Our Crowdfunding Groups
Meet the newest member of the farm!
In March 2022, after a long search for the perfect lesson horse, the Campus Farm purchased a wonderful mare named Noble. She was thriving in our lesson program, but unbeknownst to us, Noble was pregnant. She surprised us by giving birth to a filly on a rainy (and cold!) December morning. On the morning of Tuesday, December 6th, our feed crew found the filly cold, wet and shivering next to her mother. Noble had given birth all by herself and seemed a bit more prepared than we were to navigate the critical first steps of life as a horse! Thankfully because of UMD's Equine Reproduction class, we already had a closet full of everything we would need. Students from the course the previous spring were called to action and sprung out of bed to ensure the baby was up, passing manure and drinking milk.
Unfortunately, that filly was not perfectly healthy and required immediate veterinary intervention. Due to the unexpected nature of the pregnancy, Noble was not producing much milk at the beginning and needed drugs to stimulate milk production. The foal did not gain as much immunity due to the low milk and therefore required a plasma infusion on her first day of life. Shortly after, she needed support for her hydration and gut and urinary health. Our veterinarians not only stayed on call 24/7 to help keep the filly healthy but went above and beyond researching and corresponding with their colleagues about various unusual behaviors and symptoms.
Students and staff helped her every step of the way, including lessons about how to lay down and get back up! She had to be helped to stand, guided to her mother's milk and monitored non-stop for two weeks. Even laying down was quite an effort; she needed assistance periodically to get down for her naps. Since then, she has tapered off all her medications and proven herself an absolute fighter! She is becoming a strong, healthy and independent filly to our immense relief.
How You Can Help
The medications, diagnostics, and various veterinary fees for this unexpected filly have already totaled almost $3,000. Not only that, but Noble needed to be switched to a much more expensive diet of grain, alfalfa, and top-quality hay to provide her foal with the milk she needed. Please consider donating to help cover these funds so we can continue to provide quality care for not only Noble and her foal but also all of the other animals on our farm.
Please note: Noble and her foal need to stay together for at least six months before she can be weaned, and the campus farm has determined that there are three options: foster Noble and her foal until the foal can be sold and Noble returned to the campus farm, sell both Noble and her foal now, or to manage the pair at one of our extension facilities until the foal can be sold. No matter what option is pursued, we do not expect to recoup veterinary bills without the support of donors like you!
These two will only be sold to the best of the best situation! However, if Noble and her foal find a perfect home before the end of the LaunchUMD period, any additional donations above and beyond the veterinary expenses already incurred will help support other emergency needs of animals in our care.
Cast your vote to help us name for our surprise filly!
Make your donation by January 10th and help us name this unexpected foal! Donors who contribute before January 10th will be emailed a survey link to vote for their favorite name. Each $10 donation will count as one vote towards your name preference ($10 = 1 vote, $50 = 5 votes, and so on).
Noble's filly is curious and playful! She loves her red jolly ball and sunbathing in the sand with her mom. She is a voracious eater and loves to nibble on anything she can get her lips on. She finds people to be very entertaining and is always very neat to only pee in her preferred spot (which may or may not be in her mom's hay!)
Gifts in support of the University of Maryland are accepted and managed by the University of Maryland College Park Foundation, Inc., an affiliated 501(c)(3) organization authorized by the Board of Regents. Contributions to the University of Maryland are tax-deductible as allowed by law. Please see your tax advisor for details.