Ledan's Miss Velvet

Velvet working to get on her feet moments after birth. Pearl, a maiden mare at 12 years old, is wondering what this little creature is. Pearl has been a wonderful mother though for her first go at it.

Velvet taking a nap the morning after the hard work of being born.

At 4 days old Velvet started really warming up to us. Letha and I were sitting on a section of a large pole along the fence line of their run-out pen watching Pearl and her eating. She wandered over to us and started sniffing us and then stuck her nose in my face like she was kissing me. Letha snapped a few shots to capture the moment.

Velvet is a very brave and curious little girl too. Letha had just spread a fresh bag of shavings in their stall and then draped the bag over her back. Velvet wasn't worried about the bag at all; she was more interested in the fresh shavings! This at 7 days old.

1 Month old. Her DNA tests came back; no creme gene from dad, and has a single agouti, so she's either a bay, or still may be a Seal Brown as that is also one of the agouti alleles. She is beginning to shed some starting to revel the color under her foal coat. She has black points in mane and tail; under the light gray in lower legs she  is very dark all the way to top of hocks. Her rump and upper rear legs are red, but from there forward she is a dark brown.  Other than the red rump these are traits in the examples in the pictures of the Seal Browns we've seen. There are Browns on her sire's side. Time will tell as she sheds her foal coat. She also has a single gait gene and has shown some gait so far.

Also at a month old Velvet is a regular follower at pen cleaning time.  She occasionally comes over to contribute more little horse apples like she thinks she's helping.

With Pearl observing, Letha and Velvet begin her first halter lesson at three and a half weeks old.

So far so good; the teacher is happy with her student!

Good girl; following the leader!

No sweat; I got this Velvet's thinking.

Where's dinner?

Velvet, who loves to run, is coming flying in from the right .

.And comes skidding to a stop on Pearl's left flank. Pearl's just thinking, "My little speed demon daughter!"

After a couple trots through it, she laid down very carefully and paused for a minute or so to see what would happen.

Nothing did, so she went for it; her first roll in the water!

She thought that wasn't so bad, so she came around for another go on the other side.  She was splashing about in it this this time and DOC was fleeing the flying water!

Soaked in wet mud from head to toe. This is kind of fun she's thinking. Earned her water badge today!

Velvet at 8 months old just outside the stall in the runout with Pearl.

Velvet and Pearl, her mom, taking turns eating their mash which includes their supplements.