George and Brio resting in the pasture.- a new bond between baby and surrogate mother .
"George" the orphaned foal
George had a rough start. Ten days after his birth his mommy passed away. Don and Connie, friends of George's owners, brought him here June 2nd hoping to find a mare to nurse him. (George's owners were out of town, frantic about their baby, but unable to find a flight back. In step their friends to help!) A foal's survival depends on proper nutrition, and they nurse every 20 minutes to an hour for the first several weeks of their life. Fortunately Brio, one of the mares here at the ranch, had just weaned her baby two weeks before and still had milk. We began working day and night with Brio and George trying to bond them. We are happy to report that today, less than 48 hours after George arrived, Brio has taken George as her baby; but they still must be monitored around the clock when nursing . Brio is having issues with George suckling at times because he is a very aggressive when nursing and makes her sore. George had gone several hours without nursing before he came to the ranch, so he is very intense about eating. We will continue working with Brio and George until he is out of danger, and then his owners will take Brio and George home and let Brio mother him until he is ready to be weaned. It is truly heartwarming to see owners and their friends who care so much for their baby that they go to such extraordinary measures to save him.
George is a Thoroughbred and Brio is a Paso Fino. He was very weak when he arrived here laying down in a horse trailer all the way from Tampa. Connie sang to him in the back of the trailer all the way here. He is very loved and we hope the best for him. So far he is doing well .We will keep you updated on the little guy's progress.
George with his new "Paso Fino" mommy Rancho del Zorro's- Briosa
George the morning after his arrival here at the ranch. He is still very weak in this picture.
Cute little guy!
Monitoring "George" and Brio from the Lab
Linda feeding George a mash of foalac pellets and special feed in a soft paste to help supplement him .
Linda has been supplementing George every 3 to 4 hours around the clock.
To the races!!!!
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George feeling much better!!
We are pleased to announce that George is now back at his home !
Gary and Ida picked up Brio and George on the 14th of June and took both to their farm in Tampa Florida, They did very well on the trailer ride home, Brio is on loan until George is old enough to be weaned, We are sure George will grow to be a strong racehorse! Brio is very bonded to George now and takes excellent care of him! Hence the saying "Blessed are the broodmares!" Anyone who has ever attempted bottle raising a foal will appreciate a good hearted mare willing to take on a orphan! Best of Luck to George, his family and friends! He is in good hands and very blessed!
We will miss him, his owners, and Connie's cookies!!!!
UPDATE! ..as of 10-25 -06 George is doing very well. He has been weaned from Brio and now is pastured with a playmate! Briosa is now back at Rancho Del Zorro and looks just beautiful! Ida and Gary took such wonderful care of her while she was visiting their ranch. We couldn't be more pleased !