Casey RIP

Abu Casino aka Casey aka "Baby Horse"

May, 1990 ~~ June 2007

~~RIP~~

Who's to know how or why these things happen, but they do. The old cliche resurfaces every time: when you live on a farm and love animals, prepare for tears.

As Annie said, Casey has now joined his friend Rambo. He missed the old boy so much. God knows, we Loves are heart-broken once more and will miss two wonderful and loyal friends, two members of the family.

About Casey:

Casey came to us at two months of age. Our friend Judy Trenholm called up one day and wondered if I knew anyone, maybe a 4-H'er who might want a young colt. A friend had borrowed her mare Tangerine and bred her to Helen Thompson's stallion Abu. The result was a flashy purebred Arabian colt---chestnut, three white socks and a strip.

I said I didn't know any 4-H'ers offhand but knew a daughter named Annie who might want a horse. After getting clearance from the local veterinarian, Jeff Warren, that it was okay to take the young guy off his mother. Rambo raised Casey, and the respect "Baby Horse" showed to Rambo right up until Rambo's last day was undying. We showed Casey that first fall at the Bonner County Fair Show, where he won grand champion Arabian stallion over a mature horse.

My sister Barbara trained Casey. One day Saskia and Talitha Neher rode their horses by our place and stopped in for a visit. I suggested that Annie go with them for her first trip down the road with Casey. I watched them all the way down Great Northern and noticed that they didn't go any further than the railroad crossing. Thinking it was a bit strange, I went out on the road and could see a gathering of people and horses down at the crossing.

Both of Casey's small newly shod front hooves had mysteriously slipped into the gap between the rail and the railroad tie. He was stuck in the crossing. Annie was in tears. Our neighborts, Karen Feist and Chris Chambers came to her aid, removing the saddle and calming Casey. Karen ran inside and called the railroad office and asked them to stop the trains because a horse was stuck in the crossing. The railroad people said they didn't stop trains for animals. Karen responded with "Well, there will be a 15-year-old girl with that horse." They stopped the trains for Casey and Annie.

In the meantime, railroad workers came with huge crowbars, and Dr. Don McCormick drove from the other side of Kootenai. By this time, bales of hay had been placed below Casey, who kept his cool the entire time and just stood there quivering with controlled fear. As the men worked to pry the rail to allow more space, Dr. McCormick sedated Casey. Then, the railroad men used a large crowbar to free each of his hooves. My dad, an old horseman who was one of the finest and most knowledgeable we've ever known, sat in his pickup and watched. When Casey was free and loaded into my sister's horse trailer to go back home, Harold said,
"The horse is worth his weight in gold."

How true a statement was ever uttered. Casey was worth his weight in gold.

He was our guard horse who chased all strange dogs and people from the pasture. He was Bill's horse for the trail rides. He was a perfect horse for Bill whose previous experience one night with Sassy, the Appaloosa mare, of bailing off in the fairgrounds ditch just before the Boyer stop sign, had sent him to Dr. Marienau's office to inspect the huge bruises on his rear end. Casey never sent Bill to the doctor. Casey always took care of Bill on our trail rides.

Casey amazed a host of people last fall when he pulled the Amish cart for the first time. Monte, the trainer, had expected Amish kindling. He was amazed at Casey's willingness and eagerness to please. On that first round, Casey took at least half a dozen people for a spin around my sisters' indoor arena. While watching, Karlin McBirney marveled and said, "Are you sure that horse has never pulled a cart before?"

Casey had problems with foundering, and one day while we were in Southern Idaho for Willie's graduation from BSU, we received a call from our good friend Connie who always watched the animals when we were gone. She was concerned about Casey's eye. Sure enough, Casey had cancer of the eye. Dr. Chuck Aston performed surgery, removing the third eyelid, and the cancer was all extracted.

Last fall I noticed Casey had a small growth on his eyelid. Dr. Cherise Neu came to diagnose him. It turned out to be the other eye, which was again cancerous. She and her assistant Kate Neu performed surgery in the barn. The results came back, but it looked as if she'd gotten it all.

I drove Casey around the yard a few weeks ago with just the harness. We had hoped to hook up the cart and start him out down South Center Valley Road, but Lily protested too much, racing around the pen. So, we decided to figure out a Plan B where Lily could be somewhere with other horses while we did some cartwork with Casey.

I rode Casey two weeks ago while ponying Lily for the first time. We just rode around the barnyard pen, and Lily caught on to the idea of having someone sit on another horse and lead her around. Casey got a little annoyed at our new Appaloosa "terrible two year old who thinks she's a queen," but in his perennial Casey way, he put up with her and did what I asked him to do.

Casey, from Day One, was eager to please. Never have I known a horse or friend who would work so hard for my approval. Never have any of us ever felt anything but deep love and affection for our "Baby Horse."

Casey was down yesterday morning. It was obvious he had colic or some sort of internal distress. We all felt pretty confident that it was a mild case of colic which would soon pass. Cherise assured me, after having been here last month with Rambo, that this one was going to be okay. Casey and I walked about ten miles around that barnyard pasture yesterday. My sisters walked with Casey, as did Bill. He never got over the distress. We treated him with sedatives throughout the day, and Cherise inserted a tube to provide some relief from what was probably a blockage or a twisted intestine.

Casey was a trooper until the end, as he'd been every day of his life.

Casey will be buried next to his best friend Rambo in the God Tree pasture. On Sunday, we had my birthday celebration a day early. One of the presents came from Bill. It was a granite monument for Rambo's grave. Bill took it down to the pasture Sunday evening and set it up.

Yesterday's birthday flowers from friends and relatives will make up a nice garden next to our barn where every day we can be reminded of the two wonderful boys who gave us so much joy every time we walked outside our house.

And, from now until eternity, Casey and Rambo can sleep in peace side by side beneath the wildflowers and grass in the shadow of the God Tree.