April 14, 2023, probably closing in on midnight April 15- newborn Louis on his feet, bonding with Mom. Photos by my sister Kate Hornick (whose phone took way better pictures than mine!).


April 15, 2023, about 12 hours old- Louis is a bit upright on his fronts. Dr, Habighorst arrived later in the evening for the well baby check and administered IV oxytetracycline to help the tendons relax. Huge improvement even just a few hours later. Callie was great for us handling the baby even though Louis was a bit rowdy! Good girl Callie!


April 17, 2023- Three days old. The oxytet has relaxed Louis' tendons enough that now he appears back at the knee; Dr. Hancock assured me that is what we want, and that things will straighten properly in the next few days as the colt builds muscle and exercises. I guess these things can happen when you are this big and crumpled up inside a maiden mare!


4/18/23- Louis practicing his levade- my favorite picture of the day!


4/18/23- Callie rolling got Louis excited. And I got some pretty posed pictures. Fetlocks are looking better every day!


4/18/23- I was not at a good angle to capture this but it's funny! This is how you graze when your legs are way longer than your neck!



4/22/23- Eight days old. Tomorrow Louis graduates to the big pasture.


A dorsal that runs right down through the tail, similar to a dun's. His dam had the same thing going on when she was his age.


4/22/23- my favorite picture of the day. Actually one of my favorite mare and foal pictures ever!


4/23/23- Nine days old, first time in the big pasture. A whole new world!


Louis' attempts at grazing now include a goat imitation- grazing while on his knees!


4/28/23- Louis was two weeks old today. The gnats are horrible right now so I did not get much- most of my pictures had someone tossing their head, swishing their tail or flapping their ears around in irritation. I feel so bad for them but usually the situation improves as summer arrives.


4/29/23- I looked outside to check on the horses and saw a big white bird following Coral around. I went to take pictures but it spooked and flew off before I could get a good picture. Looked out awhile later and it was back, this time visiting Callie and Louis. Louis will be despooked to big white birds now! This is a cattle egret and they follow grazing animals around and eat the bugs that are attracted to them. A good thing as gnat-ty as it has been the past few days!


May 7, 2023- Louis mets the big white ball, and other adventures :-)



May 23, 2023- Some coltish behavior. Callie is finally starting to discipline him when he annoys her too much.


June 10, 2023- Louis is almost two months old. He is easily the biggest foal we've ever had, and we've had some big ones, including his dam.


June 12. 2023- This is an awful phone picture but just look at that sweet innocent face! And those ears... gosh, I hope he grows into them! Louis is wearing the halter that all of my foals - from the very first (Willy Remember Me, 1986) - have worn. I take a picture of all of them wearing it; it's kind of a tradition. Louis was initially very scared of the halter so I didn't push to get it on him, which would be a risk to both of us. He "leads" with an arm around his neck and follows Mom in and out for turnout (absolutely the FIRST baby I've ever had who would do that reliably!) so getting him where I needed him to be was not an issue. So his halter training has progressed at a glacial speed. First I got him used to the feel of just the noseband over his nose. Slipped it over his nose, scratch him, repeat a few times holding it a bit longer if he tolerated it, quit. Never let him get scared. I did a lot of handling and rubbing of his face, slipping my fingers in his mouth, etc. which was especially important after he hurt his foot on a rock back at one month old; the oral meds needed to treat that turned him off of me touching his face for a few days. Eventually he was accepting of me flipping the halter's crownpiece over his poll. A couple days ago, while scratching him, I was able to finally fasten the halter. There was absolutely no drama (generally first time haltered foals buck and carry on at the odd feeling of restriction on their face). All that desensitizing paid off! This took place over MANY weeks, and now he has almost outgrown this halter! Proud of my little dude!


July 10, 2023- Louis is almost three months old now. He is a BIG boy!


July 14, 2023- Louis is three months old today.


Callie is starting to tell Louis to quit this obnoxious mounting behavior. I wish she had done it sooner, but she is very tolerant. Poor Callie! One month to go before weaning!


The view from our back porch this AM... it's the buckskin brigade! Kennebec Topaz (Medomak Cavalier x Kennebec Opal), 31 year old buckskin Morgan mare, hanging out with her 9 year old grand daughter Fantastical (RG Black Dandy x Coral Forest) and 3 month old great grandson Fantabulous (by KS Bluestem The Old Guard).


July 21.2023- Last night when I turned Louis and Callie out, Callie spooked at a big branch that had come down off the pecan tree. This put Louis on alert but of course I did not have my good camera on me, just my phone. Darnnit- this is the pose I've wanted to capture for months, but it is just a crappy cell phone picture!


July 29, 2023- Today we had a wonderful visit from longtime friends Rhonda Evans and her daughter Cassidy Sutherland. Cassidy was one of my riding students and boarded her Morgan gelding Alamogordo with us many years ago when we ran a public boarding/training/lesson barn (1986-1997) in Lithonia GA. We've stayed in touch and have visited over the years, even though they no longer live in the Atlanta area. Cassidy is married, has an 8-year-old son, and moved to Nashville TN (thus I lost my best barn sitter!) and Rhonda and her husband Mark moved to the mountains of North Carolina. It was horribly hot so I didn't take many pictures but I did get a couple cute ones with the two Morgan colts.


July 31, 2023- Louis hit a milestone today- he got his first friend! In preparation for weaning, I put WAR Adikyrie in with Callie and Louis. Kyrie is our Forever Morgans rescue and although she came to us unsound due to injury and a hard life on the road as an Amish driving horse, she more than earns her keep as our #1 foal babysitter for weanlings. Things went very well and Callie enjoyed having a friend and some "time off". Louis tried mounting Kyrie and got told off and that was that. Weaning day is coming up fast and then Callie will be headed home to owner Sara Edmunds.


August 9 and 10, 2023- Louis began the weaning process today. He got UlcerGard yesterday and today in preparation. We do a gradual weaning here, with Mom in the next paddock over so both can see and touch each other. Callie went into a fresh paddock next to Louis and his buddy Kyrie. And it went GREAT ❤ Louis did a couple trot/canter passes down the fenceline over the 5 hours he and his Mom were separated, but never got frantic or called out. He grazed and ate hay like a Big Boy. Callie was too busy stuffing her face with fresh grass to care one way or the other. I put them all back together at night and  repeated the process over the next several days until Louis was ready for an overnight separation. The second picture was taken on Day Two of gradual weaning. By Day Five, Louis was ready for full weaning and neither he nor Callie made the slightest fuss.

 
August 9, 2023- These were taken after I put Louis and Callie back together for the night after their first day of gradual weaning. There's also one with Louis and his new friend Kyrie. It makes me sad that these will be the last pictures I take of Callie and Louis together.



September 3, 2023- A spectacular show Louis put on and thankfully I was able to capture his beautiful, floaty trot! Notice the DAP (diagonal advanced placement) in these pictures. I would have thought I was watching a fancy warmblood baby. Louis is a special one indeed!