Mare is surprise mother of twins

BALMAT — A rare birth of live twin horses took place Monday at Sawyer Creek Appaloosas.

"I've been around horses since I had a memory," said John E. Kreider, who runs the farm with his wife, Julie A. "I've never seen twins."

The birth of twins in horses doesn't usually turn out well, said their veterinarian, Kirsten D. Anderson, Lake Effect Veterinary Service, Watertown.

"In 20 years, I've seen one other set and they were both born dead," Dr. Anderson said. "It's pretty amazing. These both came out pretty healthy and the mare didn't have much trouble. They lucked out."

Mr. and Mrs. Kreider have cameras in their barn that let the world see their horses on the Internet at www.sawyercreek.com. The cameras also allow them to monitor their animals from inside their house on County Route 22 in the town of Fowler.

On Monday morning, Mr. Kreider was watching from his living room when he saw one of their mares, Picadilly Lilly "Pickles," start to give birth.

When Mr. Kreider went to assist, he saw a nose and one foot, so he found the other foot so the foal could come out straight. He was surprised when a filly half the size he expected plopped out. He watched for about 10 minutes to make sure both baby and mother were doing well.

"All of a sudden, squirt, here comes this other one," he said. "You could have knocked me over."

Mrs. Kreider was getting ready to take a nursing midterm at SUNY Canton when her husband called to tell her Pickles had foaled.

"I could hear the hesitation in his voice," Mrs. Kreider said. "When I asked if everything was OK, he said, 'There's a little more to the story.'"

According to Mrs. Kreider's research, there's a one-in-500,000 chance for both twins to be born alive and a one-in-a-million shot they'll both still be alive in two weeks.

"Cows have twins, but horses, no. They're just not designed to have twins. Most people think it's a happy event, but most times, it's double trouble," Mrs. Kreider said. "She went full term, which beats all odds. We're just thrilled. We have a message board and the word got out fast. People have been coming from everywhere to see them."

Mr. and Mrs. Kreider raise champion appaloosas, many of which have been sold for show animals around the world, so they're not new to breeding. Pickles, who was bred for the first time, had an ultrasound at 20 days but only one fetus was seen. Throughout her 11-month gestation, nothing seemed amiss and she didn't grow abnormally large.

Next pregnancy, Pickles will have several ultrasounds and one of the embryos will be pinched out if she has more than one.

Her first birth, however, will remain special.

Since Pickles's twins could barely reach her teats after their birth, Dr. Anderson and Mr. and Mrs. Kreider milked the mare, and split the colostrum — a mother's first milk rich in protein and antibodies — evenly. The chestnut filly is slightly larger than her younger brother — a few-spot leopard — and is more of a spitfire, but he's catching up fast.

"She's got the attitude," Mr. Kreider said. "He's a people horse."

Both are less than half the size of another foal born two days earlier.

"They're full of piss and vinegar, but they're very little," Dr. Anderson said.

In answer to the most common questions, yes, they can both nurse at the same time, and they do cuddle.

Mr. and Mrs. Kreider have heard a lot of suggestions for names but haven't settled on anything yet.

"Do you remember Dr. Seuss?" Mrs. Kreider said. "For now, we're calling them Thing One and Thing Two."