by Ken Weingartner, Harness Racing Communications

Ken Weingartner, media relations manager for Harness Racing Communications, has embarked on a new adventure. Weingartner will foal watch at Perretti Farms in central New Jersey. He will provide details of his weekly adventures in an occasional column, Foal Patrol.

Freehold, NJ — Every birth brings joy. Sometimes, though, the joy is a little more special.

Such was the case last week when Little Miss K gave birth to her first foal, a filly by Western Ideal. Little Miss K saw her racing career, which included a win in the She’s A Great Lady, ended prematurely in 2005 by a shattered right-front pastern suffered while preparing for the Breeders Crown.

I had my eye on Little Miss K for a while. One night last week, I stopped at Perretti’s just to see if anything interesting was happening. I wasn’t planning to stay long, no later than midnight or so, because of work I needed to do the following day.

There was no doubt Little Miss K was going to foal soon; it was just a matter of when. She was waxing, and had been for a couple days, and was spending a good deal of time restlessly circling in her stall and pawing at the ground. Fidencio, who is the farm’s stallion-broodmare manager, assured me the time was approaching, perhaps within two hours.

I hoped he was correct. I tried to coax Little Miss K into relaxing and letting nature run its course. I even used one of the few Spanish words I’ve picked up — caballito (little horse) — figuring she might feel more comfortable with the language.

It was to no avail; Little Miss K outlasted me. I returned in the morning to see her in the stall with her filly. I noticed on her stall card that she gave birth a little after 2:00 a.m.

Lindsey Taylor with Little Miss K and her Western Ideal filly.

Later, when I saw Fidencio, Lindsey Taylor and veterinarians Beryl Taylor and Peter Boyce, I noticed a heightened sense of satisfaction in seeing Little Miss K become a mom.

“She was three-legged lame when she first came here,” said Lindsey, who is the farm’s broodmare and healthcare manager. “It was heartbreaking to watch her just try to walk around. That’s why she still has a little bit of a funny gait; she walks a little stiff in the front, but it’s much better than it was.”

Little Miss K was operated on by Dr. Dean Richardson at the University of Pennsylvania’s New Bolton Center. She got additional care from Dr. Patty Hogan at the New Jersey Equine Clinic before arriving at Perretti Farms, where she received six to seven months of stall rest and TLC. Dr. Boyce showed me X-rays of the pastern and all I can say is there was a lot of stuff — plates and screws — holding it together. (Note: “a lot of stuff” isn’t actual medical terminology.)

“She was fortunate that it was a front leg and not a hind leg because it’s a little easier to manage,” Lindsey said. “The bulk of the pregnancy is in the back. And it’s just easier for them because the hind legs carry more work.”

An infection in May 2006 appeared to derail the first attempt to get Little Miss K in foal, but lo and behold, after initially thinking she wasn’t — she was.

Ken Weingartner photos

Little Miss K’s foal is nursing away.

“She was on some major antibiotics; drugs you would think would minimize your chances of getting her pregnant,” Lindsey said. “We didn’t really expect her to be pregnant. When Dr. Boyce first did an ultrasound, we didn’t find an embryo. Then we were periodically checking her because she should cycle regularly once she got over the stress of surgery, but she didn’t come back in heat.”

Dr. Boyce checked again, and Little Miss K was pregnant.

“She might have been behind because she had anesthesia; I don’t know,” he said.

As we stood around Little Miss K and watched her foal nursing away, everyone was pleased with the happy ending.

“She’s a good mom, and she’s so proud of herself,” Lindsey said several days later. “A lot of times, maiden mares are nervous and overly protective, but she’s as thrilled as she can be. She wants everyone to see the foal. She’s just a nice, gentle soul. When you think about what she’s gone through, to see her galloping across the field with her baby is just amazing. It’s a real success story.”