Hello,
I was walking around my paddock this morning and thought it might be a terrific idea if TASTY and I chatted and compared notes on all of the BABY NEWS we are hearing lately. Watching our friend, Rachel Alexandra, and her new colt has made me think! I must say, the photo of the baby reaching up to KISS his MOM was absolutely TOO CUTE!
TASTY and I were both bred on April 3rd. We each conceived on that date as well….so we are at exactly the same stage and number of days into our pregnancies. Time is moving right along! Our ‘baby bumps’ are definitely SHOWING…which is good news. Speaking for myself, my little one does like to move about…and you can definitely see a bit of a ‘shift’ in my tummy area now and then when he or she is doing so.
The upcoming weeks will definitely be filled with many NEW experiences for US! Per my pals at the farm, at the beginning of February, TASTY and I will be put under what is called “FOAL WATCH”. This means we will be carefully observed and monitored during each day to see if there are any physical changes in our bodies. Just like with human beings, when one begins to get close to the later stages before giving birth, the body does undergo specific changes and certain indicators are noted. This concept applies to MARES as well.
Through each phase of this process, I will give YOU an update as to what is happening with both TASTY and I. “FOAL WATCH” as described above beginning at the first of next month…is Stage 1.
I know our dear friends at Lane’s End will be extremely observant when monitoring each of these changes. We are so fortunate to have a core group of loving and caring people around US each day who know every intimate detail about our mannerisms, personalities, and bodies! LUCKY US!
Nature is truly amazing!
With Love,
Hugs to all~(Special blessings to Elena…on her loss & others in our thoughts and prayers)
Z
signofthetimes
Have a great day !!!
Kimberly Potter/Montana
Yay! You’re first today! :)
signofthetimes
Thanks
Alia Abu-Bakr
Queen Z, I can’t wait to see your BEAUTIFUL PRINCE or PRINCESS. I know your baby is going to be SO VERY SPECIAL. I love you beautiful girl. Smooches-MUAH!!
Tasty, I can’t wait to see your BEAUTIFUL baby. I know your son or daughter will be very very special. I love you, smooches-MUAH!!
JAG ~ Queen Zen's Auntie Judy ~ So. California
I’m sharing this link on behalf of Diana S who’s having computer problems.
OTTB Spotlight: Xantra
http://cs.bloodhorse.com/blogs/beyond-the-blinkers/archive/2012/01/23/ottb-spotlight-xantra.aspx
Dawn Conrad / Colorado
JAG – Hello my friend!! Thank you for sharing this link for Diana S. I loved the story of Isaac. His rescue and happy ending new partnership was wonderful!!
Barbara Wood (Texas)
Thanks for sharing this great stroy for diastu. My dollar/Valentine will be on the way!
Sally B. (cherish Z- Wi.)
Thankyou for this link Jag and Diane S. The story was very touching! I’ll send my Valentine & $1.00 as soon as I get my Valentine card.
Rosemary McCauley - So. Cal.
Sending my Valentine card tomorrow. Thank you for the link.
Trina Nagele in So Cal
Thanks, JAG and Diastu–I’ll be happy to send a Valentine and a donation!
JAG ~ Queen Zen's Auntie Judy ~ So. California
Quick kisses and {{HUGS}} Mamma Z and Baby z – more later – back to work!
XOXOXOXO
Judy G
signofthetimes
Dear Zenny/Dottie,
How very special to be a part of Zenny and Tasty’s foal watch.
Hope you are having a great day and are resting, relaxing,
getting your beauty rest, hair and nails done for the big day;
Oh !!! forgot mowing the lawn and eating your fruits, vegetables and
carrots. I do so love the photo of the foal, unable to stand, reaching
up to touch Rachel’s nose; he knew she was his “mom” and her
walking around in the stall as he took his first steps and that little
jump of his like; “I am born to run”. Have a wonderful day.
XXXXXOOOOO
Shari Voltz\Ohio
Zenyatta you Beautiful Girl. The baby is dancing just like you. I think Sarah, Matt and Charles are a very special group of young people. You and Tasty are in wonderful caring hands. All the people at Lane’s End are Great. I hope you both enjoy your day and thank you ( Dottie) for letting us all in Zenyatta’s world. What a great education you are giving all of us. I will include my class for the baby watch. I know they will enjoy this plus learn too. I LOVE YOU Zenyatta. Hugs and Kisses, Shari and Homeroom 215 XXXOOO
Dawn Conrad / Colorado
Hi, Shari, my dear sweet friend. I hope everything is fantastic with you, Larry, your fur babies and Homeroom 215!!! I know you and I have said it before, but I just have to pinch myself again that we are part of Zenny’s wonderful family. Being on “FOAL WATCH” and sharing the amazing life of Zenyatta with our wonderful group of Z friends here on this site is beyond belief! What a blessing!!!! Love and hugs to you!!!
Marty
Good morning. I can’t wait to meet baby Z. I’m glad you and Tasty are doing well.
Gloria Jeanne in the "O.C." SO CAL
FOAL WATCH —— I LOVE IT!!!!! CAN’T WAIT.
Please keep us posted Zenny and Dottie and of course Lane’s End!!!
signofthetimes
More information on the show “Luck” for those who get HBO;
January 29, 2012 is season premier.
http://cs.bloodhorse.com/blogs/winners-circle/archive/2012/01/24/in-luck.aspx
signofthetimes
This may be a repost form Bloodhorse 4 days ago; Zenny and Rachel as Broodmares,
with their BBF Dixiechick; and Tasty Temptation
http://cs.bloodhorse.com/blogs/throughthelens/archive/2012/01/20/how-intriguing.aspx
signofthetimes
Here is a lovely link to an article in Bloodhorse from 2009: Queens of the turf;
Rachel and Zenyatta. Enjoy !!!!
Did not see this at the time; lovely cover photos of both horses together in their
racing gear.
http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/54146/queens-of-the-turf-rachel-and-zenyatta
signofthetimes
Sam Houston Race Park (Houston, Tx) tried to get Rachel and Zenny to
meet on their track in 2009
http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/53402/sam-houston-offers-race-for-zenyatta-rachel
sharon in seattle
it almost happened at Oaklawn in 2010 and I have the Zenyatta/Rachel memorabilia from that year’s Apple Blossom to show for it! Except only Zenyatta entered along with 4 other unsuspecting fillies!!
Sally B. (cherish Z- Wi.)
Sharon; I bet I have the same print of Z. and RA, purchased at Oaklawn. “A Race for the Ages”. It was a little disappointing when Rachael pulled out, but nothing would have kept my BFF and I from going to see Zenyatta race in person!! What a thrill and wow, what memories.
signofthetimes
Wow !!!!!! Sharon that is so great.
You really have some very valuable memorablia,
personally and $$$$
So surprised that Sam Houston Race Park;
not very well know in the “high caliber” circle
of racing was trying to get ” the girls there”.
Jan S. / Houston
I was hoping that it would happen, but unfortunately it didn’t fall through.
I live 15 minutes from SHRP.. That would have been something….
signofthetimes
Sure would have been !!!
Sue Fredrick - Wisconsin
Yup I rememer it well, I have a framed poster called “A Race For The Ages”, hanging in my room. Of course we all know it never happened.
Jeanie
Dear Great One,
I am so glad you and Tasty will be watched closely. We all want that. So if you were bred on April 3 of last year, it stands to reason that your foal will be born MARCH 3 of this year. That is EXACTLY 11 MONTHS! AS A DATE OF BIRTH, I HAVE TO SAY MARCH 3 IS AN EXCELLENT DATE AND I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT. It has served me well for more years than I care to publicize here and I hope to be able to share it with Baby ZeeBee. SO I AM ROOTING FOR MARCH 3 and if that is the big day, I will bring you a baby gift in person!!!!!! YAY!
YOUR HUMBLE J
signofthetimes
Remember that date is plus or minus 10 to 11 days for maiden mares; and spans a
range from Feb 27 to March 12 with a number of different foal calculators.
Ginger
Days can change. Rachel was bred on March 7, and confirmed foal on Feb 21 and born on Feb 22nd. Her picture looks like she is very sad. Can’t believe the owner was not there to greet the new colt. Looks like Racheal does not have the love and support as Queen Z does.
signofthetimes
Maybe she was tired from labor; it is a lot of work
for them to foal and these are photo’s right after
delivery. She was probably up for many hours
working on delivering that “little one”.
Donna
My maiden mare went 365 days and the filly was so tiny she could walk under mom!
signofthetimes
Sorry, those are Zenny’s and Tasty’s due date;
just like in humans there is a lot of variablilty.
However, human’s don’t stop labor when
there is a lot of noise around like horses.
Gloria Jeanne in the "O.C." SO CAL
Hi Everyone-
Last year in January I went to a Horse Farm near Santa Barbara to see a friend’s baby foal just a few hours old…. it was soooo cute. We also got to walk around the farm and many of the mares in FOAL WATCH stage. You can tell by the way the mares move around that they are getting close to foaling…. they just act very differant and my goodness do they look like they are about to give birth… the tummies are very big.
It’s an amazing site to see and I an very thankful to have seen this happen first hand.
Wishing Zenny and Tasty best of luck and good health to both Mares and Foals.
Hugs and Love.
Dawn Conrad / Colorado
Gloria – Sounds like a wonderful experience!
Paula Higgins
Very interesting Gloria Jeanne. Amazing how they know when the time approaches.
Sally B. (cherish Z- Wi.)
Gloria Jeanne; Wish I could have been there. What a great experience.
signofthetimes
The mares look so big at the end because the foal shifts to be delivered.
Just like human’s uterus shifts downward; a horses shifts outward because
of the large body and 4 legs.
Zenny, you look gorgeous and so does Tasty.
Can’t wait to here who your second mate will
be ???? Dottie must be hard a work sifting through
all the pedigrees and other statistical data on predicting
a champion foal.
Lindsey
Love you Z! Hope everything goes well for you. Have a great day!
Barbara
Mamma Z and Baby Z, I am so excited for you and all of us. I am so excited for you and Tasty. I am so honored to be part of this process. Good luck and stay healthy. Love you bunches.
signofthetimes
True Nicks ratings on Zenny and Rachel;
basically their matings and predicted success of foal.
http://cs.bloodhorse.com/blogs/truenicks/archive/2010/07/27/rachel-zenyatta.aspx
Denise in AZ
extremely interesting.. thanks!
Barbara Wood (Texas)
Welcome back, Denise!
Gloria Jeanne in the "O.C." SO CAL
****And to Dottie**** – Please *** Please *** Please (take lots of pictures of both Zenny and Tasty foals) – I feel it’s important to their fan base and for the industry…. In the past not many pictures have been taken of the foals or as they grow up and mature… with Facebooks and people wanting to know more about the foals and how they looked growing up this is the perfect moment to embrace the fans and future owner’s of the sport….
Thank you
Ingrid Arnone. South Beach.
OH! Yes please Dottie, many many photos, Ingrid.
Karen Gogue
Hope there are instant ‘tweet’ photos right after the birth, as did RA connections! Would not that be heaven!?
PatB from NM
And videos!
Diana Hanson
Oh the baby bump is so cute! I know when I visit my mare I have to rub her belly and tell the little one hello. Sometimes I sing a song. Foal watch is so exciting becasue you know the time is nearing. Enjoy this time Zen. I know they will be giving you and Tasty extra love! I was so excited to see the little one give his mommy a kiss. SO beautiful. You and Tasty have a wonderful day!
signofthetimes
Predicted True Nicks for Zenny’s foal;
You can see that Ruffian was bred on this very same cross in a table in this article.
http://cs.bloodhorse.com/blogs/truenicks/archive/2011/01/26/zenyatta-to-bernardini.aspx
suew/Va
A horses full potential is only reached when he or she receives the very best in care and those associated with it help the horse reach his/her full potential. In the wrong hands Zenyatta would never have achieved true greatness. I imagine the Mosses will give her offspring every advantage regarding care and training. Like Steve W. once said, you can breed the best to the best but if the horse doesn’t have the heart to win it isn’t going to happen. Zenny had the intelligence and “want” as her Steve so aptly called it.
signofthetimes
So very true, and well said.
Dawn Conrad / Colorado
Thanks for sharing this information. It is always so interesting to study possible bloodline crosses.
Allen
Zenny I feel confidant that you and Tasty are in very good hands. Between Matt, Jerry, Ann, Dottie, John, Sarah, and everyone at Lanes End I am sure that you and Tasty will be monitored like know one else has ever been monitored before. Zenny you and Tasty are going to be great Mom’s. Have a great afternoon and enjoy your girl time. LOL from Tennessee.
Cheryl
Love you so much! We can’t wait until the little baby gets here! God bless both you and Tasty, I know you will both be fantastic mommies!
Mary
Dottie; you are worth your weight, age, height, dress size, shoe size, hat size, glove size and ring size in GOLD!
Kimberly Potter/Montana
My Beautiful Zenyatta~ We are so, so blessed to be a part of your life. There really are no words to truly convey how thankful I am for that. You can be sure that I (we) will all be on pins and needles during this “foal watch.” Thank you for including us!!!
I love you with all my heart!!!
Dawn Conrad / Colorado
Kim – I was feeling the exact same thing today my friend. We are so blessed to part of Zenyatta and each others lives.
Jeanie
@Signofthetimes,
It was Raffian, not Ruffian…
Krystal
I wish you and Tasty were on MareStare, so we could watch you both give birth live!!
Agree with a previous comment — LOTS of baby pics!!! :D
sue and tony
OMG, do you think we could stand it? Watching and waiting for little Z/B to arrive….we’ll all be nervous wrecks as her date nears. MareStare sounds interesting though.
Zenny and Dottie, THANK YOU for another great, educational post.
maria McLeese
blessings to you both Zenny & Tasty
Terry
So excited for you Zenny! Hope you don’t get too uncomfortable! We will be waiting with bated breath! Love you and Tasty!!!
Chris
I think my dear girl, that you will foal on Leap Year Day, Feb 29th…..Everything about your precious life has been special and unusual, so why not a Leap Year baby….Only you could do this…….. Here’s to a healthy and beautiful foal.
Raenell Dawn
That would so awesome! A Leap Day Baby Horse!! We’d post it on our site with the other Leap Day Animals at leapyearday.com!
Please do let us know if you have a Leap Day Horsey :0)
I Leap, therefore I am,
Raenell Dawn,
The Leap Day Lady
Anyone can be born in a Leap Year, we were born on Leap Year Day!
It’s not just our birth day though, it’s everyone’s extra day. Do something good with it!
Katie Clawson
Zenny, I can not wait to see your lovely foal! Colt or filly, as long as the baby is healthy I am happy :) Who is TASTY in foal to? I can’t remember.
Take care of yourself, lovely! You are almost there.
Love, Katie(future jockey)
Denise in AZ
i believe it’s Medaglia D’oro.. but i could be mistaken… :)
Joanna from TX
No, TT’s beau is Candy Ride. Medaglia D’Oro is her sire; she’s half-sis to the lovely Rachel. :))
Brigid
That makes her AUNTY TASTY!
Trina Nagele in So Cal
Katie Clawson (future jockey)–Would you please e-mail me at trinambn@yahoo.com? Thank you kindly.
Pattie in Pickens, SC
Good Morning Beautiful Momma Z :)
Yahoo, the sun is out & shinning today in South Carolina.
I pray you and Tasty have a wonderful day & enjoy the warm sunshine.
I’m sending a High Hoof to Awesome Feather at Gulfstream this weekend. She is trying to remain un-defeated in 9 lifetime starts. Rumor has it, Awesome Feather looks up to Zenyatta as her role model !!
Pam Homeier
I am a fan of Awesome Feather! Had heard that she might be making a comeback. I wish her all the luck in the world!!!