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To know or not to know (fetal sexing)?

Would you want to know or not? Please state your reasons (especially if you choose no). About fetal sexing: http://www.thehorse.com/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=304" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; (The doctor that wrote that article is the man that would be performing ours. Handy huh? :mrgreen: He's also the one that told Roy & Gretchen Jackson that La Ville Rouge (Barbaro's dam) would be having her first filly. He was correct, except that she tragically aborted. :sad )

Danni Thu, 05/20/2010 - 20:31

Yeh I'd want to know if I could! I mean I guess it dosn't matter if it's on its way anyway! But if someone was there that was experienced at checking, sure!! I'd prefer sexed semen so I could choose sex of the foal ;) But curiosity would still like to know the sex even when unchangable!

P.S. it wouldn't let me vote :?

dakotakdq Fri, 05/21/2010 - 05:28

I would def want to know, I get so sdisapointed everytime I get a colt! 3 for 3 so far, Id really prefer to know so I dont get excited it might be my filly.
Our vet can do them at an early month (cant remember when) and aparently you can now sex semen too before mare is AI?

Heather Fri, 05/21/2010 - 05:54

Id want to know, and I think it would be good for you in your case as you have a certian sex that your really hopin for and if its the opposite it give you nearly a year to think about what to do, keep or not...Often when we have a foal in front of us our decision become emotional and without it taunting you you can think better about what to do. Also potentialy screen a buyer/home for it that you can pick over alonger time . I think no matter what you do with this foal even if you didnt keep it you would maintain a connection with it reguardless.

Adell Fri, 05/21/2010 - 09:00

I guess I will be the odd man out (not the first time). ;)

No I wouldn't find out. I think it takes some of the magic out of it. While I respect the families that decide to find out what sex of a baby is, I didn't with my two kids. There is just something about the surprise. Not knowing, bonding without any preformed ideas. The first time I met my children was the best surprise of my life. For me checking the sex is like peaking at Chirstmas gifts.

And I get the fact that we are talking about a foal and not a baby... but well still I wouldn't check.

rabbitsfizz Fri, 05/21/2010 - 09:34

I completely understand the desire for a "surprise" but when you are on a limited budget I think it is a good idea to know.
We were absolutely [i]certain[/i] a boy was expected, had picked out loads of boy names and even the ring test agreed.
So it was a bit of a "surprise" when Kira rolled out..... :rofl

TheRedHayflinger Fri, 05/21/2010 - 09:40

while I would WANT to know. I wouldn't go and find out. I think that takes out a lot of the excitement over what the new baby would be...and, a friend and I were just talking about this because there are a couple of stallions we'd really love to cross our haffy mare with and we would really want a filly...but...we were saying...what if we bred Sadie to this stallion, foal would only be kept if it were a filly (no doubt about it..we are both mare girls here)....and we find out she's having a colt. We'd be disappointed, for sure. But I think over the next months it's possible that you could (not that we would, but you know? it COULD happen) feel a resentment for that foal for being the opposite sex you wanted and not bond with it as much after it's born. When you are surprised, you might have that moment of..."oh darn...not what I wanted", but c'mon...there is a CUTE little baby just sitting there waiting for love and you don't have all those months to build up the disappointment of what it wasn't, but you get to enjoy what it is.

When I bought my first mare, she was already bred. I didn't know much about colors then and I even rode the stallion she was bred to...a big "palomino with funky green eyes and freckles"...and pink skin? My mare was black. My friend I kept my horses with told me the only horse colors that had pink skin were double dilute cremes after about 10 minutes of looking online. We both agreed that a buckskin or palomino filly would be awesome...as would black(because that is my favorite color). We both joked however, I'd probably get a S**t brown colt. The mare foaled (water broke right after I left for a few hours and I hauled butt to get back in 8 minutes and foal was halfway out at that time) and she comes up and says...you have a S**t brown colt...with blue eyes. Mind, he was still very wet at the time..LOL
I ended up with a gold champagne colt that was the love of my life until he tragically had to be put to sleep at 6 years of age. I really do not feel I would have had the bond I had with him had I known he was a colt several months before he was born.

Krickette Fri, 05/21/2010 - 11:33

I've only bred a horse once, as y'all know. It was a really special experiance and I wouldn't have done anything different (except maybe keep her from banging her head into the wall first thing, I think she's retarded now lol!)

When I have my own kid, I want to know the gender, but that's because there's planning, it doesn't make sense to not know. It's not like I'd love one gender more than the other, I just want to know. I really like the idea of doing the cake thing like someone mentioned in an earlier post, I'm gonna try to remember that.

But with a horse, it doesn't matter. I'm not gonna have to make any special preparation either way, and it doesn't matter what the gender is in the least to me. I almost wanted a colt because I just love geldings. But overall, whatever happened it was going to be special. And I love the surprise. We'd bred our Border Collie twice at that point, and both times it was like christmas, not knowing what colors or patterns or genders you were going to get. We even joked, when we saw Jazz's face and legs coming out that we got another BC, since she was black and white. I don't know, it was just so exciting.

Then we had a filly shower later and invited all the little girls I'd worked with at church teaching sunday school and babysitting and that sort of thing. They had lots of fun and I held her for them to pet and we had cake and fruit and whatnot. Some of them brought presents, like drawings for her stall and carrots and such. Someone brought a bow for her hair and someone else brought a bag of straight up rolled oats, haha!

Sara Fri, 05/21/2010 - 11:49

Usually with a breeding I don't care either way if I have a colt or a filly since I have plans either way. I would wholeheartedly support something that allows people to [b]select[/b] the sex of their foal though because I see so many poor Welsh colts practically thrown away because everyone wants a filly. It's not so bad with Section B and D because there is a need for ridden geldings but for the most part people don't ride the smaller A's here and there is virtually no market for a C gelding.

Sara Fri, 05/21/2010 - 12:14

The driving market is teeny tiny compared with the number of people breeding ponies. Most of the hunter trainers want their smalls right up to 12.2 (certainly no smaller than 12.0) so the smaller colts who don't find breeding homes just disappear. I don't know where they end up going but they sell for only $1000 to [i]maybe[/i] $1500 if you're lucky.

accphotography Fri, 05/21/2010 - 13:11

Well it's hard. I definitely, desperately want a filly. I'm concerned that if I know now that it's a colt I won't have the excitement and the fawning over Lace that I feel now. I'm afraid I might even resent it. Whereas once it's born it's like "it's a colt... BUT look how CUTE he is!" You know? But if it's a filly, I'll be over the moon for the next 10 months. it would also help me pick out names and colors either way. However I may only do this ONCE in my life. I'd kinda like to experience everything I can. Fetal sexing is one experience. However just being surprised is an experience as well. However, if I ever breed again I may not have this vet that is so talented at sexing available to me again. I can ALWAYS be surprised, I may not always be able to have one accurately sexed. Not to mention, who wouldn't want to see this (the view at the time sexing is generally done)???:
[img]http://www.equine-reproduction.com/artiā€¦]

How could you not love that regardless of sex??

Here's the other thing... I've been informed that we will be keeping this foal regardless of sex. I've been saying if it was a colt (and I also added tall and solid) it would be sold. My husband heard me say that a while back and said "THE HELL IT WILL!". So apparently he wants a colt. So I guess either way we're covered. Knowing in advance that it's a colt might help me to start planning early if I want to try again for a filly.

I'm leaning to doing it... but there's still some debate.

Krickette Fri, 05/21/2010 - 13:22

I'm as torn as you in your case. I mean, if you get a colt and are planning to breed again for a chance at a filly, then that makes it seem better to sex now, be surprised later, since you want that vet. And honestly, I don't think you'll be any less excited if it is a colt, it's still special, it's your and Lace's first foal!
As for picking out the names and colors, you can always make two lists ;)
But why are you picking another color? Purple on a palomino would be perfect wouldn't it? Purple and gold! :D
I didn't really think about names much before Jazz was born, which is weird, since I'm like obsessed with names. Nothing seemed good enough, I wanted to wait till I saw her.

TheRedHayflinger Fri, 05/21/2010 - 13:31

for all the want that I wanted a filly...and thought I was going to get a filly (I seriously thought Libby was going to have a filly)....I only had one name picked out and it was a boys name....so I guess the universe knew all along that I'd get a colt and name it Patriot...Riot for short. (Libby was short for Liberty..lol)

critterkeeper Sat, 05/22/2010 - 18:12

[quote="rabbitsfizz"]I completely understand the desire for a "surprise" but when you are on a limited budget I think it is a good idea to know.
We were absolutely [i]certain[/i] a boy was expected, had picked out loads of boy names and even the ring test agreed.
So it was a bit of a "surprise" when Kira rolled out..... :rofl[/quote]

Well RF, I can beat that one...my daughter had 2 sons already and really wanted a girl, but from the first US (she was high risk so she had SIX of them) everyone said, "It's another boy."...Only myself and the other grandmother believed the baby was actually a girl...needless to say when the doc said "It's a girl!" my hubby yelled so loud the other docs came running from the other delivery rooms....oops... :oops: Well the little lady loves pink and purple lacy dresses, horses (some of you remember she got a horse & a pink ostrich saddle for her 3rd birthday) and yet, still plays baseball with the boys in Little League. :bounce :bounce

As for the voting (we need to fix that btw), I vote Yes. I am all for the surprise part if you are not in the "business" of horses, but when you are, you need to be able to make long-range plans around a foal's arrival. If a colt, to geld or not (I vote geld 99.9% of the time), to sell, show or break to ride...if a filly, the same issues, plus retaining for poss. breeding: decisions, decisions, decisions. :roll:

accphotography Sat, 05/22/2010 - 18:26

We're not really in business, but there are still decisions to be made either way. And just if there was any question, if this foal is a colt it WILL be gelded even if it is sold. It will be gelded before it leaves my hands. No way will I send an unregistered stallion into the world (unless he comes from serious performers and maybe not even then). A filly would still have some of the same decisions, but it's far, FAR less likely to leave my grubby little hands. :mrgreen:

Krickette Sat, 05/22/2010 - 18:33

[quote="critterkeeper"][quote="rabbitsfizz"]I completely understand the desire for a "surprise" but when you are on a limited budget I think it is a good idea to know.
We were absolutely [i]certain[/i] a boy was expected, had picked out loads of boy names and even the ring test agreed.
So it was a bit of a "surprise" when Kira rolled out..... :rofl[/quote]

Well RF, I can beat that one...my daughter had 2 sons already and really wanted a girl, but from the first US (she was high risk so she had SIX of them) everyone said, "It's another boy."...Only myself and the other grandmother believed the baby was actually a girl...needless to say when the doc said "It's a girl!" my hubby yelled so loud the other docs came running from the other delivery rooms....oops... :oops: Well the little lady loves pink and purple lacy dresses, horses (some of you remember she got a horse & a pink ostrich saddle for her 3rd birthday) and yet, still plays baseball with the boys in Little League. :bounce :bounce

As for the voting (we need to fix that btw), I vote Yes. I am all for the surprise part if you are not in the "business" of horses, but when you are, you need to be able to make long-range plans around a foal's arrival. If a colt, to geld or not (I vote geld 99.9% of the time), to sell, show or break to ride...if a filly, the same issues, plus retaining for poss. breeding: decisions, decisions, decisions. :roll:[/quote]

'
Haha! I was supposed to be William Lafayette the fourth! I was huge, a 10 pounder, and in every ultrasound I was hiding so they couldn't tell, so they said I was going to be a boy. Mom knew I was a girl though, don't know how, she just did. Well, needless to say, I'm a girl. My brother was supposed to be my little sister. He was tiny tiny and he, too, hid in every ultrasound. He's a boy though! I wanted a sister really badly though, so I was dissapointed and gave him his first black eye the day he finally came home from NICU :o :shock: I was a naughty little kid.

horsegen Tue, 05/25/2010 - 12:45

I just *knew* with both of mine. I don't know how mothers do it or what gives them the signal. Everyone said, "Well, if you're carrying this way it's a boy" or "Since you're really sick it's a girl" and a million other wives' tales, but I didn't pay attention to any of them. I knew Keira was a girl from about 8 or 10 weeks on, and even though we never found out, by the time she was born I was so sure she was a girl that if the doctor had told me it was a boy I would have said, "Put it back. That one's not mine!" My husband kept yelling at me to stop referring to the baby as a she, because he felt like I was jinxing it or getting too attached to a baby girl, but when she came out he just looked at me and said, "Hey...you were right!"

I knew with this one too, that it was a boy, although since we found out at 20 weeks I didn't get as much chance to be REALLY sure. But I was pretty sure. Most moms I know who said they "knew" what it was were right!

Andrea Tue, 05/25/2010 - 13:57

I've had 4 boys and 1 girl.
With all 4 boys, I was dogged @ss tired but no morning sickness.
With Ash, I had morning sickness. She was the second born, so I was pretty sure when I was guessing the last three.