This pic was taken sometime this past week...so Bela is less than a week old. She's frisky and headstrong but is well-mannered when it counts.

Although the day began cloudy with a strong breeze and the threat of more rain, the sun came out just after lunch, so we decided, even though the thermometer read only nine degrees, there would be no better time to introduce Bela to the outside world. She was willing to follow her mother, so it was easy peasy putting on a halter for the first time and directing her outside to the paddock across from the barn. 90 minutes of racing about and barging head first into the fence, and it was time to go back inside for a well-deserved snooze. Some initial grooming and mother and daughter were left to themselves, Bela nursing eagerly and Honey chowing down on second cut hay.

Honey is still protective but was willing to let us inside the stall to brush her baby and check there were no injuries from her headlong into the wire fence. Bela seems to welcome the attention so hopefully, she'll be as sweet-minded as her niece, Sooner.

It was just after midnight on May 8, we heard through the intercom, Honey straining to have her baby. We gave her the time she needed then went out to the barn where we saw the newborn, still covered in mucus and afterbirth, her mother busy, licking her baby clean. It was a while before we could see whether it was a filly or a colt, but after about half an hour, the baby found its legs and I went into the stall and applied iodine to the umbilical cord. Honey is an amazing mother and more than protective when it comes to her offspring, so it was a matter of getting in and out quickly before Honey pushed you out. Turns out this very tall and robust baby was a filly, and so wonderfully made, we called her Bela. There was really no question that she was beautiful from the get-go. Dark bay with one white sock, a snowflake on her hip and a defining blaze from forehead to nose. It took her some time before she managed to latch on and begin nursing but once that happened and she had her first poop, we were able to go back to bed, confident she would be fine. It was 3:30 am.

Pic taken at 7hrs.