It's been almost two years since I started watching my Thoroughbred broodmare, Exotic Blue, for signs of imminent foaling. A lot has happened since that cold February morning, when she gave birth to a little bay filly with a white star and one white sock in what first appeared to be a normal delivery.

Jo's Magic officially turned 2 today (as did all North American-born Thoroughbreds, by the tradition of The Jockey Club - Magic's actual birthday is Feb. 15). With the launch of TheHorse.com's new blog stable - including a conversion of my Rejected Filly article to this new interactive blog format - it seems like a good time to post an update.

"Scout" and Brush Back: Three weeks after Jo's Magic was born in 2007, I welcomed a foal produced by another broodmare I owned then. Raising the two foals together worked great, as they got along well, even if their personalities were night and day. "Scout" was a colt to Magic's filly. He was stand-offish where she considered every stranger just a friend she hadn't yet met. The colt was petulant, while the filly seemed to vie for Ms. Congeniality. He needed to be convinced of every lesson; she was eager to please. The two were inseparable until they reached about a year old and - nature being what it is - it was prudent to part colt from filly.

Scout was sold as hip #4701 at the 2008 Keeneland September sale. He was shipped to South America, where his sire (Honour and Glory) is especially popular. Gone is the barn name "Scout," now replaced with his registered name, "H and G Back." You can bet I'll be watching his progress as a young racehorse - especially because I now have his full sister, a filly of 2008, in my barn.

As for his dam... Brush Back is one of those mares that never seem to find a long-term home. My breeding partners and I were her sixth owners, and her time with us drew to a close shortly after her colt was sold. She's gone on to a state-bred racing operation in Indiana, where I hope she finds her permanent niche in life. She has two older foals still racing (both winners in 2008); the two I bred are now a yearling and a 2-year-old, and they have their race careers ahead of them.

Exotic Blue: After several months of turnout and light work at a farm in eastern Kentucky, Exotic Blue was sold to a trainer who liked her looks and her bigger-than-life attitude. She's entered a new phase in life. Her career as a working hunter suits her well; she seems to prefer the active lifestyle to the more sedentary existence of a broodmare. Blue is still a young nine years of age and looks to be having the best time of her life.

Dr. John Steiner: Perfecting the lactation induction protocol was just one of the many accomplishments of a fine vet and a caring horseman. It saddens me to report that veterinary medicine lost one of its great practitioners in May 2008. His work lives on, however, as more foals are saved every year with his miracle technique.

Hermione: This little Quarter Horse mare is 24 now and is the light of one young girl's life. A few months ago, Hermione made the short move down the block to a neighbor's farm, where she is pampered by the family of her new 7-year-old rider.

Hermione's pasture pals include a couple of pet steers and a palomino AQHA filly, but Hermione is the accepted matron of the field and oversees her domain with the grace she's shown in every other job she's taken on in life.

Hermione's main job is to help a novice rider learn confidence on horseback, but she also still gives occasional rides to other kids in the neighborhood, from first-timers to the more experienced. And while she gently, patiently nurtures self-confidence in the youngest kids who are just beginning to ride, she still has plenty of spunk in her to spin around a few barrels or hop over the occasional stream when carrying more advanced riders.

Jo's Magic: The once-rejected filly is now a good-looking and well-adjusted 2-year-old. I was close to selling Magic about a year ago to a friend-of-a-friend who saw her potential as a show-ring hunter-jumper. I couldn't shake the feeling, though, that I was making a mistake I would regret.

The human mind is a wondrous thing, and - when I started to really think about it -- it didn't take me long to justify keeping my filly. After all, my current riding horse is starting to age, and I'd probably be looking for a new mount within a few years, anyway. One that I can use to "pony" my other foals in their early training as racehorses. What could be better than a sweet, nicely-conformed filly that I've raised myself and that I trust completely? Especially when it's apparent that she inherited her dam's tall, rangy build - a great match for a tall and stout rider. Especially when she will reach riding age just about the time that I'd be looking for that new horse. Especially when I couldn't bear to think of Magic, neighing excitedly and galloping to the barn, answering the call of some other owner.

So, Jo's Magic will become my riding horse. And for now, I'm taking it nice and easy with her. She'll start light training "in hand" this fall, and will be put under saddle as a young 3-year-old next spring. And while I suspect that she'll take right to her intended job of ponying my racers-in-training, I'll give her all the time she needs to adjust to the routine. After all, there's no hurry.

It's been four months since I signed off, and I'm not sure whether to characterize this stretch as "mundane" or "extraordinary."

Jo's Magic enjoys some "people time."

Hermione and Jo's Magic have led a common existence as mare and foal, without any snags, leading up to last week's weaning. No character quirks, no health concerns, no problems of adjustment. Jo wasn't abnormally attached to Hermione (at first I worried that she would be, as a reaction to being a rejected foal), but she also wasn't any more likely than other foals to let her mom get too far away. I'm convinced that Hermione didn't realize that anything was unusual about the situation: she'd had foals before, she had another now, what's the big deal? And from afar, that's how it appeared: the two were just another mare and foal in the herd, indistinguishable from the rest.

A closer inspection, of course, revealed a few distinctions. In the broodmare pasture, Hermione alone was no sleek Thoroughbred. At 22, this fat little Quarter Horse was by far the senior horse in the broodmare pasture and didn’t bear much resemblance to the Thoroughbreds.

Weaning Day is here.

Jo separated herself in other ways. Her height (14.2 hands at five months) made her the tallest foal, and put her within inches of equaling Hermione. More noticeable, though, was her personality. No one could repair a downed fence board, or clean the waterers, or cut through the pasture, without our filly pressed up against his hands, begging for attention to some itch, real or imagined. She was never overbearing or poorly behaved, she just reveled in proximity to humans. That, I happily realize, is a positive legacy from her dam; all of Exotic Blue's foals have been this way.

On Aug. 18, our six-month test came to an end. It was time for weaning. For the record, Hermione's milk bag was full right up until the end, and Jo was still enjoying a liquid snack several times each day. The two behaved as any mare and foal during separation: the usual frantic whinnying, some depression, and then resignation. In the week since then, Jo has settled down nicely and has cemented her friendship with another weanling to fill the gap created by Hermione's absence.

Something new around the corner.

For those readers who have requested a follow-up to the story, here are a few "where are they now" notes:

• The process of inducing lactation in a non-pregnant mare deserves to be promoted as one of the most useful breeding innovations of the last several years. When widely implemented, it will save the lives of untold foals, will give new purpose to older or barren mares, and will present an economical alternative to the nurse mare industry. This is not a process that is limited to prosperous farms or to clients of top veterinary hospitals. It is the best hope for breeders and for horses, everywhere, who must deal with rejected or orphaned foals.
• Exotic Blue has moved on to bigger pastures. Literally: she has the run of an 800-acre farm in eastern Kentucky while she’s being prepared for her new career as a Western pleasure mount and trail horse.
• We're undecided on where to point Jo's Magic. The filly is big and correct and tears across the fields the way you'd expect a future racehorse to do; prepping her for a future yearling sale is a possibility. She’s also gentle and smart and has a graceful athleticism that would make her a natural dressage prospect, and we've decided that if we receive interest in her for a sporting career, we will consider selling Jo this autumn. Her half sister, 2-year-old Summer Weekend, is already in training as a hunter-jumper and when prospective purchasers come to see her, they often inquire about Jo. Wherever she goes and whatever she does, I know she'll be a star.
• And that leads us to Hermione. Here's a mare who was always a favorite, always willing, always dependable... but it wasn’t until age 22 that she became a hero. What can she do for her next adventure? In my small neighborhood, there are young children in every house, and more on the way. Hermione will be that first ride that will live forever in the memories of these kids. She'll be the horse who forgives her young riders' bad form and heavy hands, and instructs them to be better equestrians the way only a wise old horse can do. She'll be the mare who stands quietly as she is groomed, yet again, and quite unnecessarily, by the next generation of horsemen and horsewomen. In the late summer each year, I'll try to reclaim this remarkable little horse to nanny the newest weanlings, to comfort them and teach them manners. In short, Hermione will be loved.

Next Post: Happy Birthday, Jo!

Just under ten weeks ago, I was heartbroken and scared because I had a rejected newborn filly and didn’t really know what to do or how we could provide adequate care for her. Today, I can’t imagine Jo in any situation other than the one she’s living: carefree, well-nourished, and happily paired with a loving mom. Actually, I don’t often stop to think of the situation as being unusual, but there’s no question that the events of the past two-odd months have been extraordinary.

I returned from vacation today to find that Jo’s Magic has seemingly doubled in size in the past week. I was astonished by the amount of height, weight, and muscle that she was able to increase in only seven days. She’s a solid foal who’s really grown into her frame. Her potential is limitless, whether she goes on to race or becomes a sport or show horse. Jo still relishes the time that we spend handling her, so I feel confident that no matter what she does as her “first” career, she’ll be the type of horse who will always find a loving home as a pleasure mount later in life.

Exotic Blue has recovered fully and is officially “breeding sound.” She’s still being pointed towards a new career of her own, however, and I’m slowly getting her used to being saddled and ridden. We’ve had some interest in her from several readers, and I think she’ll be ready to find a new home within a few more weeks.

I’ve enjoyed chronicling this little adventure, and am ready to claim success on the experiment. While Jo and Blue played major roles in the story, the real central character has always been Hermione. I am going to call this test a complete success because of her.

Hermione is still producing a full bag of milk, and is raising Jo like her own. At this point, the filly could survive without milk if necessary--but that thought is only a nice little consolation. You can be sure that she won’t be weaned until she’s quite a bit older, probably at about five and a half months. The way things are going, I fully expect Hermione to produce milk right up through weaning.

What’s more, I think that the experience has been good for Hermione. The mare has lost some weight (she needs to lose more…) and has gained a great deal of muscle. The filly keeps her moving around a whole lot, and at speeds that I bet Hermione hasn’t attempted in years! And let’s not forget, Hermione is in horse heaven, getting two meals every day--and pretty hefty ones at that. Combined with all the extra attention and grooming and care, and the ability to raise a foal without having to go through pregnancy, this is probably the best Hermione’s ever had it. Life has to look pretty good through her eyes these days.

With success realized, I am going to take this opportunity to thank the many readers who have followed along on the journey, with special thanks to those of you who have written with suggestions and encouragement. I think that the terrific feedback from our readers has made it clear that this type of journal has a place on TheHorse.com, and you can expect to see more blogs on the site in the near future.

I’ll post any significant updates as they arise. In the meantime, please pass on the link to this article (http://cs.thehorse.com/blogs/rejected-filly/default.aspx) to any horse owners who might benefit from the knowledge of the wonderful procedure of inducing lactation in a non-pregnant mare. Running around in my paddock right now is proof that the procedure can save a foal’s life.

• Next Post: Epilogue--The Next Adventure

Spring has arrived in the Bluegrass and the two foals have stopped tagging along quite so close to their dams. They now venture off impressive distances across the field, darting back to their moms only when some horse eater approaches. (On our farm, a leaf blowing across the paddock, or a dog barking at the neighbor’s, or a particularly strong gust of wind can all qualify as horse eaters.)

At some point during these excursions, Jo met up with our Honour and Glory colt and struck up a fast friendship. The joys of horseplay were quickly embraced, and the two are now inseparable.

Complicating this camaraderie is the fact that the two mares aren’t on good social terms. Sometimes the two foals will find common ground halfway between their dams, but just as often, they frolic around Hermione, who stoically accepts two youngsters rearing and dancing and generally carrying on around her. And--you can probably guess where this is leading--I’ve caught the colt nursing on Hermione a couple of times during the play dates. I get a real kick out of watching this old mare with her two foals, neither of which share her genes.

• Next Post: Unqualified Success

Jo is going to be a "people" horse. I really picked up that feeling for the first time tonight. She’s done well with being handled and has always seen people as a pleasant source of good food, but tonight she played around with us just for the fun of it, and I sensed that she’ll turn into one of those horses who really enjoys human interaction.

A turn around the pasture is all in a day's play.

Our other foal, though, seems only to tolerate people. Truthfully, he’s sometimes better behaved than Jo, but the colt just exudes a sense of dissociation. He’ll do what he’s asked without argument, but he doesn’t want to be your friend.

Neither of those attitudes is really a surprise, but both are fascinating for me to see in action. Jo’s two sisters are both friendly. Her 2-year-old sister, Summer Weekend, has a perfect attitude: she’s happy when she’s running in the field with other horses, and equally content to go through some one-on-one training in the round pen. I try not to oversimplify their individual characters, but I really see a lot of the same qualities in Jo as I noticed in her sister when we raised her. Which is a good feeling, because the Summer Weekend is something special, and the prospect of another like her is heartening. As for the colt…I’ll be plenty happy if he continues with good ground manners and goes on to a successful race career, even if he never warms up to people very much.

Tabitha conducted a test tonight. While Hermione was eating her dinner, Tabitha prepared a bucket of formula and presented it to Jo’s Magic. After a bit of playing around with the liquid, Jo raised her wet muzzle and shook herself dry, leaving the full contents of the bucket for Tabitha to discard. The filly isn’t going hungry!

• Next Post: The Cool Mom