Happy Mother’s Day To All The Broodmares and Mothers

Image from snakeyes-man

Stallions Give Their Sperm But Mares Bear The Greatness

My Own Foaling

When my first daughter came out through the birth canal after about ten hours of drug-free labor, she came through with one arm alongside her head. It made a natural childbirth a wee bit more painful.

However, I have always said that she was trying to be born like a foal but just couldn’t quite get both those forelegs squeezed through at the same time since her mommy was not actually a horse.

Erin was born in the Chinese Year of the Horse. And her middle name was Rose, from Hros, which is old high German for” horse”. I had grand plans for her.

I remember thinking back to my pregnancy and how anything but natural childbirth seemed very odd and unsettling for me. All the animals did it that way, and I had seen pictures at least of how big a foal was when it came out of the birth canal. If the horses could do it, why couldn’t I?

Baby, Foal Or Seahorse?

Besides, I had an aversion to hospitals after being a pharmaceutical rep, was terribly afraid of needles, and I could not imagine one being stuck in my spine. I also wanted a water birth, and well, not many hospitals will let you deliver your baby under water. At least that was the case 6 years ago in my neck of the woods.

In any case, everything went quite well, and through the most difficult parts I focused on a picture of my horse Sage as well as an artistic representation of Epona by Jody Bergsma.

Epona, by the way, is the Celtic goddess who is the protector of horses and also the goddess of fertility.

I actually forgot enough about the pain to go through it a second time with child number two, Rhiann. I tried very hard to remember, but alas, the mind has a wondrous ability to block painful memories; otherwise, how would homo sapiens ever have survived?

Everyone is right when they say that you forget the quality and quantity of pain. This time, though, it wasn’t even a drive to the clinic; it was – hold your horses – the bathtub at my home. By candlelight.

They Give Themselves Away And Away

But what about those broodmares? They consistently have no choice in who their Romeo is, whether it is natural or artificial insemination, no choice in where they give birth, no choice in who their doctors or midwives are, and no choice in how long they get to keep their baby by their side before it is wrenched away from them.

“I can’t live with or without you
…and you give yourself away, and you give yourself away, and you give yourself away”

Stallions Get All The Glory

With so much attention paid to stallions all the time, how about a little round of applause this mother’s day for all the broodmares out there that give the stallions’ sperm a home and help carry their genes to greatness?

Or carry those genes into the arms of some young horse loving girl?

You Give It All But We Want More

I would also like to encourage a special acknowledgement on this Mother’s Day for all the mares who are “retired” as broodmares, living the life of retirement often with navicular or other painful consequences of their previous careers.

If you have never seen a heavily pregnant mare with arthritic joints and navicular, count yourself as one of the lucky ones. Sometimes it is “just one more baby” out of her before she is put out of her misery; she has such good breeding, it would be a shame to let it go to waste.

“Through the storm we reach the shore
You give it all but I want more”

We Can’t Live Without You

According to Wikipedia, H. Hubert suggested that Epona and her horses were leaders of the soul in the afterlife. I say let all the mothers of today be great leaders of horses and children right here and now.

Wishing a Happy Mother’s Day to all the mares and mothers out there. Have a great ride through the storm to the shore.

Image from Kumana @Wild Equines

With or without you
With or without you
Through the storm we reach the shore
You give it all but I want more
And I’m waiting for you
With or without you
I can’t live with or without you
…and you give yourself away, and you give yourself away, and you give yourself away

~ U2, With Or Without You, Joshua Tree