Chris Eaves was about to head out for a while Thursday morning when he decided to check in on his pregnant mare.
Good thing he did. As he entered the barn at his Woodwind Farm on Line 10 in Oro-Medonte, he saw the mare, Reign, lying down and two hooves sticking out of her.
At 11:22 a.m., Alainn was born.
Alainn isn’t your typical filly. She’s a Highland — the only one to be born in Canada this year and one of just five to be born so far in 2020 in North America.
“The Scottish Highland is one of the original warrior horses,” Eaves explained, adding Queen Elizabeth II breeds them and knights used to ride them. “They’re built like a brickhouse.”
They also have “a real easy, great, fantastic attitude,” he said, which is why he uses them as part of a therapy program for people with post-traumatic stress disorder and those who have been abused.
“They may not talk to me, but they will go in and talk to the horses,” Eaves said. “They trust these animals. They’re very calm and friendly. They’re sweet, easygoing animals.”
Eaves posted a photo to his Facebook page Thursday morning and quickly learned it was the type of news people wanted to hear about at a time like this.
“People were going crazy on my Facebook page because it’s not the virus and it’s not murder hornets,” he said with a laugh. “It’s something positive.”
Eaves was happy to report “mother and baby are bonding well.”
