Lockton Farms in Callander is known for spreading the love of Horsecraft in the north and will be introducing its newest residents during the Great Powassan Pumpkin Tour in October. Meet miracle twin foals, Jetta and Harley, and their mama Costar!
The ‘surprise’ twin foals were born May 22nd, 2023, to a Quarter Horse mare named Costar. Their owner, Nicole Goulet of North Bay, was in desperate need of help to house and care for the animals, so she reached out to Paige Lockton of Lockton Farms. What followed is an amazing story about making the impossible possible.
Lockton is no stranger to miracles. It was indeed a bit of a miracle that she and her crossbred horse, OReilly found themselves competing on the world stage and named as alternates for the 1992 Olympics in Spain.
“I used to say that ‘ANYTHING is possible’, but I was wrong”, says Lockton. “I signed off all of my posts and emails with that slogan, but somewhere along the way I quit believing in it myself. All I knew was that it was too big for just me. I couldn’t do it alone. But my friends wouldn’t let me keep telling that story. They said, ‘You’re NOT alone!’ Now I know the truth is this; Anything IS possible (together!)”
The birth of twin foals is exceedingly rare.
- Of all twin pregnancies, 60% will birth a live single foal
- 31% will abort both foals
- Only 9% of mares will carry both foals to term
- of those 9%, 64% will birth two stillborn foals
- 21% will birth one live foal and one stillborn foal
- 5% will birth two live foals
According to Paige’s father, Dr. Chuck Lockton DVM an equine reproduction specialist, the miracle began with two separate conceptions. After being fertilized once, a second embryo was fertilized by a subsequent breeding. When Costar came into her second heat cycle, she conceived Jetta 10 days after her big brother, Harley.
“That would explain why one of them presented with evidence of joint immaturity and other signs of prematurity, while the first was clearly fully developed and robust,” says Dr. Lockton.
This may be the reason why ‘Jetta’ is special needs. Paige calls her “the sweetest little female ‘Forrest Gump’ of foals you ever dreamed of! She is kind of surreal!”
Not only was the younger foal facing health challenges but there was also the matter of where to house them and their mother. Their owner, Nikky, was offered money for Harley, the stronger twin, but couldn’t bear the thought of losing ANY of them.
“After everything, we went through – the days of 24hr/daycare to nurse them both, all of that love invested to keep Jetta alive, the extra feedings, the nights spent sleeping in the straw with them in my arms … the thought of selling one of them makes me physically ill! They are my family!”
Desperate, Nikky reached out to Paige about the possibility of renting a pasture at the once-famous Lockton Farms along with the use of a run-in shelter. She also offered to do all of the care and feeding of them morning and night herself.
“With the board fees where I had them increasing in the fall as the foals take up more space, I knew I just wasn’t going to be able to do it! I didn’t know what to do, so I applied for a couple of jobs and asked Paige about those empty fields I saw full of grass”, recalls Nikky.
However, the obstacles were significant. The Lockton Farm’s aging infrastructure could not support the animals, and Paige herself was coping with the debilitating effects of chemotherapy and financial concerns.
“I was surrounded by evidence of the impossibility of it all; of fixing up the fences, affording the insurance, and getting the help to have horses here again. It was all too much for one person.” Lockton remembers. “Initially, I told her I couldn’t do it.”
But the support of the community changed everything. Friends began offering services from carpentry to financing, to filming, to fixing fences – so that they could be a part of something special. The horses are now thriving at the farm.
Another miracle that has grown from the unexpected conception of the miracle foals is the opportunity to create a father-daughter Lockton legacy – a documentary about the evolution of Housecraft. The project focuses on Paige and her father and their experience transitioning towards newer ways of caring for horses … AND the humans who love them. The documentary will involve two additional horses joining this special herd. With the working title ‘A Better Way’, the story will wrap production at the end of 2024.
Want to see the miracle foals? The public will have the chance to meet them, their mom CoStar, and their owner Nicole during the Great Powassan Pumpkin Tour on Saturday, October 7th from 10 AM to 3 PM. The event also features vendors, food, music, artisans, pinch pot-making pottery demonstrations, children’s activities, and of course, you can learn more about horses, twinning, and how they communicate.
