Good Thing They Named the Foal “Flip Flop”
By Delores Kuhlwein and John Zeldenthuis
When the delivery of the much anticipated foal by Extremely Hot Chips and out of Made To Be A Star, aka “Floppy,” at 831 Ranch in Colorado turned into an emergency during a major winter storm, tensions were high.
Just about everyone on social media this week was awaiting the arrival of Floppy’s way-more-than-full-term foal and wondering if it would be a filly or colt.
Wax and dripping milk promised a pending arrival, so breeders John Zeldenthuis and Brian Henry monitored Floppy through what appeared to be Stage II labor. But after approximately 90 minutes of hard pushing by Floppy, the amniotic sac never appeared, so the team jumped into action. Upon palpitation, John and Brian discovered the foal was not in position, and not in the birth canal.
While the winter storm raged outside, they consulted with their veterinarian, and agreed hauling to their regular hospital, a four-hour drive away, wasn’t feasible, so they took her to a surgery facility closer to home.
They drove home and awaited word, learning the foal had remained alive despite being misaligned and causing Floppy severe pain, likely putting pressure on her colon. The foal had remained alive with a good heart rate, and the next afternoon, thanks to an amazing team and much to the relief of 831 Ranch, the clinic delivered a bouncing baby girl – or so they thought.
Saturday, February 21, 2026, on social media, John proudly announced the birth with video of the stunning, bay filly, named “Flip Flop,” and followers went wild.
Then Sunday, February 22nd, this post appeared:
Well… GOOD thing we named the baby FLIP FLOP
When Floppy’s delivery turned into an emergency during a major winter storm, getting to our regular hospital (4 hours away) wasn’t possible. We diverted to a closer clinic about 2 hours out, dropped her off, went home, and waited.
1:45 PM— phone rings- VET SAYS- “Congratulations! You have a beautiful baby FILLY.”
Fast forward to last night… we’re finally home, I’m sitting quietly in the stall, soaking up this miracle, when baby stretches, plants those tiny legs, and prepares to pee…
And that’s when it happened.
Not a she. Not even a little bit.
Flip Flop is a WHOLE. ENTIRE. BOY.
So apparently somewhere between emergency delivery, a blizzard, and zero sleep… our filly grew a penis.
Anyway — please welcome Flip Flop, who truly lived up to his name by switching teams….
10/10 plot twist.
Even though they are all sleep deprived, John explains, “We have the text as well saying FILLY!! No joke!”
It just goes to show you, breeding is not only for the faint of heart, but a tremendous sense of humor is required. Congratulations on the colt to everyone involved!
