Tragedy

I cannot tell you just how gutted I am this morning.
My friend Janes' horse gave birth this morning and the foal has turned out to be deformed. The vet was called and the little filly has had to be put down. It had problems with it's eyes and mouth and the vet thought it seemed brain damaged.
The vet said it was the first foal he had ever had to put down.

Last year Jane bought an Andalucian stallion to cover both her young mares and having been there at the conception, I was pretty excited to see the result and Jane has been hopping with excitement the last few days in anticipation. To hear her absolute heartbreak is terrible, especially after Jane was so kind and supportive during the last days of my horses life. She was with me when Amber was put to sleep and I am sitting here with tears in my eyes for her and this poor foal.

This afternoon I have volunteered to go with her husband to take the body to a laboratory, where we will find out if it was a genetic problem while Jane waits around for the birth of the second foal, hoping against hope that all is ok.