Changing Ways

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Nineteen

Not wasting a second I place the camera on the stall ledge so I'll still be able to video everything that comes next. To exhausted to care that I'm with her foal, Cherry stands back and let's me do what I need to do. First, I clear the birth sack away from the colt's eyes, ears and nose. Then I grab the fluffy towel and rub the foal all over, drying off the fluffy baby. He snorts gently as I wipe around his nose. Once the foal is all clean, I slip on a glove and put the afterbirth in the garbage bag and place it outside the stall.

While I wait for the colt to take a first attempt at standing, I pick up the phone and dial the home number. I hear the phone on the other end get picked up before it even has a chance to ring once. Mom must have been sitting by, waiting for the news.

"Is it all ok?" she asks worriedly, almost in a panicked tone.

I nod, and you can hear the smile through my voice. "Yeah, it's all ok. She had a colt Mom...he looks just like his sire, and he's gorgeous."

"The birth went ok then, I take it?" she asks, much more relieved.

"Come up and look at him," I say, keeping my eye on the gangly colt who is nuzzling the sweet smelling wood chips that lay beneath him.

"Ok, I'll be up in a minute," she hangs up, leaving me by muscles again until she arrives. Fine by me, I've for this beautiful colt to look at.

While he tries to stand, I admire his gangly long legs. They are still shiny and wet and he slips around while he tried to get purchase on the footing beneath him. Cherry curves her neck and bumps his side with her nose. Colt looks up at her, almost a bewildered look on his face before he collapses again.

I'm just about to step in and maybe help when a look of determination crosses the colt's face and he gathers his legs underneath him and then thrusts into a standing position. This time, he is a lot more sturdy and I have a feeling he won't be falling back down. And now that he's standing on all fours, I'm able to get a hold on how big he actually is. My gosh, what a tall guy! When I stand next to him, his head comes up to my chin.

"How'd you manage to fit in there?" I joke, looking first at him then at Cherry's slightly less bloated stomach.

I slowly walk over to the tired mare and lay my hand on her trembling neck. She snorts softly and half closes her eyes, welcoming my touch.

Dad arrived a few short moments later. "He sure is big," he comments from behind me. I smile and turn around, sliding my hand on Cherry's neck.

"Isn't he?" I laugh quietly so that I won't spook the large colt, struggling to stay upright on his feet.

Mom walks up behind Dad and crossed her arms over the top of the stall door. "Not only is he big, but he's exactly like his sire. Same colouring and everything."

Nodding, I silently look at the colt, this time taking in every detail. He's got four white socks all at different lengths shooting up and down his legs like fireworks. A long, thick blaze streaks down his wide forehead and angles down thinly on his small nose. His ears are fuzzy and flop over, almost like those of a donkey. I wish I could reach out and hold them upright. A thin tuft of forelock sticks up between them, and he has a bit on the crest of his arched neck. Curved slightly, his his neck flows smoothly into his small shoulders. Like I've said, his legs are gangly, long and bent at the joints.

"He's got the confirmation of a cutting horse," I smile, a image of the full grown colt dodging, tracking and chasing steers around a large pen.