When I found out that I was pregnant and that we would have a son, the world around me changed. I began to notice that the mare was behaving in a special way.

She would come close, press her big ear against my belly as if she were listening. Sometimes she neighed quietly, as if laughing with joy, and gently touched me with her muzzle.

It seemed as though she knew more about the baby than I did myself. For all seven months of my pregnancy, she stayed by my side, protecting me, watching every step I took, and never leaving me alone.