Ginger has a boy!

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Yesterday Ginger foaled a little male, who as of this morning was still fighting for his life. He could not stand to nurse on his own, so Bev — bless her heart — has been waking up every two hours to lift him so he could nurse. I hope he pulls off. He is Ginger’s third foal in three years, after my Kinza, now two, and Bev’s Ginger Snap, a yearling. All three are by Bev’s stallion Subanet Jabbar SDA, so tracing to Fay El Dine in tail male and to Rabanna/Basilisk in tail female.

When my partner Jana first saw a photo, her first reaction was: “Oh he looks like a little dog!” so I named him Kulayb. It’s Arabic for “little dog”, and it’s an old, old, Arabic Bedouin name. The Ancient Hebrews had it too, as the Biblical Caleb.

In ancient pre-Islamic poetry, Kulayb son of Rab’iah was the name of a Bedouin hero from the ancient tribe of Taghlib. He was the brother of Mohalhil.

19 Replies to “Ginger has a boy!”

  1. Sending positive thoughts for Kulayb, may he make a strong rally. Blessings for Bev, you and Jana.

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  3. I had a colt like that born here. After a couple days of helping him onto his feet every few hours, he had gained enough strength and coordination to get up and down on his own. Now he is the tallest and probably most powerful horse here.

    Lady Wentworth named a colt Kuleyb. He was a 1928 colt from Shareer x Julnar, and one of the last Kuhaylan Jallabi foals bred at Crabbet.

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    1. I am trying to go by the Library of Congress’ system of transliterating Arabic vowels: a, u, i, only, no e, no ou, etc. They pronunciation is closer to “Kuleyb” but the vowel on the L is an a, softened by the y that follows.

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  5. Congratulations on another foal! Who is the daddy? (One of these days, Ginger will need to give you a filly!)

    Last summer I took care of a baby with similar issues standing up. I was out every two hours picking that baby up, too. For some reason, the coordination just isn’t always there at first. Movement is a good medicine for that. Fingers and toes crossed for your newest addition.

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    2. Despite extra nutrition, protein, calories I wonder if it is a symptom of an aged mare. In Gingers case (at 23) she was nursing last year’s filly and growing this year’s colt all at once. Possibly just too much for her. He will catch up and be fine though.

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  6. He is going to be as brave and as loyal as his name indicates. Be strong little one – we believe in you and you matter more than you know.

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      1. I am. I have been lucky enough to know Kate and Abba and although I am far behind in knowledge am truly inspired by the preservation of and arabian horses.

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        1. There is no near and far. Just willingness to engage in a body of knowledge, much of which is flawed anyway.. hence the work on primary sources Kate and I and others are doing..

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  9. By 24 hrs he was using all his muster to rise with control all on his own. And his appetite has been good from the start. Yesterday he waddled, trolliped, and proudly followed his mother up to the sandy level arena, a fair trek from their pen. The mare needed to move and roll. I figured it was a toss up of too much for him but a must for her. While there, he rested while i sponged off some poopy bottom and legs. Ginger must have really strong rich first milk. All three have had this first day or two reaction. BioSponge is the answer!! He liked Spa day a lot!! Today we made the same trip and though still needing some time to strengthen and unfold, he is definitely much stronger. Ginger took him around for several laps and he seemed to have increased endurance from the day before. It is amazing how fast they remodel and adapt. He will be fine in due time.

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    1. Oh, excellent news! Babies are resilient, and it sounds like he is enjoying his walks to the arena.

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