Bedouin Proverb: "My treasures do not clink together or glitter.
They gleam in the sun and neigh in the night."
(660) 355-4555
Unionville, MO
ellen@antiquityhill.com

Al Azhar WDA X Impress Imeera ( X BKA Imeer)
June 25, 2005
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Straight Egyptian, Al Khamsa filly.  Liver Chestnut with Flaxen Mane and Tail.

We are very proud to present ES Illuminata Ansam as the first foal by our Jr. Stallion Al Azhar WDA (Thee Desperado X Katibah X Rofann).  (For photos and information on sire and dam, please see their pages on this website)

 Al Azhar ( her sire’s name) means “The Luminous One” in Arabic.  We chose the name Illuminata to reflect the sire of this lovely filly.  Ansam is Arabic for “Breath of Life” and was chosen because she very nearly died during her traumatic birth.  It took a team of 7 people and our exceptional Veterinarian to save both Mare and Filly.

 Impress Imeera showed signs of Labor Friday night, so Ellen and Aaron kept vigil as the foaling camera in the makeshift foaling stall we had erected in the indoor ring captured the first signs of early labor.  As it turns out, being too full to put her in the smaller foaling stall in the horse barn was a blessing.

 Impress was agitated much of the night but her labor did not show signs of progression until the early hours of Saturday morning.  When her water broke at 6am we made our way to the barn to find some of our boarders were there feeding horses and had seen that Impress was foaling. 

 Melissa Henderson said “You’re having a baby!” 

 What I found upon entering the barn made me look twice to quite believe.  Instead of the mare laying down and seeing the emergence of first one hoof, then another (both pointed downward) and then a nose, all that was visible was the end of a nose with the tongue hanging out….. and the head was upside down.  Ellen told Melissa to get the mare haltered and on her feet and yelled for Dennis to call the vet immediately and tell him “All I’ve got is a head, and it’s upside down”.  After that, it seemed everything went in slow motion. 

 “What do I do?”

 “Keep her standing while I go in after the baby”

 Ellen rolled a bale of hay behind Impress and used it to stand on as she reached inside the mare, looking for a leg.  No time for tail wraps or OB sleeves.

 Ellen could tell that it was a bad scenario-  The foal was laying upside down and had both front legs crossed, straight down and pointed toward her back legs. 

 The first leg was found and put into position and immediately the foal turned and pulled the second leg up enough to hook her knee behind the mare’s pelvis as she strained.  Try as we could, we could not get the second leg unhooked and into position, so we spent much of the time waiting for the vet and pushing the foal back into the mare between contractions, hoping the foal would get enough of the much needed blood to survive until his arrival, and that she would not become hopelessly locked into the mare’s pelvis resulting in death for them both.  Our beloved friends and family kept the mare on her feet by walking her in circles while we took turns behind the mare until exhaustion took over and there was little to do but pray.

 As we worked, the foal turned the color of a purple color crayon and became very cold to the touch.  The mare, exhausted, collapsed several times onto the ground.

 The uncut video is not easy to watch, as we had to slap the mare repeatedly to keep her on her feet, but we were working to save her life.  The video shows the entire process as seen by the foaling camera above.  Fortunately ;0) there is no audio.

 When the Vet arrived, he could not get the leg into position either, so Ellen worked pushing the foal back into the mare as the vet worked to position the leg.

 Finally, the mare collapses a final time, but is too exhausted to do anything but gasp for air.  Steam rolls off her body even tho the temperature that summer day is into the high eighties.  The foal is finally pulled with an OB chain.  We have all given up.  We know we are just trying to save the mare.   Exhausted, Ellen sits holding back the tears of sadness and relief as Melissa yells,

 “I think it’s alive, I think I saw an eye move!”   

 

 The birth of this beautiful filly was something to be remembered.  She is our miracle baby.  All of us including the vet thought that she had surely died, and we were frantically trying to save the mare.  We still shake our heads at the turn of events that resulted in such a healthy, strong filly.  We hope this story and video will serve as a warning for those that choose to “let nature take it’s course” and do not attend their foaling mares.  THIS is the reason that all these years we have “prepared for the worst and hoped for the best”.  We also hope that it serves as hope for anyone who has to go thru such a delivery.  All traumatic foalings do not have to have a bad ending. 

 Thank you to Christine Rogers who trusts us- The beautiful Impress Imeera has been leased to us again and will be re-bred in the spring of 2006, so stay tuned in 2007!

 ES Illuminata Ansam, nicknamed “Grace” because of her breathtaking movement, is offered for sale at $5500, but at the present time we have retained her.  Inquiries are welcomed by contacting Ellen Schnakenberg at the farm at ellen@antiquityhill.com or by phone at 660-355-4555.