The Sibyls Incarnate

Around the 10th month of a mare's pregnancy I begin to suspect their psychic abilities. They can feel me watching so they put on a real show as if this is genuinely THE moment I've prepared for. They wait until they sense I am fully awake and my adrenalin is flowing freely, then they lie down. Not to give birth mind you, but rather to relax and have a long lovely nap complete with snoring.

They also know where the barn camera is aimed. We adjusted the cam so that it would view the area where two pregnant mares had habitually lain for the three weeks. The instant the camera was bolted in place they stopped laying in those spots. One chose her new bed in the one small area of her stall that the camera could not see. The other began snoozing in the shadows as close to the edge of camera range as possible. She, thankfully, has a very light mane and tail so I could see each end when watching the camera at night, I just couldn't tell which end was which.

If I am wide awake and staring at them, they will relax and nap. If I decide that they're resting comfortably and that I myself could rest comfortably for a few minutes, they will get up and begin raking their sides along the stall walls. If they wish an earlier than normal breakfast, all they have to do is lie down and have a good roll, look at their sides, then stretch out on the ground with their legs stiff. I race out the door, quietly approach their stalls and when they are certain that all the other horses know I'm there, they get up and waddle to their feeders looking very smug.

My books on raising horses all say that mares at this stage of pregnancy should have their whims catered to. I do. They know I will. They enjoy that knowledge.