15 hours ago
Photo Gallery: Foaling mares a labour of love for Tim Drake
Silver Duck Stable owner Tim Drake uses his vast experience ready to help his mares have as easy a birth as possible. As the mare Perfect 10 settles on the floor of her stall, he quickly checks that the foal is in the right position for what should be a straightforward birth. Drake carefully attaches foaling straps to the newborn's legs, ready to help the mare with the birth. Tim and Ashley McGibbon, a general manager at Kinghaven Farms, then start the precise process of pulling on the straps in time with contractions, to help make the birth as easy as possible. The newborn foal emerges fully from her mother, lying in a pool of amniotic fluid, still partially wrapped in the sac. Perfect 10 lies exhausted, craning her neck to see her baby. Drake leans back against the wall of the stall, a huge crooked smile breaking out across his face, the joy of the moment replacing the professional focus he displayed during the birth. The mother gently cleaning off the foal. The mare continuously licks and nuzzles her newborn, while the foal leans into her mother's affections. Drake backs out of the stall to allow the pair to get to know each other, still loving the moment when a new life is brought into the world. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 16, 2025.
