| Sire: CM Bedford Forrest (Deceased) 75% Cleveland Bay, 25% Thoroughbred (Sire Forest Field Day - Dam: Killarnie Breeze) Dam: Donna Del Lago Thoroughbred DOB: 24th November 2011 Approx 4:15am Legado (with Legado being a translation of Legacy - this little bloke is one of Forrests last foals and I am hoping will follow in his sires footsteps!) is an absolute ripper - and took his time entering the world! He was nearly 9 weeks overdue - was born with 4 teeth, a full mane, tail and almost in need of a hoof trim! He is a cheeky boy and it has been joked that he was almost ready to wean at birth! Legado is full of spunk and at just 30 hours old, had his first ride in the horse float and handled it like an old pro! It most definitely helps that his dam is a laid back girl and takes everything in her stride. The plan with Legado is to get him out in the show ring as a youngster and assess him as he grows as to whether he is stallion material. With the current rulings on Cleveland Bay Sporthorse Stallions - he will not be able to be stallion registered after he is 2 yrs old - however he will be able to be Warmblood Sporthorse registered and licensed as a stallion as he gets older. Judgement on this will be reserved at this stage til we see how he grows up and performs as a youngster. |
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| Donna was obviously tired after the birth, and Legado had some issues getting on the teat - not helped by the fact that being a first time mum, Donna didn't know what was really going on - and was a bit 'annoyed' at having her very tight udder bunted and bumped by one eager to feed foal. I ended up having to tie Donna up and play with her udder myself (better I get kicked than Legado!!) - and after much kicking by Donna and some growls and reassurance by me - I managed to get him on and he has not looked back! It probably didn't help that he was eager to get in via the back way!! |
| I left the halter on Donna and a short rope while I made sure that Legado was latching on and drinking for a couple of hours while I sat and watched them. Now that Donna has the hang of this feeding thing - and has had a rest - she is back to her normal self and is being an exceptional mum! |
| At right you can see Legado and Donna doing some 'syncronised snoozing'! He is quite a bold fellow and is very eager to have attention given to him - and has gotten into the habit of pulling faces at a very young age! (He is just 4 - 5 hours old in these pics!!). I can see him being a lot of fun as he grows and providing a lot of entertainment! He certainly has those signature Cleveland Bay ears happening for him at the moment! |
| By the look of that face - the boy has been doing some bunting of his mums udder and wearing his milk! |
| The above picture, right and above right were taken after the 1km float ride back to my property at 30 hours old. He has settled into the paddock nicely. |
| 48 hours old and the boy is quite a little powerhouse! He has a fantastic shoulder on him and is unfolding nicely! He and his dear mum, Donna, came over and said hello to me while I was trying to take photographs. I am going to have the same issue with him as the others - won't rack off and let me get decent shots! I will end up with all nose shots! |
| Legado was quite happy to come up for a scratch under the chin and on the shoulder while I was sitting in the shade. Donna is being a fantastic mum, and it has been decided that she will go in foal to Billara Beersheba for a foal in 2012. |
| On the 4th of December, Sue and David Nankivell who own Donna, came up from Pt Lincoln to see their girl and her lovely boy! |
| Sue brought a whole bag of carrots with her - which, as soon as Donna and Jenni discovered she had them, disappeared.... hoovered almost quicker than Sue could get them out of the bag! Legardo of course loved the attention and was happy to say hello to both Sue, David and myself and have some scratches! Sue and David of course fell in love immediately with Legardo and are completely thrilled with what Donna has produced! After some discussions and the ONLY downside of the question asked by Sue that I could come up with being that I would not get to see him every day... it has been decided that Donna will be covered by Billara Beersheba as planned, and then she and Legardo will go down to live with Sue and David, and Legardo will come to me on weaning. This reduces the amount of horses I need to move with me to Aldinga in the short term, and allows Sue and David to have the joy of 'raising' a foal this season instead of having to wait til next season! It will work out perfectly for all involved! |
| Legardo, not a month old yet in these images, is certainly growing as beautifully as I had hoped! He is an amazing little horse already and I have high hopes for him in the future. To say I am thrilled with him is a complete understatement! I will be sure to keep you updated with photos of him til he leaves to go live with Sue and David, however Sue and David will supply me with images to share! At least Pt Lincoln is only a short plane ride from Adelaide if I get withdrawls and need to go see him! Sue is dead keen to come down to Adelaide and watch and help get him sorted for shows down there when she can once he comes 'home' again! |
| The 18th of December was halter day for all of the foals... Legardo was first up and was brilliant as we expected he would be. He is such a cruisy little bloke and is so nosey and loves his scratches anyhow! Bianca and her mum Jenny were here for a few days to see their girl Ciarra, and Bianca learnt a fair bit about handling foals! |
| The cats of course had to help, as did Tess, the kelpie... at right you can see B2 demanding pats and Tess scratching herself while Legardo waits patiently for Bianca to finish with B2!! Jo and Jason Hutt were also in and Jo had a bit of a cuddle as well! Biancas mum Jenny had a little pat over the fence. |
| The 20th was vet day! Greg Sezun from Southern Veterinary Services was visiting and did the microchips and insurance checks for the foals. Jo and Bianca were of course here again, and Steph Cooper from Mt Gambier, and Leonie Dean who has bought CM Shall We Dance were here as well and helped out. They fell in love with Legardo! |
| Sue, and her friend Jan, came up from Pt Lincoln on the 22nd to pick up Legardo and Donna and take them back to Sue and Davids place. Legardo loaded onto the float like he has done it all his life - He had that one floating lesson when he was a day old, and obviously wasnt too worried about that experience. Sue and Jan said that they had a great trip down and were all settled in shortly after arrival down there. Sue will send me photos to add to this page to share with you all over the next few months. Below are a few from the 23rd December as he was settled in! |
