New foal will be Wheaton equestrian center's workhorse

Photo courtesy of the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County

The newest addition to the stables at the Danada Equestrian Center in Wheaton is a male Percheron draft foal named Ike. He was born Friday and one day will take over his mother June's duties as one of the farm's workhorses.

He may not be doing much now, but the Danada Equestrian Center's newborn Percheron foal has a busy life ahead of him.

The DuPage County Forest Preserve's horse stable in Wheaton uses its corps of Percheron draft horses for a variety of activities, which includes pulling carriages, sleighs and farm equipment at demonstrations.

But before Ike straps on a harness and becomes a workhorse, the lanky dark-gray foal with a lone white patch on his forehead is busy getting the wobble out of his giddyup.

Born early Friday morning to 15-year-old June, Ike weighed in at an even 100 pounds and stands less than 3 feet tall, said Julie Stedron, the center's assistant equestrian supervisor. He will eventually weigh in at close to a ton and double his current height.

Workers said the delivery was fast and uneventful.

"Like most horses, they manage to sneak it in between the times you check on them, which is what June did," said stable coordinator Sandy Slazyk. "They checked on her at about 5:45 a.m. and she looked fine and they came back 45 minutes later and there he was."

Ike is the first foal born at the farm in five years, when they brought in a mare who was already pregnant. Both June and another Percheron named Rosie were shipped to a farm in Iowa nearly a year ago to be impregnated. Rosie is due in a couple weeks.

All of the male horses at the farm have been gelded to prevent any "accidents," Slazyk said. So Ike's got that to look forward to as well. Anytime they decide to get one of the mares pregnant, the horses are shipped to a stud farm.

Eventually both Ike and Rosie's foal will take their mothers' places as workhorses and the older mares will be retired and live out their remaining years at the center, Slazyk said. That will probably take place in about five years.

There were no baby showers or delivery-date pools at the center, Slazyk said. However, volunteers got to submit name suggestions for the foals.

"Then volunteers with enough hours working with the draft horses got together and voted on his name," she said. " I think it fits him."