Introducing Cadeau

Baton Rouge -A Filly Born at the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine

A chestnut filly (young female horse) was born on Wednesday, May 27 as the result of a breeding that LSU pursued after receiving the filly’s mother as a donation last year. To celebrate this birth, the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine (SVM) held a contest to name the filly. Over 60 entries were received, and on July 27, the LSU Equine Clinic faculty and staff voted on them. The winner of the naming contest is LSU student Nicole Karamichael of Hoover, Ala., and her entry was "Cadeau"; French for "gift".

Cadeau’s mother, a seven-year-old bay (brown) Thoroughbred mare named “Duma,” was donated to the SVM after she repeatedly failed to produce a foal for her past owners. Following the careful evaluation of Duma’s health and potential to conceive, the LSU team developed a plan to attempt a healthy pregnancy for Duma, and a stallion prospect was chosen. The stallion, “Ole Rebel,” from Clear Creek Stud in Folsom, La., was selected as the sire.

Duma’s pregnancy progressed without incident. After she began to go into labor, the healthy foal was born in a matter of minutes. Bringing new life into the world is a specialty of the LSU Equine Team. With plans to develop a new Reproduction Center, the Veterinary School is continually making advancements that further their ability to serve the equine industry in Louisiana and provide incredible learning opportunities to veterinary students. Both Duma and her new filly are doing well and photos of the pair can be seen by visiting www.equine.vetmed.lsu.edu.

Nicole Karamichael will be photographed with Cadeau and will be given an LSU SVM shirt and hat and an autographed copy of the book Horses of the Storm. The LSU SVM would like to thank everyone who participated in this contest and helped us celebrate the birth of this beautiful animal.

Both Duma and Cadeau are doing well and more photos of the pair can be seen here.