's that word again) a very reliable indicator of imminent foaling. Dripping milk with PUDDLES generally causes the humans to grab the extra towels for drying off the little darling.  Vespa had puddles of milk, so it would seem that her time was at hand.  Generally speaking, that is.

Except that her milk didn't look quite right for a foal.  It looked too much like skim milk.  So, as a precaution, we thawed some frozen colostrum (saved from other mares for just this kind of emergency).  The colostrum is important since it provides the foal with necessary antibodies and by the look of Vespa's milk, she was about to foal without 'good' milk.  Vespa continued to drip milk, making puddles.  At one point, I hosed off her feet/legs to get the milk off.  While bent underneath her to squirt her feet, I feel the 'drip, drip, drip' of milk on my head.  Thanks, Vespa!

From the time a mare's milk calcium goes over 250, we monitor through the night with our barn cameras.  No problem - set the alarm, awake, check the horse, set the alarm for an hour later, repeat as necessary.  A week into watching her drip and NOT foal, the humans are getting worn out.

On day 340, Cassie (one of the other mares) foaled.  Vespa was very interested in the event...could this perhaps trigger her?  She started sweating and squirting milk, two generally good sign of imminent foaling.  Oh boy!  Two in one night!

But, Vespa didn't do anything after squirting milk for a while: she went to sleep.  The humans did as well, setting the alarm to check the barn camera every hour.  At 2:30 AM, Vespa was pacing in her stall.  Yahoo!  Frantic pacing is generally a very good indicator!  Down to the barn we go, towels in hand, ready for her to lay down and deliver.  But, Vespa doesn't lay down.  She runs around her stall, she tries to climb the walls, she grabs the bars on the window with her teeth and tries to pull them off.  She just needs a little more time.  Generally this pacing phase doesn't last that long.

An hour passes, then two, then 5, we then realize that Vespa has again pulled a false alarm.   Visions of air horns blasting into her stall come to mind...that is when we can keep our eyes open.   As I write this, I check the barn monitor in Vespa's stall.  It must be the lack of sleep effecting my eyes because I could swear she's grinning at the camera.