Two Tiny Heartbeats, One Exciting Day: Janice and Coco Are Both Expecting
Katie had already received exciting news during the donkey pregnancy checks. Now it was time to find out whether two of her miniature mares had surprises of their own.
Janice and Coco had both spent time with Ruler, and Katie had not seen either mare come back into heat. That gave her a reason to be hopeful, but the ultrasound examinations would provide a clearer answer.
By the end of the appointment, she had the news she wanted.
Janice and Coco were both pregnant—and both babies had visible heartbeats.
The discoveries brought Katie’s expected miniature horse foal count to three for 2027, adding even more anticipation to the coming year.
First, though, there was Miss Janice and a screen everyone wanted to see.
For these examinations, the mares were checked using rectal ultrasound. Katie explained the process to viewers before turning her attention to what was appearing on the monitor.
Ruler was still staying at the farm in case either mare needed another opportunity to be bred. Until the checks were complete, the plan remained open.
Then a small shape appeared.
“Is that a baby?” Katie asked.
It was.
Within the dark area on the ultrasound screen, Katie pointed out the little white shape that represented Janice’s developing foal. After watching and waiting for signs, she could finally share something definite: Janice had a baby on board.
Next came the search for a heartbeat.
Katie offered a funny admission while trying to follow the image. Sometimes, she said, she would agree that she could see what someone was pointing out before she had actually found it herself.
Watching through her phone made the moment even more challenging. She wanted to capture the discovery for viewers while also seeing it clearly with her own eyes.
That mixture of excitement and uncertainty made the appointment feel familiar. There was something important on the screen, and she was eager to make out every detail.
Janice appeared to be roughly 50 days along. Katie said she had written down the last breeding date she had observed and would need to refer back to it.
The timing discussed in the video was an estimate rather than a confirmed calendar due date. Even so, the result gave her plenty to imagine.
She was already looking forward to seeing what Janice and Ruler would produce together.
Katie described the prospective foal as “fancy,” expressing her enthusiasm for the pairing. This would be Janice’s first foal by Ruler, so there was still much to discover about the combination.
One little heartbeat had turned the conversation toward a future arrival.
Then it was Coco’s turn.
Katie’s attention shifted to the second mare as the examination began. Dolly was nearby, and Katie jokingly supplied her imagined reaction to watching the proceedings.
It was a brief bit of humor between two meaningful moments.
Then came the second discovery.
Another baby.
Katie’s excitement rose as she learned that Coco was pregnant, too. The two mares appeared close enough in their pregnancies that their estimated due dates could be about a week apart.
Coco’s pregnancy looked slightly earlier than Janice’s, placing her approximately a week behind in the discussion during the appointment. Their actual foaling dates would still be something to watch for later.
For now, the closeness of those estimates offered an appealing possibility: two miniature foals arriving within a similar stretch of the season.
Coco also gave Katie something else to wonder about.
She explained that Coco is a gray pinto, although her graying has made the pattern much harder to notice. Katie was excited by the possibility that Coco’s foal could be pinto.
The baby’s eventual appearance remained unknown, but imagining the colors was part of the fun.
There was a more immediate detail to find first.
Katie looked again at the small white shape on the ultrasound screen, watching for movement within it.
“I see the flicker,” she said. “I actually see it this time.”
It was the moment that brought the appointment together: two confirmed pregnancies and two little heartbeats.
Both mares were carrying their first foals by Ruler, giving Katie two new versions of a pairing she was eager to see develop.
At the end of the checks, Janice and Coco were a little sleepy. Katie said they would remain where they were until they had woken up before returning outside.
Ruler, meanwhile, could go home.
The question that had kept him at the farm had been answered. Both mares were expecting.
For followers, the update added two more names to the pregnancies they could look forward to watching. For Katie, it was another happy result on a day already filled with surprises.
There would be months of waiting before these foals made their introductions. Their markings, personalities, and exact arrival dates were still ahead.
But on this day, the news was simple and worth celebrating.
Janice had a baby on board. Coco did, too.
And Katie had seen the tiny flicker that made each discovery feel real.
Are you most excited to meet Janice’s foal, Coco’s possible pinto baby, or watch the two grow up together?
