Well, part of the deal with the stallion is that if your mare isn't in foal, you have to provide a veterinary certificate and then you don't have to pay the bill. Unfortunately the day the scan was to take place at the stud I was on holiday and Annie was at work so I had to take her over to our vet.
Let's just say emotions were running pretty high. I'd done a reccy the previous evening to make sure I knew where to park as the vets is right in the middle of a local market town.
Now Ruby's a big girl. Over 17 hands and up to weight. I was expecting them to have a scanning crate like the stud does (a wooden crate with a door either end slightly bigger than the horse - the door at the back being low enough for the vet to carry out a scan without the likelihood of being shot into the middle of next week by a stroppy mare). But no, there was just a small (and I mean small) loose box, slightly longer than the horse!
The vet did an internal first and, after a bit of a misunderstanding, confirmed that she was still in foal. Then he did a scan. Unfortunately it was too big to fit on the screen all in one go but we could identify the umbilical cord and I thought I saw a pair of knees but it could have been anything really! And yes, there were tears. I knew I would weep, whether it was good news or bad.
We've still got a long way to go. She's not due til April. Let's just keep everything crossed til then.
