Bassetluv
Well-Known Member
The other day I was at another website that has a forum, and someone happened to post a link to a website called "MareStare". It's pretty cool, actually...horse breeders set up webcams to keep vigil over mares who are about to foal, and they use this service to do so...plus, it's broadcast over the 'net so anyone can watch. I can only access a few of the live feeds, since some of them require a certain software download, but I've been having fun going through the list and seeing some of the ones that do show up.
Well, tonight I was just about to head off for bed (something I *will* do once I've posted this ) but on impulse decided to check the site again. And this time I saw a live feed from a farm that raises Gypsy horses. They have four webcams set up on four separate stalls, and within moments of looking at it, I had the awful feeling that something was wrong with one of the mares. This particular mare has already had her foal (probably a few days ago, from the look of him), but she was lying down in the stall and was very quiet, while the foal was trotting all around her. At first I wondered if she was sleeping, but then noticed that the foal seemed quite agitated. So I watched for about 20 minutes, and saw that the foal would run around, then go up to his mom and nudge her, obviously trying to get her up. She just lay there for the most part, but would every so often lift her head, and then kind of sigh and put it back down again. The foal kept at her, nudging and running back and forth, and I was sure there was something wrong. Judging from the way the mare was lying, I suspected she was stuck (*cast*) in the stall...in a position where she couldn't get her feet under her to get up. I kept praying she would stand, but after about 35 minutes couldn't take it any more, so I found the farm's phone number and called them.
As it turns out, I was right...the mare was stuck and couldn't get herself up. The woman I called went to the stall with someone else and managed to roll her over and get her up on her feet...then the woman called me back and thanked me profusely, stating that if the mare hadn't been helped, she could have died before morning. I am just grateful that the mare was okay, and the little guy was so happy that his mom was up and about again!
So sometimes the Internet can get a bad rap, but sometimes...well, I guess it can be a blessing too.
Oh, btw, if anyone wants to check out this website:
http://www.marestare.com/
(Go to the tab at the top that says "Public cams" and select "Live cams" from the dropdown; you will see all of the farm listings that have live feeds.)
Well, tonight I was just about to head off for bed (something I *will* do once I've posted this ) but on impulse decided to check the site again. And this time I saw a live feed from a farm that raises Gypsy horses. They have four webcams set up on four separate stalls, and within moments of looking at it, I had the awful feeling that something was wrong with one of the mares. This particular mare has already had her foal (probably a few days ago, from the look of him), but she was lying down in the stall and was very quiet, while the foal was trotting all around her. At first I wondered if she was sleeping, but then noticed that the foal seemed quite agitated. So I watched for about 20 minutes, and saw that the foal would run around, then go up to his mom and nudge her, obviously trying to get her up. She just lay there for the most part, but would every so often lift her head, and then kind of sigh and put it back down again. The foal kept at her, nudging and running back and forth, and I was sure there was something wrong. Judging from the way the mare was lying, I suspected she was stuck (*cast*) in the stall...in a position where she couldn't get her feet under her to get up. I kept praying she would stand, but after about 35 minutes couldn't take it any more, so I found the farm's phone number and called them.
As it turns out, I was right...the mare was stuck and couldn't get herself up. The woman I called went to the stall with someone else and managed to roll her over and get her up on her feet...then the woman called me back and thanked me profusely, stating that if the mare hadn't been helped, she could have died before morning. I am just grateful that the mare was okay, and the little guy was so happy that his mom was up and about again!
So sometimes the Internet can get a bad rap, but sometimes...well, I guess it can be a blessing too.
Oh, btw, if anyone wants to check out this website:
http://www.marestare.com/
(Go to the tab at the top that says "Public cams" and select "Live cams" from the dropdown; you will see all of the farm listings that have live feeds.)