When farmer Ben saw that his horse was pregnant, he was full of joy. It meant that he was about to have another horse, which could lead to more financial wealth if it was a ‘good’ horse. After waiting for months, the moment was nearly there. The belly was heavy and the horse was showing signs of going into labor.
The horse was about to give birth. But strangely enough, it refused to give birth even with a giant stomach. Ben decided to go to the local vet to get an ultrasound. When the vet saw the ultrasound he immediately called the police. But what was wrong with the horse? And what did Ben do wrong? Let’s find out about this curious case…
This was a small town, and everyone knew each other. Furthermore, everyone knew that Ben’s horse was about to give birth. This small sleepy town talked about everything when they come together in their small bar at night, and it wasn’t hard to catch wind of the goings-on of the ranches around town, Ben’s included.
So when the vet came and saw what was happening, he was so surprised that he called the cops. When the vet called the police, they told him that they would come his way immediately. This horse needed special help from more than just a vet. This horse needed surgery, as there was obviously something strange going on in its stomach. It might even be a life or death situation….
As the police live in this small town as well, any action was good action. There wasn’t really much to do around here – everyone knew each other and therefore crime was pretty low. In fact, the local polcie department barely had anything to do all day as there really wasn’t much policing to be done, so this was as exciting a case as any.
When the police finally arrived, they helped the vet to sedate the now almost lifeless giant horse. But the police did not only help the vet, they also came to Ben. “Sir, we need you to come with us, it is important”.. Ben was shell shocked. He only asked the vet to come over and help his horse give birth. What did he do wrong?
Birthing horses should be a pretty straightforward thing. Horses give birth unassisted a lot, and foals usually pop out of their mothers already knowing how to walk and gallop despite being born only a few minutes earlier. Truly, horses are one of the most hassle-free animals to help birth, and Ben knew this.
Ben answered questions about himself and the horse that he had owned since his youth. When he was done with answering all the questions, he heard disbelief from the surgery room. “I can’t believe this!,” said the vet. But what did the vet find inside the horse that he was so incredibly surprised by?What blew their mind?
The average conception rate (with artificial insemination) is 60%, which indicates that getting 90% of mares pregnant usually takes two to three cycles. You’ve already doubled or tripled your veterinary expenses just trying to get your mare pregnant at that rate. It takes a lot of work to get a mare pregnant, which makes this occasion nerve-wracking for Ben.
Claim:
A story tells a true tale of a horse named Felicia who refused to give birth and a veterinarian who called the police after viewing the animal’s ultrasound.
In March 2024, a strange picture of a massive horse was shared several times on Facebook, along with the claim that a horse named Felicia had refused to give birth. According to the story, a veterinarian arrived and saw something shocking in an ultrasound image, leading him to call the police. The most common headline read, “Horse Refuses To Give Birth, When the Vet Sees the Ultrasound He Calls the Police.”
The Facebook posts sharing this rumor and photo included a link to an article in the comments. For example, the article was shared on superduperior.com. It began as follows:
A Peculiar Pregnancy
Farmer Ben eagerly anticipated the birth of a new foal, hoping it would bring prosperity to his ranch. However, his horse, Felicia, exhibited strange behavior and refused to give birth. Concerned, Ben sought the help of a local vet for an ultrasound, revealing something unexpected and leading to an immediate call to the police.
Small Town Stir
News of Felicia’s peculiar pregnancy spread quickly in the tight-knit community, creating a buzz among the locals. The police, seeking some action in their otherwise quiet town, responded promptly, realizing that the situation required more than just veterinary intervention.
Police Intervention
Upon arrival, the police assisted in sedating the distressed Felicia and approached Ben, stating, “Sir, we need you to come with us, it is important.” Ben, bewildered, complied, wondering what he had done wrong and what was discovered inside Felicia.
This rumor also was shared in the form of a video on the Unknown Facts Facebook page on April 6, 2024, with the title “Pregnant Horse Refuses To Give Birth, But When The Vet Sees The Ultrasound, Calls The Police.” As of this writing, the video had received more than 5.5 million views.
https://www.facebook.com/UnknownFactsByGenmice/videos/2298734697170574
However, all of this was fiction. A common version of this story ends with the revelation that a “hidden tracking chip” or “illegally implanted chip” was found inside Felicia. According to the story, that device would have enabled one of the horse’s breeders to find and steal Felicia in the future. Police apprehend the breeder and Felicia gives birth to a foal named Siempre. In other words, the story ends in a happy manner.
As for the picture of the severely-obese horse, we found where it originated after doing a reverse-image search on TinEye.com. The image, which was doctored, was one of 36 submissions in an Adobe Photoshop contest from 2011. The creator’s handle was displayed as mykalirevon. The rules for the “Obeastity 6” contest told entrants to “take a normal-sized or naturally-skinny animal and make it fat, or take a fat animal and make it even fatter!”
Sources:
“Glurge.” Dictionary.com, https://www.dictionary.com/browse/glurge.
“Obeastity 6.” Design Crowd, 2011, https://www.designcrowd.com/community/contest.aspx?id=1672406.
TinEye Reverse Image Search. https://tineye.com/.
