Tales from Direct Current Stables & Staff

[Direct Current Stables]

Participants: DCS Staff
Location: Direct Current Stables (all facilities)
Description: Journal Entries from Staff of DCS
Free to Join?: No, but comments are allowed

[Direct Current Stables]

Midnight Surprise
Entry from Hailey McDonald


We had been waiting all year for this season, the foals were about to be here. Most of the Gypsies and Clydesdales had foaled before I had gotten back from my leave of absence after the accident, but two were still be waited on DCS Sweet Kiss (Lady T), the spirited Nez Perce who had taken the spill with me last year and DCS Haunted Hills (Haun). Lady T was still at the stable where she had been bred to MSE's Donnie Darko, so they're be no chance of me being there for the birth, but Haun was home so I kept my eye on her. Day in and day out she didn't seem to show any signs that she was ready, no waxing, no sign of discomfort, she just stood there without a care in the world eating.

As luck would have at around midnight the next Haun finally had her foal. All her symptoms must have come in a whirlwind and had gone just as fast, the stall was practically torn apart. But, there in the middle are curled up and asleep was this pure white foal. What a sight, I couldn't have grinned wider if I had been the cheshire cat. Cara and Frank were soon there in no time and had the vet on the line. Dr. Tolsen came out performed some basic test and took some blood for a DNA test.

Then we all left the little filly to her mom and went and got some sleep. The next day I was so excited to see the newborn I ran out of the bunk and down into the stable before I even had the decency to get dressed. However, the little filly was not pleased to see me she reared up and darted to her mother's faster than I could blink. I'd seen some skittish foals in my time here, but never one so fearful. Haun didn't pay me no mind, I guess she had figured out her daughters quirk in the night.

Princess, the other Gypsy foal that had been born weeks earlier was very curious about this new edition and low and behold the white filly was curious about her. I'd have thought, from her earlier flight, she wouldn't have anything to do with a strange new horse. But, there she was walking up to the divide trying to stick her head through the bars to groom Princess. What a strange little foal, I thought she must be bipolar or something. As the day wore on she seemed to have no problem with my being there and cleaning out the stall she shared with her mother, in fact, I would say she was rather curious as she had been with princess. I carried on my rounds of all the occupied stalls, checked the empty ones for appearance (can't have the visitors coming to a messy stable) for the rest of the day with the filly's odd behavior in the back of my mind.

As the days wore on and nights came and went the behavior of the little filly got stranger. She continued to show a skittish fearfulness while also seeming to be beyond curious. She never once seemed bothered by all the noise going on about the stable and seemed quite lazy like her mother. Her mother, Haun had become quite vocal, as the filly seemed to ignore her calls constatnly, a little stubborn streak perhaps. She also starting doing this weird thing, every once in a while she would bob her head up and down as if there was a song playing in head and she was moving to the beat. She was given her barn name that night, Rhythm.

A few weeks later the DNA results came in the mail, Frank (Main Gypsy Breeder/Trainer) put it up on the announcement board. I couldn't have been happier with the result, homozygous maximum splash and homozygous tobiano hiding a bay coat. What a precious gift we had received in this filly with such a rare and unusual combination of coloring that lead to her being pure white.

One night a thunderstorm ran down through the valley. New foals usually always have trouble, so a few of us bundled up and went down to the stables with blankets and pillows in our hands. Sure enough princess was running around her mother's stall like her tail was on fire. Peter went in to try and calm her down. I went further down to get to Rhythm, but I didn't hear anything...I became very scared and bolted to Haun's stall. My fears were all for not, there was Rhythm lying down and eating some hay right next to her dozing mother. I cracked a smile thinking how much they were a like. Then a loud crack and boom hit as the storm moved directly overhead. Star and her foal, Princess reared and bolted, Peter caught the foal before she could injure herself and Star nearly ran into the door to her turn out. At the same time Haun had also reared, but had settled without bolting. All Rhythm had down was stand up when the thunder shook the barn, not with the initial crack that had startled the others, even her mom. Something wasn't right and I knew deep down I feared the worst.

The next day Frank called the vet up to check on her, he took some more blood, ran some more tests and all we could do was wait. Days passed and Rhythm was her usual self, but I wasn't . I had a fear and pain growing inside me. When the results finally came my fears became reality; the color that we thought a beautiful prize carried with it a steep price. The little filly whom I had come to love and cherish was deaf. It all made sense now, everything about her personality could easily be explained...she couldn't hear.

[Alexa Rose]

love the story. feel bad for Rythem being deaf though.

[Gentle Giants Estate]

Aw whats gonna happen to her? :c