Casey's Corner

In my new paddock

Hi, my name is Spring Hollow Cassanova. My friends call me Casey. I am a 5 1/2 year old Morgan gelding. My big news is that I have just moved. I didn't like the moving process, but like my new barn very much. I will be contributing my point of view on our new lifestyle from time to time.




My new barn: Sugar Ridge Farm in Dover, MA 

In My New Stall
 

The Trip

A few weeks ago I had a very long day. It started out well....my Mom appeared at the barn (Aunt Debi's barn) before it was light outside and gave me my breakfast early. I was the only one who got my breakfast early, so I was feeling pretty special. Note to self:  if this ever happens again be suspicious. I should have noticed that she drove up in the truck with my moving stall attached, but I didn't suspect a thing because, well, I was already at the place we usually go with the moving stall.

 I really don't like riding in the moving stall for a couple of reasons. First, it MOVES while I am standing in it, which is very disconcerting. Second, I CAN'T MOVE nearly as much as I would like. I prefer stalls that stay in one place and let ME move. Better yet, open to a paddock so I can REALLY move. Is that too much to ask?

Finally, I never know for sure where I will be getting out, and when or even if I will be coming back. Usually, we just go from home to Aunt Debi's barn, have school with Aunt Sue, and are back home in a couple of hours. I don't miss any meals or my turnout. Meals and turnout are very important.

This time I spent the whole day in the moving stall. Every few hours we stopped for a few minutes at places with lots of cars and trucks and my Mom would put smelly stuff into the truck with a hose, go inside a building for a few minutes, check my hay and water and maybe give me a carrot then get back in the truck and we would start to move again. The first few times I was glad she decided not to get me out at the loud smelly place, and I really didn't mind that I was probably missing school for the day. But as it got to be afternoon I worried that I was missing TURNOUT too and if the situation didn't change I might even miss DINNER. Eventually, just about as it got dark and I was really beginning to worry if the trip would ever end, we made a longer stop and Mom gave me my dinner in the trailer. She went inside a building and I think she had her dinner too.

Then we drove for several MORE hours, and finally pulled into a place that looked like a good place to get out. There was a barn with other horses, quietly eating their hay. My Mom got me out of the moving stall, put me into a very comfortable stall that did NOT move, with a thick layer of shavings and a big pile of hay. Ahh.... what a relief. Not home, but a comfortable place to stay.

I have been here ever since. Mom says that I will live here for a while, then go back to our REAL home when it is summer. Doesn't seem like that is going to be anytime soon, so I am making the best of it. I have a barn full of new friends and there is an arena where we have school and best of all paddocks for turnout. I am perfectly happy NOT to get in the trailer again for a long time!

Mom comes out almost every morning. It is too far for her to go back to our REAL home in between, so I assume that she has a place not too far from here where she is living for a while too, along with her favorite person, Dan, who came with us on the trip (sorry, I like him but he is not "Dad" to me...we just don't spend that much time together....pretty sure he agrees).

My New Friends

Let me introduce you to the other horses in my new barn. Between me and the front door is Bitsy. She is a good horse to have between me and the door. If any predators should come in the door they would have to get past Bitsy first to get to me, and that isn't likely. She is not only big (a draft cross with a HUGE head) but she can be pretty grumpy. It doesn't bother me much. Remember I am used to being next to LYRA! But it bothers some of the others, so she is at the end of the aisle, across from the feed room and not near anyone except me.

Bitsy: the security guard between me and the door.

I am next, and on the other side of me is Tyler. He is a paint, about my size, and closest to me in age (I think he is 8). He is also a gentleman. Mom keeps telling me that I should follow his example.

Tyler: a good influence

Across from Tyler is Libby. She is also a draft cross, but very sweet, not grumpy like Bitsy. Poor Libby is on a very strict diet for something called IR. She isn't even allowed to have carrots! She does have her own approved treats, but I suspect they aren't as good as carrots (or mints!). I think I would have a hard time being motivated to behave like a gentleman without the prospect of carrots or mints as a reward.

Libby: is on a strict diet. No carrots, poor Libby!

Next to Libby and across from me is Jackson. He has a friendly face, but don't let that fool you!

Jackson: not as friendly as he looks

 

I'm not sure what kind of horse Jackson is, but he is definately NOT a gentleman. Miss Carin called him an Alpha horse when he kicked the wall for no reason, and Mom called him something I can't say in my blog when he bit me on the rump as I walked by. It means REALLY bad boy, and Mom doesn't say it often. Now Mom closes Jackson't door before she leads me past his stall. Glad she figured that out.

At the other end of the barn aisle are Mikey, Pie, Parnell, and Hobbs. They are all tallish bay thoroughbreds with varying numbers of white socks, and they are all gentlemen most of the time.

This is Mikey. He has a friendly face too, and I think he is almost as smart as I am. He just looks like he is always thinking.. I hope to get to know him better; I bet he could teach me a lot!

Mikey: almost as smart as I am
 

This is Pie. He works the same time as me most days, so I have spent a lot of time with him. He is so brave! He isn't even scared when the snow and ice fall off the roof with a BIG clunk. Or maybe he is just too old to leap in the air and run across the arena bucking (he is 30). Either way,Mom says he is a good influence on me and I agree.

Pie: Very brave, or just too old to spook?

Parnell and Hobbs belong to Miss Carin and their job is to help her teach people to ride. They are pretty good at their job, and seem to enjoy getting attention (and carrots) from a lot of different people.They are both older guys too, and a generally a good influence.

Hobbs

Parnell

Parnell does have a habit called weaving that Mom does not want me to copy. He does it in his stall when he is worried (someone walks part his stall) or impatient (Miss Carin is serving dinner but hasn't gotten to him yet). It doesn't look like fun, and it doesn't seem to help...people and horses still walk past his stall, and dinner comes at the same time, so why would I copy him?

There are also horses that live in the other barn, the one along the side of the arena. They are mostly big and scary, and I am worried when one of them comes into the arena with me. One of them is actually smaller than me, but he is GREY so he is scary too.

The onlyone in the other barn who isn't scary is Buster. He is my size and color and he is a Morgan like me, and a gentleman. But there is one strange thing about him.....he seems to actually LIKE to canter. Not run and buck, just canter and canter around the ring with his rider, change speed, change direction, just like we do at the trot. Mom says by the end of this year we will be doing a lot more at the canter too. I am not completely convinced.

Buster: the Morgan who LIKES to canter