Why Do You Call Him Cartman?

Once upon a time, there was an adorable bay baby colt without a name.

He lived with his mother Dazzby Dancer in a large box stall in the wild wild west of  western Washington.

One day it started to rain, and it didn't stop all day long.  The next day it rained too.  And the next.

The little colt and his Mom were stuck inside the barn.  Now, as far as barns go this one was pretty nice.  It was three stalls in one, with three gates to look outside from, fresh wooden walls and deep fluffy straw to sleep on.

He ate, and stretched, and play bucked, and chased his mother's tail, until she had to warn him by lifting a hind leg in his direction.  He knew she was just joking and would never actually kick him.

Several times a day the first human he had ever seen would come in and tidy up their stall.  She would pet him, give him butt scritches, and talk to him.  He liked her.  She would sometimes bring a small nylon halter and carefully place it on his head.  They would go in circles, the human would make him turn, and move sideways away from the rope that she place on the little halter.  Sometimes they would take a few steps up and down the stall together.

On the third day of the never-ending rain the little colt was really getting bored.  Mom was getting bored too and was starting to get a little antsy to go outside.

The girl came out that night, dragging the large cart with her.  She placed the cart in the middle of the big stall and started cleaning one end, pitching the clean straw into a nice fluffy pile and removing any undersirable bedding by tossing it into the cart.

The baby and his Mom were milling around in the other end of the stall, the human had her back turned to them and the cart was blocking the baby from pestering her.  But he so wanted to!  He paced back and forth for a while, dancing at the cart, doing his best to threaten it so it would move and let him get over to the other end of the stall.

Suddenly, the bay colt bolted towards the cart.  The lady was still picking the stall and only saw him from the corner of her eye.  He took a big breath and lept right over the cart!  Wheeeeeee!!!!!!! 

It was so exciting that the baby gave a big buck/kickout sideways.  Unfortunately, the girl was right in the way as he landed.  The kick ended abruptly on her left thigh. 

He had never heard such a racket before.  Oh my, it was very loud and scarey.  He spun and ran as fast as he could run straight back to Mom.  He hid behind her and watched the girl dancing around and yelling.

Several days later the human came to feed the Mom horse and she had the blackest spot ever on her thigh.  It was in the perfect shape of a baby foal foot.  She apparently wasn't mad at him anymore, because the petting and scratching continued.  They were going back out to the green pasture where Mom would graze each day and the colt would run, buck, play, splay his legs out and try to mimic his mother, and pester Aunties Girlie and Draol to distraction. 

The girl wasn't mad at the bay colt, but that incident is the reason she named him Cartman.