Sat, Jul 05, 2008
 The mare Cease Fire nuzzles up to her new baby just after giving birth on Feb. 13. UA students Anastasia Charnetsky, left, and Bonnie Lunquist were there to help the mother out and also help Gabby learn how to be around people. The UA agricultural center is expecting the arrival of 12 foals this spring.
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Little frisky arrivalARIZONA DAILY STAR
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 03.05.2007
It's March in Tucson and another annual rite of spring, besides baseball, is slowly unfolding in lush, green fields of barley, oats and rye.
"The first sign of spring is when the babies come," said Laura Walker, the horse unit manager at the University of Arizona Campus Agricultural Center on North Campbell Avenue at East Roger Road.
"All the people stop by in their cars and start asking, 'When are you going to be turning out the babies?' " she said, referring to the young colts and fillies that are expected to be born from January to May.
Twelve foals are expected this year. They'll run on their spindly legs as they make their way around the grassy pastures, Walker said.
One filly, Gabby, is already in the pasture. Born on Feb. 13, she is a granddaughter of Triple Crown winner Seattle Slew. The sire, Chancery Court, is a son of the famed racehorse and is also stabled at the center.
Three UA students, Anastasia Charnetsky, 21; Nichole Polzin, 23; and Bonnie Lunquist, 20, have been given the task of first caring for the mare, Cease Fire, and the foal. They are in the animal sciences equine reproduction and management class at the center and under the guidance of Walker.
"I love it," Charnetsky said. "It gives me the opportunity to work with horses that I would not have otherwise."
Those sentiments are echoed by Polzin and Lunquist, who agree the experience is fulfilling.
As the birth date drew near, the mare was closely monitored and her progress checked, the students said.
As her udder grew, the mare was brought in from the pasture and placed in a stall where the students groomed her and retrieved samples of her milk daily to test the calcium levels. The higher the level, the closer the mare was to giving birth, they said.
Once the highest level was reached, the birth was a short time off, which is why on the evening of Feb. 13, Charnetsky and Lunquist prepared to spend the whole night or longer after getting a high reading. (Polzin was busy working in Vail and could not be there for the actual birth but arrived later.)
The mare was left alone in the stall where a video camera is mounted overhead and connected to a small classroom next door. In the classroom, the students spread their sleeping bags and brought work for a test they planned to take the next day.
While feasting on pizza, they quietly watched the mare during her various stages of labor on one television screen and an episode of the series "House" on another portable television.
Then, before the "House" episode came to an end, Cease Fire's water broke.
After calling Walker, the students quietly approached the mare and waited for Walker's arrival. A short time later, the filly was born wet, weak and noisy, which is why the students named her Gabby.
The students began imprinting with the filly by rubbing and talking to her, easing any fear of humans and to reassure the tired mother, who was lying down nearby.
In the following days, the imprinting continued with the three students talking to the filly, stroking her, rubbing her with paper bags, getting her used to the sound of electric clippers and other sensations.
Now, Gabby roams the green pastures at the center, sometimes sleeping with her mother at her side and at times curious, ready to begin her life as a horse.
The public is allowed on university property to see the new foals, Walker said. They can walk through and observe as long as they stay out of the pastures. Feeding any of the animals is highly discouraged.
For more photos, see the slide show at azstarnet.com
● Contact photojournalist A.E. Araiza at 573-4155 or at araiza@azstarnet.com.
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