Saturday’s XC schooling was fun and all, but the real highlight of the weekend was going to see this little nugget. Side note: he’s 2 months old today! Everyone be glad I resisted the urge to get him a little “2 months” sign and pose him with it like all the human babies on facebook.
It sounds funny, but I was more nervous to go see Presto than I was for schooling. I have legit overprotective horsemom syndrome, and I’m always worried that something is going to be wrong with him. I dunno what, just something.
When we got there Sadie was up toward the front of the field and as soon as she spotted me she locked on to my bag with the treats in it. She’s no fool. Of course, Presto was nowhere to be found. All the babies were scattered around the field, passed out asleep, none of them near their actual mothers, and from that far away I couldn’t tell which one was him. As I was opening my bag to give Sadie her belated birthday/happy mother’s day cookies, Presto jumped up (waaaay back by the far hay hut) and started screaming his head off. What did Sadie do? Completely ignored him. Mom of the year, right there.
Granted, Presto didn’t seem particularly concerned either. He walked the whole distance from where he’d been sleeping to where we were, screaming all the way. Pretty sure he’s just always gonna be a talker with a flair for the dramatic. That’ll be a fun party trick at horse shows.
After I finished stuffing Sadie (and Lissa and Laken by default) full of cookies, I haltered Presto and started messing with him a bit. It’s obvious that the lovely ladies at the breeding farm have been handling him a lot, because he leads great and picks up his feet like a champ. It’s not bad showing up after a few weeks of absence and having your foal be more trained than he was when you left.
Mostly I was shocked with how much he’s grown in the past few weeks. His withers now hit right at bra height (I got home and measured, that’s 12h for those among us who prefer to be all precise and fancy). Liam’s only got about an inch on him now at the withers, although Liam’s giant butt is a little bit out of control and a few inches higher at the moment. I think all my delusions about having a horse that finished more like 16.1h instead of 16.3/17h are fading quickly.
After I was done messing with him and gawking at him, I got to work with his fancy new Leistner brushes. His coat looks… terrible.
All baby coats look terrible around this point, right before they start molting, then they look REALLY TERRIBLE until they’re done. But Presto’s seems especially thick and coarse and fried, I’m guessing maybe because of that whole near-death/couldn’t-absorb-any-nutrients-through-his-GI-tract thing that happened (details). The coat underneath looks nice and dark and shiny, he just needs to shed this gross carpet of thick curly baby fuzz so we can get to it.
The hair has grown back on all of the bald spots on his butt and neck though, and it’s nice and dark. His legs are super dark like Sadie’s for sure, but I think his body might end up being a smidge lighter than hers. I’m still definitely sure that he’s brown (that little bit of shadowing on his shoulder is the telltale sign), but I think he might end up being a lighter shade than she is. We’ll see.
Otherwise though he looks good and seems to be feeling quite fine. I might be biased (neeehhh) but I think he’s got such an air of intelligence about him; he’s curious but calm, and bold but quiet all at the same time.
He also got bored with me pretty quickly, but he’s still content to stand there and hang out. I think he’s just hoping he’ll get more scratches.
I think what I love most is that he’s got Sadie’s sleepy eyes and floppy ears. It’s a Westporte trait that he seems to pass on almost always, and it just gives them the best expression. Presto might not be winning at the whole “look of the eagles” thing, but he looks really sweet.
Hopefully I’ll be able to make it out to see him again in a couple weeks! Maybe he’ll be shedding by then?
breedrideevent.com 
I think you should have done the two months sign only because the sass Presto would have given would be epic. 😉
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I’m concerned at how on point his mare glare is already, considering he doesn’t really even know yet how tremendously annoying I can be. Maybe Sadie’s been telling him stories.
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i will never get tired of baby posts. ever. ever.
also good freakin lord hes huge. hahahha that’ll be fun 😀 😀
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He’s not huge compared to Liam the Loch Ness Monster, so that makes me feel better lol.
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SO BIG! The baby carpet hair is real. haha. Joey’s looks okay, except around his face where it is starting to shed out and leave him with raccoon eyes.
I can’t wait to see how Presto grows up!
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His is like… 70’s shag carpet that someone left outside all summer.
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he is freaking adorable and is going to be a pain with his vocals but we will love hearing all the stories 🙂 SO CUTE……can’t wait to watch him grow up! (AND Cant wait to meet him!)
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You better hurry the hell up!
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I’m 5’9″ and neeeeed a 16.3-17hh horse or else my feet drag on the floor. If he keeps going past 16.1hh, send him north 😀
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NO! I WILL JUST GET A BIGGER STOOL! 😉
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or trapeze wires to dangle down onto him. Where there is a will there is a way 🙂
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aw he just looks like such a good soul already! that’s awesome that the folks at WTW are already doing so much to introduce him to new skills and socializing too
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He’s actually down at First Flight near San Antonio right now while all the mares are getting rebred! Not that WTW people are aren’t awesome… they’re all awesome lol. But the FFF girls get the credit for the past few weeks of work.
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I wasn’t prepared for all this cute so early in the day. He really looks fantastic, you’d never know all he’d been through. And I agree, he has the best expression in his face. I just want to snuggle him through my monitor!
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He’d probably be down for snuggles as long as there were also scratches.
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I loveee him. Nasty baby hair and all.
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Me too. Although I’ll still be really happy when he sheds lol.
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Aww, the nasty baby hair is so cute and so hideous, all at the same time!
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It’s like dried out shag carpet!
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Ugh, I can’t get enough of his precious ears.
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His ears are my fave
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12 h? Wowza, that is amazing, given his weeks long fight at the start.
But I guess that’s genetics for you since both parents are 17 h..
How tall is Sadie’s first baby, Merlin, right? Maybe that is one of the traits she passes on, just like those gorgeous floppy ears and the bedroom eyes…
He really does shaggy and itchy, does he sweat a lot?
He seems like such a cool, laid-back dude. Except for the screaming, I guess.
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Merlin is a giant giant moose. Like giant. But his sire was like 17.2, so…
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Presto and Catalina are the same size at 2 months! Although V is only 15.2 compared to Sadie’s much larger size!!
Presto sure is looking adorable and healthy. I love that he’s vocal and has attitude enough to give that side eye. Maybe he and Catalina need to meet each other so they can take over the world together.
Baby shag coat is awful. I can’t seem to do anything to make it come out faster or at least look better. lol
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Yeah 12h is about right for an average size horse at 2 months, I’m just surprised he caught up so fast! I kind of expected that it might take him a while, but no he’s like BAM rebound done. We’ll see how the next 6 months or so go.
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Yeah. I’m so surprised by their size because Presto was so sick and Valeria was so sick. Babies don’t care. They grow anyway 🙂
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pretty true, thank goodness!
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Sadie is 17H? Holy jeebus. I didn’t realize she was that massive.
Also, Presto is so flipping cute.
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She is kind of an elephant.
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Knappy-ass coat or not, he’s still the cutest! Grif was malnourished before he came to me and the last dredges of his winter coat were knappy shag carpet, too. That gut-to-skin connection is a powerful one.
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Babies!!!!!!! You should of done the 2 month sign with him just to annoy all those people posing with their human babies (bc we all know a 2 month foal is way cuter than a 2 month old baby!)
I laughed at Presto’s future self having conversations with everyone at shows! My pony Gus was that horse!!!! He perfected the neigh and trot and never lost his rhythm or connection… he’d just be going along and neigh at least 1 time during our dressage test or stadium round 🙂 So maybe Presto will master that trick too?? 🙂
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Omg he is so cute!!! And huge!! I’m so glad that his growth seems right on track again, and love seeing the picture updates! 😀
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