Willfully Guided: Mare Watch 2025

Foals are on the Way!

There’s something about spring in the Pacific Northwest that feels different than anywhere else. The days start getting longer, the mud starts drying up (eventually), and there’s a buzz of anticipation that seems to hang in the air. At my house, spring means one thing: foaling season.

This year, we’re expecting four babies, all by our stallion, OHickory Rey, or “Garth”. This will be his third foal crop, and we have two foals on the ground already this year—a stylish bay roan colt out of Honky Tonkin Dream (Magnum Chic Dream) and a gorgeous red roan filly out of Smart Little Minx. Last year, we had two red roans (one colt and one filly), both out of mares by my late Cow Cuttin’ Colonel, “Joey” stud, and they were everything I hoped for and more. They’re stamped with Garth’s look, personality, and that unmistakable roan glow that catches your eye in the arena.

“Garth” is by Hickory Holly Time out of Dual Rey Mi. He has earned his keep in the performance pen, with lifetime earnings of nearing $20,000+ in National Reined Cow Horse Association (NRCHA) events and National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) events. He’s gritty, consistent, and stylish—and what’s more, he’s a gentleman in the barn.

I believed in him from the start, but seeing his first foals hit the ground over the last few years has it been feeling real. There’s something incredibly validating about watching your stallion throw babies that are smart, balanced, and curious from day one. 

Of course, this is the season where our real estate business ramps up, show season begins, my kids are in sports and on spring break, and decisions need to be made on breeding for the following years’ crop. It’s an ever-constant juggling act, and I’m the circus director.  

Even with all the upgrades we’ve made over the years—our new barn, with its foal cameras, breeding stocks, and even a barn apartment so I can catch some sleep between checks—the anticipation of new foals still ties my stomach in knots.

I’m taken back to my younger years, before I had kids, when I’d sleep in the tack room wrapped in a horse blanket, just waiting for that first nicker from the mare. There’s nothing in the world like the quiet of a barn at 2 a.m., filled with the sounds of rustling straw, deep breaths, and the possibility of new life.

It was hard then—but in that kind of way that sticks with you, the kind that builds grit and grace at the same time. Those memories are sacred to me, and they shape the way I walk into this season even now, with more comforts and experience under my belt.

Breeding horses is not for the faint of heart. It’s expensive and it’s exhausting. It’s full of unknowns and heartbreak. But it’s also full of hope—and that’s what keeps us doing it.

There’s nothing more full of promise than a newborn foal. Each one represents a dream in motion, a lineage continued, a chance to do better than we did before. These foals represent a lot for us: the next generation of show prospects, the continuation of a program built on decades of hard work, and the legacy of a stallion I believe in.

The breeding world has come a long way since those nights of flashlight checks, and hoping you counted your days correctly. These days, we’ve got foal alert systems, ultrasounds, breeding schedules, and camera monitoring—and I’ll be honest, I’m grateful for every single advancement. 

Being able to check on a restless mare from the comfort of my phone has saved more than one night of sleep. Having a dedicated foaling stall, proper stocks for palpation and AI, and a vetted network of reproductive professionals makes the process safer for everyone—mares, foals, and humans alike. It doesn’t take away the nerves, but it makes the work more manageable. And in a season so dependent on timing, every minute and every tool counts.

We’re just days away from our next due date, and every trip to the barn feels electric. Each of these babies carries the legacy of OHickory Rey, but they also carry something bigger— the joy of new beginnings, and the quiet pride that comes from doing something hard because you believe in the outcome.

This year, we will start breeding CD Metallic or “Chief”, my stallion by Stevie Rey Von with lifetime earnings exceeding $100,000, to his first mares and the anticipation for next year begins before this current season ends. 

Whether this is your first foaling season or your fiftieth, I hope you take a moment to soak in the magic of it. These are the days we’ll remember—the quiet ones in the barn, the first stretch of a newborn’s legs, the connection that happens before the world fully wakes up. Because in the end, that’s what keeps us here, season after season: the hope of what’s to come, and the promise carried on four tiny, perfect hooves.

See this article in the May 2025 Online Digital Edition:

May 2025