Easter Joy on Orange Blossom Farm!

 

Ella stands watch over her baby girl.
"Our Lee's Petunia" Comes to Live on the Farm
by LEE CANTELON

One in the morning and we're still in the barn, being with Ella who is patient and calm. We're the anxious ones, the nervous onlookers, offering encouraging words, pacing. "Should her tail be wrapped? It might make the birth easier." The weather had turned cold in Southern California, and we hang a blanket over the stall door to make it more comfortable for Mom. We put down a great deal of extra straw, creating a bed that rivals the comfort factor of those new Swedish mattresses advertised in mail-order catalogs. Rickie does decide to wrap Ella's tail, and uses bright blue athletic tape. Around two A.M., we go back inside and light a fire. I heat up some stew that Rickie's sister, Pam, had brought over. Rickie makes some delicious egg and bacon sandwiches. It's already becoming light behind the Malibu hills, a soft gray and pink sky that outlined the sharp crags, and juttings of this rugged terrain. A few hours later the little baby is born. Joy fills the air, and makes the simple barn sparkle. It's incredible, especially to me, not raised with horses, to see this foal adapt so rapidly to the new world. In a few hours she is up and testing her legs. She's already figured out how to nurse, but Ella's milk doesn't seem to be dropping easily. Rickie calls the wonderful Conejo Valley vets. They come right over and work with Ella. They check the blood information of the foal, and everything checks out. We are so blessed to have such a great support team as we do with the vets from Conejo Valley. They are the best! By the way, I put a large sepia-toned version of the above photo on our website for you all to view and copy. It makes a really nice screen saver, which I have added to my laptop. (Click here to view larger image of above photograph.) Our Lee's Petunia is the son of Broken Bones' Sam's Son, two-time international champion! Her mother, Ella, is the daughter of Canadian Maritime treasure, Lucifer! Sam's Son is a dark chocolate with white mane and tail, while Lucifer is black.

Photos from the Orange Blossom photo album:

Early morning in the barn with the expecting Ella

Ella and Our Lee's Petunia, a few hours born

Rickie watches Ella nurse


Petunia seems to know immediately what to do, and a quiet moment in the warm Agoura sunshine

Me, Ella, and Our Lee's Petunia in the yard

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