Witnessing a Beginning: My First Time Photographing a Foal’s Birth
This week, I had the absolute honor of documenting something I’ve never photographed before: a horse birth. And not just any birth, this was my best friend Eliza Berg’s beloved mare, Sierras Investor (“Yammi”), bringing her first foal into the world. A stunning grulla filly by Hollywoodzsmokindoc.
Eliza texted me Tuesday morning with the update that Yammi was in "Stage One" of labor. With her being a maiden mare (first baby), it was totally up in the air on if it could be baby-time in one hour, four hours... maybe even twelve! Yammi's milk PH was reading a 6.5 so it for sure would be within a day. Like humans, every mare is different so getting a solid estimate on "when" it would happen was a shot in the dark, especially with a mare that hasn't foaled before.
At the time of Eliza’s text, I was sitting at my computer catching up on editing. I had a split second to decide: keep working, or race over there to try and catch the birth. Honestly, with a 3.5-hour drive ahead of me, I was sure I’d miss it. The video Eliza sent me made it look like Yammi was only minutes away from pushing. But photographing a birth has been on my bucket list for years—so, as any diehard horse girl and dedicated photographer would do, I dropped everything, packed my gear, and hit the road (frequently checking the live feed of Yammi’s stall the whole way).
On my way to East Tennessee, I called ahead to my favorite camera store, F/32 Photo in Knoxville, to see if they had a rental lens available—something better suited to the tight quarters of a horse stall, but that could still zoom in enough for me to keep a respectful distance. Miraculously, they had the very popular Canon 24–70mm available. It’s not a lens I typically use for horses because of the distortion, but for this scenario, it was going to be perfect.
Thankfully, Yammi didn’t pop that baby out while I was en route and I made it in time to catch up with my old friend, have dinner, and get settled into the barn for foal watch. We camped out on air mattresses (total Saddle Club vibes) while absolutely buzzing with anticipation.
This would be my first time witnessing a birth—but it was also full of firsts for Eliza. Her first mare. Her first foal. Her first time breeding, foaling out, and seeing the process from start to finish. There were a lot of bucket-list boxes to check, and getting to do it together made it all the more special.
That said… the longer the night stretched, the more skeptical we became. Midnight passed. Then 2 a.m. Then 4. Yammi was still visibly uncomfortable (who wouldn’t be at 341 days pregnant?), but there were no glaring signs that baby was a few minutes out from being earth-side. I’d be lying if I said the disappointment wasn’t setting in. My schedule only allowed me to stay through Wednesday morning, and it was starting to feel like I’d leave without seeing it happen.
At 6 a.m., Eliza gave up and went to take a shower. Naturally, at 6:30 she comes flying back into the barn, flips on the lights, and shouts, “Baby’s coming! Feet are out!” Apparently, I am not the best foal-watch partner—because I hadn’t heard a thing. Thankfully, Eliza’s vet had been casually checking the live feed and noticed the change before we did.
Sixteen minutes later, Yammi had officially given birth to a perfect, healthy, grulla filly. Yammi handled it all like she’d done this a hundred times before. It was smooth, safe, and absolutely incredible to witness.
I’m so incredibly proud of Eliza. Watching her navigate this entire journey—from planning the breeding, to foaling out her first mare with such care, patience, and love—was truly something special. She’s poured her heart into every part of this process, and it shows. I already know she and this little filly, now adorably named Tootsie, are going to do amazing things together. I can’t wait to see where their story leads next.
From to little hooves appearing, to her first vet visit, to slowly watching the little filly dry out and show off her striking primitive markings and dorsal stripe, I had the privilege of documenting every moment in both photo and video. I’ve captured a lot of milestones in my career… but nothing quite like this.
New life. A best friend’s dream. And a whole lot of hay in my hair.
And I’d do it all again in a heartbeat.
Keep scrolling to see the full story unfold—start to finish—from Yammi’s labor to Tootsie’s first steps. It's a story I'll never forget, and I'm honored to share with you. Please keep in mind these images are from a live birth and may be graphic for some viewers.
