14 Apr 2021
Colt conceived using AI in spring 2020 and born on 9 March 2021 helps boost the numbers of rare Suffolk punch breed.
Rachael Buzzel
Job Title
Phoenix and mum Miri.
With the help of the veterinary team at Rainbow Equine Hospital, a Suffolk punch foal – a breed said to be rarer than the giant panda – has been born in Yorkshire; its first in 40 years.
The colt, White Rose Phoenix, has helped boost the numbers of the Suffolk punch, the oldest English breed of working horse, when he was born last month. Fewer than 500 pure-bred Suffolk horses exist in the UK – only around 70 breeding mares – and the breed is classed as critically endangered by the Rare Breeds Survival Trust.
Phoenix’s proud owners Sally and Toby Bates, from Driffield, hope the youngster will grow up to showcase how versatile the Suffolk punch is as an all-round riding and driving horse, and one day may be used to breed his own foals.
He was conceived using AI, and Mr and Mrs Bates called on the expertise of the veterinary team at Rainbow Equine Hospital in Malton to help his mum, Holbeache Mirabelle (Miri), fall pregnant.
Rainbow Equine Hospital vet Phoebe O’Sullivan performed the AI procedure at the hospital in spring 2020, then cared for Miri to give her the best chance of having a foal. This involved Miri following a tailored exercise programme and taking medication to create the perfect conditions in her uterus for an embryo to grow.
Two weeks later, the Rainbow team performed an ultrasound scan that showed seven-year-old Miri was in foal.
Horses have a gestation period of 11 months and Miri started showing signs of going into labour at 5:30pm on 9 March. Mrs Bates stepped into the role of midwife, with Dr O’Sullivan coaching her through the birth over the telephone.
Dr O’Sullivan said: “Sally put her phone on speaker and laid it in the straw, then described everything she could see. I was also listening out for Miri’s breathing, too, and after 20 minutes I could tell the foal was fairly large, so I asked Sally to give Miri a hand.
“The birth went pretty smoothly, but Sally just needed to apply a little bit of pressure to help him out. She did a great job, although I found it harder to talk someone through a foaling than actually being there and doing it myself.”
Dr O’Sullivan then went to help the newborn when Mrs Bates reported he was struggling to nurse.
She added: “It was very exciting to have been involved in this journey, from helping Miri get in foal to being there just after Phoenix was born.”
As a thank you to Dr O’Sullivan for her hard work, Mr and Mrs Bates took the first four letters of her name to christen the foal Phoenix.
