IT'S NOT every day a pure-bred Clydesdale foal is born, and for Beaconsfield Road couple Keith and Julie Mitchell, the birth of Tess was a momentous occasion.
To celebrate the new foal, the Mitchell's invited Room 1 from Toko School to meet their new addition and her first-time mother, Bonnie.
The children were taken into the paddock to give Tess a scratch and were awed by the size of her five-year-old mother.
"It is not often people can get near a new foal and her mother, but Bonnie is so quiet and calm she lets visitors get right up close. Thanks to her beautiful nature, the foal has turned out to be just as lovely," said Julie.
The process of making a mother out of Bonnie was an arduous one.
"We had to go to Whakatane for the stud and the gestation period is 11 months, a long wait for a new baby!" said Julie.
Keith and Julie operate Classic Carriages and own other Clydesdales that they use to pull the ornate transport.
Bonnie is not trained for carriage work yet, but they hope to start her soon.
She and baby Tess are both doing well and the foal is now 12-days-old.
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