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Growth of Takala Rose; Curly Filly!

24K views 194 replies 55 participants last post by  Zexious 
#1 ·
Now that mother Tenakee has finally let go of her perfect little baby I figure I might start a new thread to follow the growth of said foal, and look to the future and forget about the terribly long pregnancy! [If you want the details of said pregnancy, you can find the thread here; Tenakee's Foaling Thread.] Welcome the lovely Takala Rose! Or as I call her, Lala. :) She is such a doll, and already knows how to get into trouble. Tenakee and I have our work cut out for us, but so far Tenakee is the one doing most of it.

Also guesses are welcome as to what color she is, she definitely has me stumped. She has a dorsal stripe, and her base coat looks like a diluted chestnut. I sort of had the feeling she is a red dun? Dam is chestnut and sire is buckskin, so I'm not sure if it is genetically possible.

Anyway, cute photos below. She will have a blanket on for a while as it is chilly in Wisconsin, especially now in the middle of winter. Still got a picture of her cute little frosted butt that I can't get over!
 

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#141 ·
The condition of the footing of our arena is considerably better, so I lunged Tenakee a little bit. It was mostly walk/trot, and I think Takala got most of the exercise. Takala ran around like a goon! And I could tell it wasn't because I was lunging Tenakee, because she wasn't scared or worried, just bucking and farting and turning until I was done working with Tenakee and did a little work with her. She was drenched, and you could see the sweat drip off of her. I actually had to be quite vigilant while she was running around, because she was definitely testing my boundaries. I had a carrot stick with me and when she would get her bootie too close she'd get a pop on the hinder. She got the idea after a few times, and soon she was kept her kicking to the other side of the arena. Despite her little devil running around the arena, Tenakee was very good. Our only problem was her stopping and facing me without being asked, but today since I was watching for Takala my signals to Tenakee were pretty mixed. She was very enduring.
 

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#143 ·
Got some pictures, from TODAY even! They aren't the best, but maybe that is a good thing since Takala is quite the piglet. Since the horses are moved into a different paddock and I'm fixing their other pasture, I let Takala and Tenakee out in the pen while I was mucking around. Takala has never been in a pasture so big, and really stretched out her legs! If it wasn't supposed to snow tonight, I would have started keeping them out there today. It is still a muck hole, but I think what is important for Takala is having enough room to really get going. She does have quite a bit of space to trot around in their other pen, but this would be a big step up. If the weather shapes up, the both of them will get a nice new enclosure!
 

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#150 ·
I've got a question...I'm quite ignorant on the subject of Duns but was wondering if Takala is considered a Dun?
I wondered because of the tush frosting, dorsal stripe and, face masking. Can't tell if she's got shoulder shadows and or zebra stripes or if it's just play mud.
*apologies if that info is buried in this thread. If so just tell my lazy butt to go look it up. :oops:
 
#151 ·
I'm not certain if Takala is a dun, and I'm waiting for her to shed out before I make take a chance at guessing her color. I've heard people [internet and otherwise,] say yes, there is no way she isn't. Others say there is no way she is. I've heard red dun, buckskin, palomino, and just plain ol' chestnut. It seems no two people draw the same conclusion, and I don't have vast knowledge so I'll trust whenever multiple people agree on her color. Her dorsal is medium thickness, but very distinct, so I think it is more than counter-shading, but I have no idea what I'm talking about. :lol:
 
#155 · (Edited)
And now, a window into the eventful life of Takala Rose. :wink: She got to try out her fly mask today, and seemed to think that having it on meant she couldn't move. She stood for a while until motion got the best of her. And, as you can tell, she inherited her mom's hold-her-ears-out-to-the-side-and-look-like-a-mule face, among many other faces.

I can't believe she is four months old! It seems unreal that she has grown so fast, and it was four moths ago I was getting foaling kit together, and now I'm thinking weaning and vaccinations.
 

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#161 ·
From today, someone please settle this. Red dun or no? Her dorsal is very clear, and even shows up in most pictures now. I'm thinking it is here to stay, any other opinions? Whatever color she is still very adorable!
 

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#162 ·
Soda is a red dun...they look similar...minus the curls...LOL he is just 2 weeks today...but im sure that dorsal stripe is here to stay!! its a nice colour...I was disappointed he wasn't painted at first...but Im over it!!! your girl is beautiful!! and growing up so fast!!!! I followed your thread from start to finish!!! :D
 

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#164 ·
Sorry folks, no pictures at the moment. I was looking at Takala closely today, and she does have a stripe perpendicular to her dorsal on both sides of her shoulders. Her hair is just so long that I haven't been able to tell. :lol: Who knows what else we'll find when she sheds! I might try to get pictures of her later in the day, but we will have to see how things go.

A side note, Takala will be leaving this week to go to another farm to be weaned. I understand some may think fourth months is too early, but at this point it is in her best interest that she be somewhere safe, and that she can be handled every day. I know everyone wishes that we could keep the foals out on pasture with their mothers until they weaned naturally, and if it were possible I would keep Takala on her mother and the rest of our herd, but we are in a crunch to make pasture that is sturdy and safe. Please no hateful words, as Takala will certainly be taken care of, and is already independent and has been away from her mom.

The facility she will be taken to is not but a few miles down the road, and has many stalls and outdoor runs. She will be fed grain 2x daily, and turned out with an easy-going baby sitter Appaloosa gelding and will also share a fence line with a few other horses. She should be there for about two months, and by the end we should have our pasture (which will be around 10 acres more than what they have now,) should be constructed. The people there are good friends and experienced breeders. And I of course will visit as often as I can and snap pictures frequently.

With the pastures we have now, I do a lot of moving the horses around, and with Takala being more independent now, she isn't as apt to follow her mother, which makes leading a bit of a chore when mom is around. When I have her away from her mother she leads like a puppy dog, but when mom is around she is a stinker. When she comes back, like I said, she will be running with our herd in a much larger area. The herd consists of 2 geldings, and 4 mares, and only one of which - the leader, an Appy gelding - is particularly overbearing. Tenakee might be removed from the herd prior to Takala coming back so we don't accidentally un-wean ourselves. Tenakee will likely be put out with Scarlet, who before that will be back from the trainer.
 
#165 ·
I weaned my filly at four months and never had a problem. She was eating hay and drinking water more than nursing, and bugging the snot out of mama.

Best of luck with weaning little Takala!
 
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