Hay Scare

Carrie was part panicked and part furious Thursday morning. She went down to the barn and found fescue bales. She was terrified they might have found their way to Eowyn.

If you're like me, you found that statement confusing. Fescue is a kind of grass. Horses eat grass. Why would Eowyn being near fescue be a bad thing?

Fescue can be dangerous for pregnant mares and their foals.  

The thing is we have two kinds of bales of hay on property: Fescue and brome.

The easy solution is to not let them have any 90 days before birth. Our barn is a fescue free zone until Eowyn gives birth.

Laura did the horse chores Wednesday morning. She ran out of hay and brought some hay bales down to restock. Carrie fell asleep early Wednesday night and I just did a quick check on everyone since the grass is exploding.

Carrie went down Thursday morning for chores and discovered the fescue.

I learned the lesson months ago. Carrie hadn't told me that there were two different types of hay bales in the last hay shipment. I brought down four bales to restock for the next day and she had a conniption when she saw I put fescue in the barn. "Can't you see the difference!?"

My reply was: No. I'd been working by flashlight in the night and even in the day they all looked like grass to me (albeit one group of bales looked yellower in tint). 

My next question was: "So why is it here if it's dangerous?"

I did my own research and found out Carrie wasn't being paranoid. Fescue toxicosis is a documented thing. Eowyn is in the dry lot partly to ensure she has no access to any hay except Carrie approved hay. 

It didn't look like Eowyn had any of the hay. If she did, I don't know how much fescue is too much, but what I read seems to indicate some is fine. Carrie calmed down, I helped with chores to ease her along, and then I went to work.

Eowyn's in the safe window for a fully developed foal. She could pop out her foal at any time, and Carrie is on edge. She's watching Eowyn like a hawk and peeks every morning to see if there's a child surprise. 

I'm praying for a healthy birth. I've been praying that this foal will be a healing experience for Carrie (and a growth experience if it's not). God is good. It'll all work out for the best in the long run.