05/19/2026
I was watching our Mustang/QH mare, “Honey” fairly closely yesterday, and noticed a change in her milk supply and hind end looseness on our early evening check. When I checked her milk upon noticing this, I found that it had turned white, and was starting to go sweet. She seemed fairly grouchy and restless. Foaling would likely be soon.
I checked her thru the night, at 11, 1, 3, 5, and again at 7am. Sooooo, logically, she foaled at about 6:57am. Lol. Baby was just starting to think about trying to stand, when I stepped out the door of the garage. Honey wasn’t quite standing yet, but was sitting up sternally, “talking” to him, so I knew all was ok for the moment… but also that I had missed the birth by literally MINUTES. 😂🤦🏼♀️🤪🤷🏼♀️ Thats ok by me, so long as everything goes as it should. Honey is doing well (after taking a bit longer than ideal to pass the placenta, finally doing so just as I was getting my phone out to call the vet clinic… lol). She is absolutely twitterpated with her new “little one” (I use the word “little” fairly loosely here, cuz there’s nothing “little” about him!! 😂😬), and she is THE BEST, most attentive momma ever, as always. 🥰 Baby is a big, strong solid bay c**t, sired by Gunner; AND HE HAS LEGS FOR DAYS!!!!! 🤯😲🥰 He is a little bit “up on his toe” on one front foot right now, so we have him in the barn on “small pen rest”, to allow those tendons to stretch and relax. I’ve also wrapped that front foot/lower leg, to support the tendons, keep them warm, and encourage them to relax. He isn’t knuckling over, but could have begun to, had we not brought him in. He will be good to go out in a few days to a week most likely! This kid already screams “Ranch Horse”! He’s “tall, dark, and handsome”, muscular, and he looks like he stepped out of the womb already half grown and looking for work. 😂😂
I won’t lie… I always look forward to meeting Honey’s foals, even though they are not eligible for AQHA registration, as Honey is Mustang/QH. But there’s a reason why Honey is our one exception to the “no grade breeding stock” rule…. she is a retired ranch/feedlot horse, retired due to injury. She has done parades, carried flags, roped cattle, and everything in between. She has more than proven herself under saddle, prior to injury. She has earned the right to carry a foal each season… technically even more so than many registered mares. And, we all know that I DO love to see a nice, big bodied ranch horse… 😉😍👍🏼; I love it even more, when WE manage to produce such horses! Lol. Honey gives us that, every single time. AQHA Papers or not, I will ALWAYS defend her place here, and be proud to be the one who can say we raised Honey’s foals! Sometimes, papers are overrated, and in Honey’s case, I would tend to agree. She’s a special one, for sure! 🥰💜
I’ve named this “strapping young lad”Moose for the summer… for reasons that should be fairly self explanatory. Lol 🫎🤷🏼♀️😂. He will be calm, gentle, even tempered… and built like a TANK! He will have the build made for roping bulls or squirrelly range cows; but will also have the mind and temperament to “not-getcha-killed” while you do it. Lol. 😂👍🏼. And on the weekends, if he’s a typical “Gunner Baby” like I expect him to be, he will take good care of your kids or grandkids… on a trail ride, at 4H, a horse show at your local fair, or just messing around in the yard. 🥰💜👍🏼
Welcome to CKM, Moose! Play safe (please…!! 😬🙈🙏🏼😂), and enjoy your stay! Lol.
With Honey’s release of her hostage, this leaves us only four more mares left to foal. Foaling 2026 is slowly winding down!
Thankful for a healthy and safe birth for this guy, and for Honey! 🥰🙏🏼💜
