OCONOMOWOC, Wisc. — Snow blankets the pastures at Saddlebrook Farm. This is the home of Frosty, an 11-year-old mare who's positively glowing, despite a chilly name and her cold claim to fame. As one of only a handful of Appaloosas to date to be artificially inseminated with frozen semen, it's possible that she'll be the first of her breed ever to foal successfully — live on the Web, no less — as a result of this reproductive technique.

Clearly, Frosty was named for her white-tipped ears, not her warm and nuzzling nature. She's been a fine mother to five foals (and counting!) and endeared herself not only to her family and friends in her Wisconsin community, but also to horse lovers around the world. Countless virtual barn buddies, via Web-cam, watched in real time a few years ago when Frosty gave birth to a foal named Diva. Hundreds were moved to send heartwarming notes to Bill and Susan Theil, Frosty's owners:

"Thank you from the bottom of my heart for the opportunity to watch Frosty foal," writes Connie Hoffman, a lifelong horse lover confined to a wheelchair. "Frosty (and Diva, of course) is the first thing on my screen in the morning and the last thing off at night. I am handicapped and your little 'window' offered me an opportunity that I never thought I'd experience. You helped me feel as though I were right there in the barn with you all."

As Frosty nears her due date this time, the Theils will be waiting in good company again, of that they can rest assured — at least rest as well as anyone can hope to while huddled in a horse stall with one weary eye open and focused on a foaling mare. Though the barn will be quiet and dim to suit Frosty, nail-biting throngs will be waiting to whoop and cheer when a leggy creature weighing 70-plus pounds drops, aerodynamically, on the clean hay of Frosty's stall. Countless wide-eyed well-wishers, glued to PCs and laptops, will be hanging on Frosty's every maternal move and her baby's shaky attempts to stand.

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