HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1975-05-29, Page 11L
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If one were to drive out to Pat
and Joe Stephenson's Goderich
Township farm one wouldn't be
surprised if a three and a
week old colt trots down
driveway along with the
half
the
two
It's a horse's life
413
canters in kItc
family dogs to greet the car. Or
if one drops in to the farm for
coffee one shouldn't be sur-
prised it'd. the
blaring" and the
standing. in the
television ' is
same colt is
centre of 'the
It's hard enough to keep the kids happy watching television and likes' the company of . his family more than the television and
Pat Stephenson faces the added task of amusing her adopted usually doesn't make a fuss about what he watches. (staff
colt Casey. The little fellow isn't too much trouble though. He photo)
story and photos by Jeff Seddon
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living room glazing at the set.
The colt, affectionately
known as Casey, has been
adopted as the Stephenson's
'third son and gets just about,the
same privileges as his older
brothers,
The unexpected addition to
the family was the result of
very unfortunate cir-
cumstances . for Pat and Joe.
Casey's mother, Captain's
Debutante, an American
-Saddlebred, was giving birth to
her ninth foal when she,ran into
difficulty that cost her her life.
The 21 year old mare was the
first horse that Pat's father
bought 17 years ago when she
was a three year old. She
became a family pet of sorts
and was the centre of attention
of the horse loving family.
When the mare went into
labor with Casey she couldn't
break . the membrane
surrounding the colt. The layer
of tissue was unusually, thick
and the mare straining to break
through ruptured herself. The
family veterinarian, Doctor
„Roger McReady was forced to
take the colt out through the
mare's side to save it and with
very little time to spare.
'We -had about -three -minutes
to,get him out," recalled' Pat.
"It was a real scramble to save
him."
Once removed from the mare
the vet had to hang Casey
upsidedown for two minuteato
clear out his throat and lungs
and then wipe him down with
straw to dry and clean him.
"He was turning blue' when
we got him out," said Pat.
The first feeding a colt must
have is his mother's milk. The
milk is a special concoction.
prepared by • Mother Nature to
act as alaxative on the baby..
The vet milked the mare and
agave Casey his first feeding to
• start him, on hit •4otlg. iroad b
lyfe '
"It works too," said Pat
smiling at the • effect the
laxative feeding' on her young
horse;
During, the first week of
Casey's life he had to be fed
every hour. For the sake of
convenience and to keep a close
watch~ on the colt the
Stephenson's did what many
people -considered to be
unusual, they moved .him into
the house. They spread out a .
blanket on the floor of the porch
and brought ,Casey,.in where it
was warm and dry. .
The colt wasn't ldng ad-
justing to his new surroun-
• dings. Realizing early that the
- quickest way tonjet attention
and feeding war,to rattle the
door leading into the kitchen he
called for some food about two
o'clock • in the morning of the
second night he was in the
porch. The door opened as a
-result of his efforts and he
found himself alone in the
kitchen with the family cats.
"I thought it was the cats
when I first heard the noise,"
recalled' Pat. "When it got a•
little loud I went downto check
and he had all my wall
decorations Lind things from the
counter and table knocked to
the floor an,d, was looking for
more trouble."
Casey enjoyed the run of the
house. He ' slept on a pink
blanket in the porch but when
he was awake he liked' to be
with his family. ;If they were
watching television, *be wat-
;crhed too•. If they were eating
supper he would wait patiently
in the kitchen for them to firiish.
After the first week Pat and
Joe discovered that it was too
dry in the house for their colt
and built a stall in the garage to
keep him. They had his feeding
times stretched to every two
hours and had few problems'
with the 5nimal.
"We had some problems at
the first' because of the
•dir•ectiuns on the feed that we
"•+ere giving him," Pat
remembered, ,
The directions. called for one
feeding every eight hours.
Casey would stuff himself when
he was fed because he wa5 ' so
hungry and the long wait until
the next meal played some
tricks cm his digestive system.
He developed scours, or
diarrhoea,
-Fortunately he was outside
when that happened," sighed
11,w. r.9lLs,
. adopted mother. "I
think it would have been a little
too messy for the house."
Since his move to the garage
Casey has had more time to
Casey likes the cbmpany of his family and the comfort of the
living room but there isn't much to eat on the coffee table. His
nosing around brought him to a vase of plastic flowers on the
table which didn't impress hint and ho merely pushed them
onto the floor and started to chew on the doily. (taff photo)
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explore the world. He enjoys
the run of the four acre farm'
and has never strayed out of
sight. He goes in the barn to
visit the other two family
horses and is especially fond of
cars. When one comes in the
drive he usually sniffs' it over
carefully and offers a snicker of
approval before moving off to
see something -else,
"He really likes playing with
the kids," said Pat referring to
hertrsons Doug; -'8 and Gary, G.
"Joe teases him a bit and he
gets annoyed and tries to kick
him. He doesn't like men, just
women."
en
Casey. likes to keep his
human mother in sight at all
times. He once was trotting
about the property when he
heard, Pat inside the house
talking on the phone. He caped
her several times' and when she
didn't appear he jumped
through the screen door on the
porch to be near her.
"The colt's future has
already been planned by the
Stcphensons. He will be taken
on the show tour and his first
stop is this fall in the Michigan
Futurity --for American Sad-
dlebreds.
Pat knows the responsibility
she has taken on in raising the.
colt without a mare. She feels
that . if she allows him total
freedom he may become a little
too' rambunctious and hard to
handle and yet `if she babies
him too mush he will become
docile: Either way she probably
will never- part company with
the little fellow.
"Doctor McReady, his
mother and'`Joe and I and the
kids fought hard to`keep him
alive." she said with a tone of
affection. "We all want him for
sentimental reasons." • -
Pat had a little colt, -his coat was nice and brown, and everywhere that Pat would go, the colt
was sure to follow. The three and a half week old horse doesn't like to have his adoptedmother
out of his sight and follows her faithfully about the farm. (staff photo)
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