1. What is Cloudy Agate's barn name?
Thanks for playing along with us while we decided what to name this gal! There were MANY great names suggested, including some of our favorites: Jewel, Pebbles, Aggie, Hailey/Halo, Strawberry....but the one we chose was "Roxy". It was suggested by more than one person, referring to the "agate" part of this mare's name; an agate is a beautiful type of sparkly rock. That led them to "Roxanne" and then to "Roxy". Very clever, and cute. It suits her. Thanks for the suggestions!

2. When is Roxy due?
Cloudy Agate is in foal to World's Best Appaloosa and Supreme Champion ZMI. Her due date is April 28, 2004.

3. Give us Roxy's statistics, please.
Roxy was born March 19, 1993. She is 15hh. Roxy has Plaudit and Strawman bloodlines. She has had three foals by the same stallion, two of which looked similar to Diva, and one solid chestnut, well-built filly, Pebbles, by sire Extravagant Dream, a son of Dreamfinder. Pebbles was sold to fellow buddies, Ron and Pam, so now lives in Canada. She will halter and longe in the show ring for sure. Roxy's 2003 foal to Zip Me Impressive, our Supreme Champion stallion, was a beautiful black and white filly we named Bips. Bips now resides in Florida with her new owners who just love her. Roxy is again in foal to Supreme Champion ZMI. Her due date is April 28, 2004.

4. What is Roxy's personality like?
Roxy is great. She is relaxed and quiet. One thing we love about her is that she seems calm and even-tempered, like our other mares. That's important to us for breeding purposes to pass along a nice disposition, but also for ease of handling - a horse is a big animal and it costs the same to keep a cranky horse as a nice one....so you might as well make sure you buy a nice one! You can see she has a pretty head and neck, and a nice slope to her shoulder. A good topline, too, although she has had several foals already. She also has lower hocks, which we like. That is thought by some to keep horses more sound. She is great after foaling and a really good mom!

5. Can you tell us about the foal's sire (father)?
The foal's sire is World's Best Appaloosa and Supreme Champion Zip Me Impressive, or "Zippy" as we call him. Zippy is the youngest Supreme Champion ever in the history of the Appaloosa breed. He is dark bay with a spotted blanket, and is nine years old. We bought him when he was 13 months old and he is regularly shown in competitions. He holds 50 Top Ten World and National and Year End titles and three Bronze Medallions. ZMI as we call him is a Multiple Reserve World Champion, and Multiple Canadian National Champion.

6. How will you know Roxy is about to give birth?
Roxy will show fairly classic signs of labor. The signals we watch for include her tail cocked continuously to one side; pacing; her udder very full and waxed on the teats; getting smooth and elongated under her tail; the baby moving back into position giving her a more "cylindrical" appearance; and the ligaments on either side of her tail feeling soft and loose in preparation for foaling. In addition she may be not as hungry the day before or day of foaling; she may drip milk from her udder a few hours before delivery, and she may lay down and get up frequently. Her water will break and then the foal should be born within one hour - but sometimes as quickly as 15 minutes, so watch close!

7. Will the light in the foaling stall bother Roxy?
No, the light is from a low-watt light bulb. We enhance the lighting of the picture via the computer software so that you can see things better at night. Lights are off during the day. We will also turn off the lights after Roxy foals and the baby is up and nursing vigorously (about two to three hours after foaling). Mother and baby will be in natural light every day, whether they are in the barn or outside in their paddock.

8. What kind of technical equipment do you use to support the BarnCams?
We have four cameras in the barn and one in the house all devoted to supporting the technical side of the BarnCams. We have four wireless cameras and one video camera pointed at the horses we are featuring each day. An older, wired system runs from the foaling barn to the TVs in the house so that we can do hourly and then half-hour checks at night without running down to the barn. We have three dedicated servers to handle all the traffic - it has been incredible! In addition, we will use a hand-held camera for our BarnBuddy Club members when Roxy foals.