Casey Ann Kay

V-107

Casey Ann Kay at 16 years of age. She matured to be 14.3 hands and weighs right at 1,000 pounds. A far cry from her rough start!

One of the 12 horses we brought in from the Clarkson Ranch was a little roaned sabino mare named Casey Ann Kay. Casey was one of the mares running with the two year olds along with Molly and a few others when I'd gone out to Missouri and visited Rollen Clarkson.

Like all the rest, Casey had not faired well in the drought that plagued the Ozarks over the winter so she was really poor when Rollen took a photo of her to assure identification prior to shipping. In fact she barely resembled the mare I had viewed in person.

Casey was thin and poor due to drought. Though Rollen had thousands of acres it was mostly dirt if the rains didn't come regularly.

Luckily I had seen her the summer before when there was grass so I knew how she should and could look. She was a cute little mare with a sweet face and a baby doll head. She had good bone and joints.

Her conformation was not as correct as some of the others but she had a way of moving and a intelligence about her that caused us to accept her all the same.

Casey is sired by Comanche Wildfire Z. which makes her half sister to Miss Molly Fox, Fire's Strawberry Wine ( owned by my sister in law) and Foxvangen's Toy Boy.

Casey's dam, Sheza Rockette, is half sister to Molly through their dams. That makes Molly also Casey's aunt. Sheza Rockette and Miss Molly Fox are both out of Missie Devena.

When Casey arrived at our farm in Washington she was as rag-tag as all the rest but she was quite a bit smaller than the others her age. She measured only 13.2 hands and taped a slight 735 pounds!

Casey measured only 13.2 hands and taped a slight 735 pounds upon her arrival. Like her sisters, she was hollow, deficient and drawn up from lack of food and water.

Casey was one of the more leery horses in the group that had come from the ranch. None of them had been handled other than to ear them down to worm them and forcing them into a trailer so they didn't have much use for humans!

Because Casey and Molly were the most emaciated of the lot we just gave them space, time and all the feed they could eat. We worked around them in a matter of fact way and let them settle in to domestic life. Molly of course had gravels in her feet so she had to be gentled in order to treat her feet but when she was not in treatment she was left in peace to adjust to her new situation. Casey on the other hand was nervous and suspicious of everything we did around her. She didn't over react, she simply withdrew to a safe distance and watched us.

She reminded me of a little freckle faced kid. Her eyes would simply be glued to me as I worked around her and she was prone to snorting and making funny noises with her nose. She tended to smell everything as if committing all the strange new things to memory by smell.

Two weeks after her arrival Casey was filling up. Her belly was beginning to round and her ribs were nearly covered over.

The only handling she got at that time was to have a halter put on her each day and taken off each day. She was in a safe paddock under observation constantly but we stayed back and let her simply have space to think and cope with the radical changes in her life.

These horses had been foaled on open range just as any Mustang would be. They had grown up wild and had survived many hardships just as a wild horse would. For them to suddenly be thrust into a trailer, hauled thousnds of miles and then be brought out into a foreign world filled with strange sights, sounds and smells...well it would be enough to unsettle any horse let alone a young inexperienced mare.

Our method of working with horses is to keep things low-key and let them adjust and think. Once they settle in their mind that we are not there to harm them they become curious. Once we notice curiosity replace fear in them we can begin to do small things that are not challenging or too demanding with them to build a relationship based upon trust and understanding.

It can take time doing things this way, but we feel it is worth it to take the time to defuse the fear at the very onset of the relationship so we are not constantly fighting it along the way.

Casey had gone through a rough time at the ranch and was going to take a little more finesse than some to win over her trust. She had been one of a group of horses that had gotten impacted with worms so bad she nearly died. Treatment was rough and ready since she was wild and yet had to be treated.

That meant every contact with humans she had experienced there to fore had been unpleasant and scary. It would take time to balance that out by creating pleasant contacts repeatedly so she could understand all touch and contact by humans was not to be feared.

Our first concern was to get her eating and developing. She was delayed in her maturing process and was extremely small for her age. We also wanted to make absolutely certain she was not packing a worm load so even though we had paid a vet to tube all the horses at the ranch (eared down and held) we wormed them all again. Thankfully they had from time to time come in contact with grain so they knew what that was and were not too picky about how it tasted! We put the liquid wormer in their grain and the job was done. After that all the horses began to gain weight quickly.

After three months Casey was no longer emaciated. She was rounded out and her neck was no longer ewed out.

Three months after Casey had arrived at our farm she had gained enough weight to round out her form but was still only 13.2 hands and weighed 850 pounds. She had progressed to the curiosity stage and had become accepting of specific humans in her space. She had learned it was ok for a human to walk up to her but was still very wary and timid, particularly if someone walked up to her face rather than her shoulder.

We began to do some basic ground work with her and got her leading well and responding to cues and giving to pressure. She was a quick study with a very remarkable attention span.

She had been separated from her herd mates all this time. Now that she was less reactionary and more willing to tolerate human contact we turned her back out with the group during the day and brought her back in to her paddock at night. This gave her leading experience but also taught her that when we came to her it was often for a pleasant purpose such as feeding time or getting to go romp with her friends. She began to noticeably relax.

After a year with us, Casey became hip high and grew another hand and an inch. She gained more than 200 pounds.

Even though she was four when she arrived at our farm and should have been fully grown, Casey had other ideas. She began to grow again! It was as though her maturing process had been delayed by her lack of nutrition. She became hip high and her body began to elongate. During this time we began her ground work in earnest.

Casey was a willing worker and liked a challenge. She was a snap to work with in the round pen and had a retention level that astounded me. She worked more like some of the Mustangs I'd worked with before in California.

Because Casey still harbored trust issues we spent much more time on her ground work than we customarily do. We wanted to give her every advantage so when we began to ride her she would be tolerant, accepting and not afraid.

One day as I was working Casey in the round pen a fellow arrived at our house. He was a very tall man wearing a western hat, boots and jeans. In our lingo he looked like a "Drugstore Cowboy". He said he was a Quarter Horse trainer but someone had told him we had Missouri Foxtrotters. He said he'd never seen one before and wanted to know more about them.

It seemed his father worked as a horse trainer in Wyoming working primarily with Mustangs and had done so for many decades. This fellow had grown up around that and knew at least in theory a good bit about how to monitor a horse's behavior when working with one.

He asked if he could watch me work with Casey for a while. Of course I told him that was fine. Then I got back to work.

Casey with Ginger after their ride...Casey's first and Ginger's first on a gaited horse.

Casey works like a natural cow horse. She uses her body with a lot of natural "cow". She is well balanced and athletic as any horse I've ever worked. After a few minutes the man interrupted the session and asked again " You say this mare is a Missouri Foxtrotter?"

I assured him yes she was indeed a Foxtrotter. At that he pushed his hat back on his head and said in awe... " but she is working like a stock horse!". That made me laugh because obviously he was laboring under the false impression so many people have with regard gaited horses in thinking they are not able to perform athletic work!

When the session was over, he asked if he could return the following day and watch some more. It mattered little to me so I told him he could.

He arrived the next day a bit earlier. I was just taking Casey up to the round pen. He fell into step with me and we began to talk. As soon as we reached the pen he asked if I would allow him to work with her a few minutes.

Normally I would not have allowed that. I don't like to confuse a horse in training and even if two people use the same method they will not have the same exact timing, cues etc. But Casey was getting a bit bored with things and I felt it might be good for her to learn she could respond to someone other than myself.

I stepped outside the ring and watched as he began asking things of Casey. She responded willingly and correctly without a hitch. Within a few minutes he had her doing some pretty advanced roll backs, side passes, reverses and other movements that require superb balance and athletic ability.

Casey was having fun! She was watching him like a cat watches a mouse. Her attention never flickered away from him for a moment. She was on her feet moving almost before he could cue her. She was quick, efficient and in perfect form. Her legs crossed over on the turns without one mistake and she used her haunch like any good working stock horse.

Carl riding Casey at one of the Lee Zeigler clinics.

At the end of the session the man was mesmerized by her. He asked if he could "play" with her again the next day. So it was that he came every day for about two weeks. At the end of that time Casey was really ready to go to the next level. .

She had grown to 14.2 and was weighing around 850 pounds when we first saddled her. The visiting man had gone away amazed at the talent he had seen in a GAITED horse...ha! So now we were getting back down to our work.

I line drove Casey for two weeks. She was just as quick a study at that as she had been round penning and ground work. She was ready to back but I was still busy with some of the other horses and didn't have the time to put in her first rides until I'd finished the others and gotten them off to their new homes.

About this time a friend of mine came by one day. Her son was in my preschool/daycare center. Her name was Ginger and she is a Morgan trainer. She had seen the horses every day for over a year and admitted to being curious about them. She wanted to know if I had one she could play around with.

I told her about Casey and explained that she was ready to ride but had never actually been backed. Ginger said she would like to ride her so we went out to the paddock.

We tacked Casey up and Ginger took her into the barn stall. Now I personally don't believe that is a safe way to get on a horse for the first time but Ginger claimed the stall keeps them from wanting to act up. My thought is that if the horse DID act up there is no escape and walls with a horse smashing around are a bad hazard.

None the less she mounted Casey and Casey stood very well. I'd been getting up and down out of the stirrup and laying over the saddle but had not actually straddled her as yet.

Carl out for an evening ride on Casey Ann Kay.

Ginger turned Casey right and left and Casey responded perfectly. Ginger said "Well this horse is already broke!" she rode Casey out the door out the paddock gate and up to the round pen. She rode through the gate to the round pen and then asked Casey to do some other turns, stops, starts, etc. Again she exclaimed the horse was broke. I explained about ground work and the fact if it is done properly the horse really is broke but still needs to learn to balance weight.

I had to laugh really because any horse that will let a person ride them out through a door, through a gate, up a few hundred feet to a round pen, through the round pen gate...really doesn't need to be ridden in a round pen.

Ginger had never ridden a gaited horse in her life. But she asked if she could take Casey for a ride. I said sure. The next day she arrived and tacked Casey up. We lived about half a mile from trails in one direction and about a mile to trails in another direction. Getting to them was easy on the verge of the road but we lived on a trucking route that had logging trucks, concrete trucks, sand and gravel truck and trailers, school busses, you name it. Casey was from the ranch. She had never seen these things since her paddock was at the back of our property.

Before they left Ginger asked me for instructions as to how to ride gaited. I told her "Ginger, ask this mare to go forward, do not let her trot and do not let her canter...she will take care of the rest." With that they were off. I trusted Ginger and I knew Casey would do well. She is a sensible, sensitive horse. They would be fine.

A few mintues after Ginger left another gal from the Foxtrotter club came by to look at our new foals and to talk "horse". It was a sunny day though a bit brisk and we were out in the turn outs looking at the new foals. As is normal in such cases our conversation was protracted and time got away from us. Pretty soon this gal said "listen to that! someone is coming down the road".

I listened and sure enough I knew it was Casey coming home and she was hitting a lick! Ginger had found Casey's gait and from the sound of it she was rating Casey beautifully.

My visitor said "it's like music, just listen to that sound, it makes me so happy to hear that!". I told her to be patient because in just a few minutes they would be coming up the driveway because I was certain it was Casey and Ginger.

Our driveway made a sort of sweeping turn up a slight grade and then leveled off to flat as it neared the house. We had a large oval ring that was formed by the Driveway . Here came Ginger with Casey just nodding away and reaching and grabbing turf. That little mare was clipping off the space like a little metronome and Ginger was just gliding along with a silly grin on her face.

Her dark brown coat looked bright yellow when the sun hit it from behind but it was dark coffee brown if the sun hit it from the front. We had never seen anything like that before.

As they sailed past Ginger shouted..."hey Dyan, is this one of those gaits we keep or do we toss it away?" I told her it looked pretty good from where I was standing so we might as well keep it. She had Casey foxtrotting a hole in the ground and didn't even know it.

The gal standing next to me grabbed my arm and asked how long it had taken to get Casey working like that. When I told her that was Casey's first ride she simply didn't believe me! I told her that when they are bred to work like that they just DO work like that. It also helped that she was a mature mare and not a baby trying to bear the weight.

That is the way all the Clarkson horses we have experienced are. Anyone who can ride at all will get consistent foxtrots from them and natural flat walks. At speed they will get a running walk. NO pace. Rollen is the only person I've found to date in the breed to have standardized his group to such a high degree. There is no need to ask IF they will foxtrot, they just do it. I can only hope our breeding program can be so successful.

Casey had only been ridden a week or so when there was a charity ride to which all our group wanted to go. I planned to ride Jasmine, Carl was riding Ribbon and my sister in law, Jan was going to ride her Arab mare, Babe. The trouble is Babe freaks out in a trailer and this day was no different. She loads right up and always has but as soon as she gets in she goes bonkers and throws herself. She did that day as well even though she was in a stock trailer with plenty of space.

Paisley shed to a fully roaned sabino but was very light gold! After being so dark at birth it was a real surprise to us!

Rather than fight it we decided to leave Babe home. In the past we have tranquilized her and it does no good at all. She simply panics in the trailers. So we let Jan ride Casey on the ride. Jan is no expert rider and she had never ridden gaited before either but I felt confident Casey would take care of her even though she was green. Casey is just that sort of sane individual. This was Casey's 8th ride ever!

When we got to the ride there were eight of us. I said that since Casey was the smallest and the greenest horse there that she should set the pace. Everyone agreed and off we went. It was to be a 28 mile ride but the trails are groomed and the footing is good. It was a lovely day and all was right with the world.

Casey and Jasmine are about the same size and we were riding along side by side. Jasmine was working up a sweat because she really wanted to move out but we held them back to a flat walk. Casey was traveling along at a great flat walk just covering distance without looking right or left. She was just doing her job.

About 8 miles into the ride another gal came riding up to me on her seasoned Foxtrotter mare that was 15.2 hands. She said "Dyan you said Casey was the greenest and the smallest so she had to set the pace right?" I nodded. " Well then explain to me why she hasn't even broken a sweat and she is killing us back here!"

Turning in my saddle I could see the other horses lathered and huffing while Casey was just out for a stroll! She was just clipping off the miles without any effort and yet the seasoned, bigger horses behind her were being worked hard to keep up!

Casey is so efficient in her motion she expends far less energy covering the distance than most horses will. She was simply out classing them! As to Jasmine, I never saddled her unless I figured on riding at least 25 miles. That is only about a 2 hour easy ride! But here we had 6 seasoned, larger horses sweating up a storm and blowing trying to keep up with our two small mares. What a hoot.

Paisley anxious to start a race. Her owner is totally relaxed on her and they look happy and content with one another!

That same summer Jan and I were riding in the same area. We had spent a great day following all the trails and enjoying our ride. We came to a plateau after coming out of heavy forested areas. I was riding Casey and she started to pull just a little to the left.

She had never done anything like that before. After several corrections she kept on pulling. Not a lot, just sort of gravitating to my left. There was a cliff to my left about a dozen yards from the trail and no other trails in that direction so I didn't see what was causing Casey to want to go that way.

Finally I decided to let her have her head just to see where she would take me. She turned and went right toward the cliff edge. When we got to the edge I looked down! We were directly above where I'd parked my truck and trailer! Casey KNEW where she was. I sure didn't. I had no idea in the world we had circled around to that position.

Casey would gladly have gone right over that bank and down the hill but we took the trail around on a much easier footing!

Due to my health and our prospective move to Arkansas we didn't have much time to ride Casey after that. She got ridden every now and again but not consistently by any means. Rather than have her stand around idle we bred her. We bred her to Montana's Blue Nugget P.

That mating produced a filly foal, so far the only filly Casey has produced! We called her Foxvangen's Royal Paisley. She was a sabino filly that was born coffee brown. She had startling cobalt blue eyes!

Paisley shed to a very light roaned sabino and she looked gold! I sent photos of her to Dr. Sponenberg because she had been born so dark with those odd eyes and had shed light. Also her skin remained nearly chalk white for the first 18 months! Dr. Sponenberg thought she might be Champagne at that point just as he had thought about Aysha but of course that proved not to be the case. At that time he only had the coat and skin to go by, now there is a test.

We sold Paisley as a two year old. She was shipped to Arizona and that is where she is yet today. She has an owner who treasures her and is using her to CTR and doing very well with her. She claims Paisley is the best horse she has ever ridden.

Tonkas curl before he dried off from birth looked like one long row of waves running down the spine with many rows of shorter waves running off in a chevron pattern.

Casey is an alternate year mare. In other words she will not carry a pregnancy when she is nursing a foal. She produces too much natural oxytocin. She conceives readily but resorbs the conception. SO we only breed her on alternate years.

After our move to Arkansas we were too busy to ride much and had major health problems in the family besides my own ill health. So we bred Casey again. This time to Toy Boy. The results of that mating produced a colt we named, Foxvangen's Tonka Toy.

We named him that because he was sturdy as a Tonka Toy and was a very big, strong colt. It was also a play on Toy's name which we thought was cleaver.

Tonka is a true roan but he is also a fully roaned sabino. His face mask is muted due to the sabino influence. Besides being roan, Tonka was born real curly! He was the first foal we had produced with curls...or at least the first one we had noticed.

The curls went along his spine like waves to shore and the other waves branched off from that like a chevron. He had curls down his legs, up his neck and on his face. His hair was exceptionally short like his sire's.

After he dried off the waves were still there and could not be brushed out. He had curls in his ears and curls on his lower legs as well.

At birth Tonka was covered in deep waves from ears to feet with a curly mane and tail too!

His tail was curly as was his mane but there were some areas that were not as wavy as others. The texture of his hair was more like wool and the waves had a real springy feel to them.

Tonka was not the prettiest foal we had ever produced but he was a real charmer with a lovely, docile personality. Casey just doted on him!

By the time Tonka was two weeks old he was quite the Goliath on our farm. He was so endearing and had so much personality that his curly coat just made him all the more lovable.

Such a happy colt, Tonka lifted his head up from the grass he was eating to call to me when I entered the pasture. He was a delightful colt with sweet personality and a coat like a little lamb.

His hair remained real short but started to grow a little bit so the waves turned into real tight curls! He was a happy little boy with great bone and joints and a playful personality.

When he began to shed those tight curls came off in sheets rather than hairs. We said he looked more like a molting buffalo than a foal but perhaps that was unkind. It took him quite some time to rid himself of his thick mat of curls.

Looking more like a molting buffalo, Tonka was a real funny looking colt while he shed his curls.

Tonka was certainly an oddity and none too attractive during his shedding time but once it was over he was all roaned and extremely short haired. There was not a curl to be found on him anywhere and so far as I know he never got them again although he may in winter. He is hypoallergenic for those with horse allergies and a calm, gentle horse. He was sold as a yearling and last I heard resides in Kansas where winters can get pretty cold so perhaps he shows some curl then like his sire does.

By six months Tonka was a big boy!

At six months, Tonka was nearly as tall as Casey. He was growing so fast he reminded us of little boys who are all knees and elbows in their pre-teen years. All the same Tonka was a foxtrotting fool and could move and maneuver with the best of them. I had opportunity to see him as a three year old. His owner told me they call him the "gentle giant" because he is so laid back anyone can ride him and have fun without fearing he will spook or get rowdy.

In between foals Casey became the farm babysitter. She loves the foals but cannot carry while nursing so there is a lag time between her pregnancies. During those times she will care of any foal and should one call out in distress, Casey will always arrive to help before the actual mother can get there!

When Jasmine was nursing Foxvangen's Summer Heat, Casey was her nanny. Summer spent all her time with Casey. Casey stood over her while she napped. Casey went with her wherever she went and stood quietly by when Summer would go to Jasmine to nurse but as soon as she finished her meal it was Casey who guarded and took care of her while Jasmine nosed up to the round bale so she could eat and make milk!

When Casey came home from West Virginia she was out of condition but she caught up fast..

Casey is also the pasture guardian. She is so vigilant she knows whenever anything enters the pasture. She will chase or kill coyotes and other vermin and will drive stray dogs out pronto. She is not the alpha of the herd, but she is the second in command to Molly. The two mares work as a team to protect their "herd". Molly controls the herd while Casey goes out to do battle.

Casey's next foal was sired by Dan'Na's Magni. Magni was a palomino and white stallion we had raised from a colt. He was big boned, had great joints and was a foxtrotting fool.

Near term Casey contracted placentitis. That can be caused by a number of things but in her case it was caused from her actually grinding her fanny and sitting on the round bales. Her stretching and internal pressure caused her to butt press on the bales allowing hay to get into the repro tract.

One day she suddenly bagged up and it was way too early for the foal to be born . That is a classic symptom of placentitis so I put her on antibiotics right away which is about the only thing one can do. The next day her udder slacked off some and I hoped we had been successful in delaying a premature birth. Normal gestation is considered between 310 and 370 days but a foal can be viable after 305 days. With help a few make it at 300 but those early foals are always weak and need help.

Dragonfly was so tiny and premature his bones were not hardened off yet. But he had a will to live so we gave him the chance!

The next morning when I went into the barn to feed, Casey was not there looking over her door as normally she would be. I went straight to her stall but she was not there! She was in her paddock. When I opened the door to go through to the paddock my heart just sank.! There in the middle of the stall lay a fresh placenta! Casey had foaled! But there was no foal there!

Dashing out the back door I found Casey standing over a little scrap laying in a dung heap. He was still alive! He was struggling trying to get up but was exhausted and unable to stand.

He was so tiny he looked like a play toy. He was only at 298 day gestation and by rights should not be alive! Alive he was however. But he was going to need some serious help!

Dragon fly at five days was able to stand and nurse on his own but had to reach up to the udder even though Casey is only 14.3 hands! he was a tiny little thing!

I carried him into the barn and laid him in clean straw. Then I raced to get to the phone and call the vet in West Plains. It was a certainty this foal would be infected and was like a ticking bomb about to explode with Navel ill or joint ill or both.

He could not stand to nurse and had been trying for some time because he was already dry and he was cold. Inside his mouth was cold and he had lost his sucking reflex.

Hurriedly I milked Casey and used a syringe to get some warm colostrum into his tiny mouth. I was holding him on my lap trying to warm him at the same time I was feeding him. After about the third syringe full of milk he tired and needed to rest. I held him and massaged him to get his circulation going. Unless I could get more colostrum into him, warm him and get some strength back into him he would not survive the 60 mile trip to West Plains to the vet.

When he awoke I again milked Casey. She seemed to know I was trying to help and was extremely cooperative. I could milk her without holding a halter rope and she never took a step. This time when I attempted to syringe the milk into him, the foal began to half heartedly suckle. That was a good sign.

Again he fell asleep so I took the opportunity to daub his navel with iodine and give him an enema. Even though he was premature he would be full of meconium. Meconium hardens to a concrete hardness if it isn't passed within a short time after birth. So I took care that he would not suffer a blockage on top of all his other woes!

Next time he awoke he was fussy and telling me he was hungry. I offered him a bottle and he sucked down two ounces. PROGRESS!

Dragonfly wearing his mask at three days he was standing by himself for short periods at a time.

Time was working against us. Foals are born devoid of any immune system. They get all their antibodies and immune protection from their dam's colostrum milk during the first 12 hours of life. Since we didn't know how old the foal was when I found him we were getting near the critical time and all that time infection was running rampant in his little body. Already I could see his joints beginning to swell.

Casey was too nervous to stand still in the trailer with him so we left her in her stall. I took a bottle of colostrum with me, put him in a straw filled trailer and raced off for West Plains! It was the only thing we could do!

We got to West Plains in record time to find the foal had tried to get up and had gotten himself all tangled up in legs, straw etc. He was all twisted like a pretzel.

The vet came out and helped me carry the little guy into the clinic where they instantly laid him on a mat and pulled blood. Sure enough his white count was already through the roof. He needed a transfusion fast!

At first the vet didn't believe the foal was really a 298 gestation. He changed his mind, however as soon as he read the x-rays he took of the colts legs! His joints had not yet hardened off to bone even. They were still all cartilage. No wonder his legs bent every which way when he tried to stand! He looked like he was made of rubber!

At 8 months Dragonfly was happy and active. He shared pasture with his brothers where they romped and raced all day.

Transfusions are very hard on foals and take about an hour to perform. All that time the little colt I called Foxvangen's Dragonfly laid on my lap. He was such a tiny little thing my heart went out to him.

He rested a while after the procedure was finished and then again tried to get up. It was time to take him home. Dragonfly had a port in his neck to receive IV antibiotics for the next week and he had a feeding tube in his nose so I could be sure he got enough fluids. He had been shaved and a wrap put around his neck and then a mask/sleeve put over his head so he would not dislodge his tubes.

It was a very long, protracted treatment which required Casey and Dragonfly to be closed in a stall for three months! Casey was so patient and good during that time I was very proud of her.

Eventually Dragon mended with the help of Aniflex-GL. His legs straightened and he strengthened until by the age of six months he was as normal as any other foal. He sold at the age of two and lives in Missouri where he is beloved and used as a breeding stallion.

 

Dragonfly was sound, stocky and normal in growth by time he was 12 months old.

We bred Casey back to Magni again because by then we knew we were going to sell Magni. The result of that mating was another spotted colt we named Foxvangen's Ra. Named for the Egyptian sun god, Ra.

From the get-go Ra was a winner. All of Casey's foals have a lot of personality but Ra perhaps more than the others. He wormed his way into the hearts of everyone who ever met him He was a pretty colt with a very balanced color pattern that always drew the eye of visitors.

From day one Ra demonstrated a proper foxtrot and running walk in the pasture. He loved all the animals but was particularly fond of the cats and was often seen playing with them. The Cats adored him and sought him out in the pasture.

At four months Ra showed stature and an innate posture. His lovely neck was accented by a nice neck.

At four months Ra was a striking colt. He has a lovely refined head and a nice top line. His bone and joints are good and he has a lot of presence in his style.

As a yearling Ra held a lot of promise and showed his breeding. His color is what drew most people but it is the horse wearing the color of interest to us.

As a yearling Ra was again hip high but was showing a lot of promise of things to come. His mane and tail were getting so dark many people mistook him for a bay.

At two Ra was really hip high but showed tremendous bulking up. Many thought he was a bay but he is simply a dark chestnut Tobiano

At Two Ra was really hip high but was also beginning to bulk up. He was a playful, spunky colt and a prankster into the bargain. He got along well in pasture and was the first to come up to me when I went to the field.

Casey and Ra were sold to a man in West Virginia. By then Ra had been weaned and was going on two years of age. Casey went there in foal. The next year she produced a curly filly that was curled much like Tonka had been. Due to unfortunate circumstances the filly died before she was a year old.

The owner had some difficulties and could not keep the horses so a few months later we had opportunity to get Casey back. She came home happy to see her old friends and be home. Ra came with her but was for sale. He found a wonderful new owner and is now in California where he is being ridden and used and very well cared for. He is also being an ambassador for the Missouri Foxrotter breed.

Proud Casey a day after foaling Foxvangen's Titan. Titan was playing with a towel I threw to him to see if he would spook. All he did was play with it.

Casey had a couple years off and then we bred her to our jr. stallion, Foxvangen's Pharaoh. Pharaoh stems from Clarkson stock also and was sired by Foxvangen's Braveheart Two. This makes Casey's new son, Foxvangen's Titan, about 3/4 Clarkson breeding.

Titan was born in 2009. Right from the first breath he was a doing sort of horse. He amazed us with his quick action and extreme athleticism. He gaited from the first time he got to his feet but he also is extremely fast.

Titan, more than any of her other foals, share's Casey's attention span, intellect and amazing capacity for learning. He is a bright and interesting colt.

At birth titan was nearly cherry red and had deep waves all over his body.

When he was born, Titan was covered in waves and had a tightly curled tail and mane. He was a pretty colt with a bright red coloring that was shiny and soft as down.

At two weeks of age, Titan was already an eye catching beauty.

At just two weeks of age, Titan stood proud and tall with a remarkable dignity and elegant beauty that simply shouted of his quality. His coat was very dense and silky but unlike Tonka, Titan's coat remained just wavy rather than kinking up into actual curls.

Titan's ear curls and frizzy forelock are the talk of anyone who visits. The frizzy forelock is really downy soft and not the least like horse hair normally is.

His ears were packed with tight curls however and his mane and forelock were frizzy they were so curly. These are supposed to be signs of a curly horse.

Titan developed quickly and is not prone to looking gangly particularly. At eight months he was really showing remarkable development in his hind quarters. He promised to be an athlete which is what he was bred for. He will make someone a really good versatility horse or ranch horse or a solid, dependable trail mount.

Foxvangen's Titan at 8 months shows remarkable muscle definition and solid conformation.

Casey has proven herself in every way. She is 16 years old as of 2009 and this writing and is still in great shape and condition. She is an easy keeper which means we have to monitor her eating or she gets round and piggy but other than that she is in fine condition.

Casey's foals are always born foxtrotting and are very quick to learn. They have above average intelligence and are sensitive and willing workers. They do not take well to the use of force and don't like to be bullied but will willingly give all they have to give if asked kindly.

In September, 2009 we bred her to our jr. stallion, Foxvangen's Solaris and look forward to her foal next year! Casey shares pasture and a huge run in with Solaris. They are like an old married couple. Casey rules the roost.

She will have to be dry lotted off the fescue grass next summer. At that time Solaris will get a different mare as a companion. Casey will move back into the main barn until she is finished raising her foal. At that time she may get some time off and go back to being a saddle horse. She has earned her keep and she has earned our respect in every way.

 

Casey Ann Kay at 16 is a pretty little mare not at all resembling the scruffy waif she was upon her arrival at Foxvangen Farm.

She is a tough little mare with a big heart and a lot of go. Casey Ann Kay will remain part of Foxvangen Farm so long as there is a farm which hopefully will be for the remainder of her life.

What we want from Casey to add to our bloodline is her natural foxtrot, her sensibility, her amazing athletic ability, Her spunk and toughness, her efficiency in motion and her endurance. We also want the Clarkson prepotence that is part of her genetic base.

What we want to improve on in Casey's offspring is to add a bit of bone, bigger feet, a cleaner neck and perhaps a bit less spirit.

 

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