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New Castle — A One-Horse Town
One Horse Town
Video
Some would say New Castle is a one horse town. Cindi Altman keeps her horse Cooper in a backyard barn in New Castle
By Jeanne Starmack
New Castle, PA.
For a country creature transplanted in the city, Cooper the miniature horse isn’t so small when it comes to defending himself.
He’s been a resident of New Castle for two years now, living in a small barn in the back of Cindi and John Altman’s house on a pleasant, tree-lined street on the North Hill.
The 4-year-old horse has adapted to city life pretty well, taking regular strolls with Cindi through the neighborhood.
One day though, it got rough out there. Cooper and Cindi were on a walk when a dog leaped over a porch railing and called the horse out.
Cooper’s a little guy next to your average, pasture-variety horse. At a shaggy 230 pounds, however, he’s big for a mini, and he was a good bit bigger than his opponent. That dog really should have picked on something its own size.
“I didn’t know what to do,” Cindi recalled last week as Cooper stood nearby munching contentedly on new spring grass in her front yard. “I let go of Cooper’s rope, and Cooper kicked at him.”
Don’t worry. No dogs or horses were harmed. The dog’s owner called it away, and Cooper never made contact — maybe he pulled his kicks, but he still made a point. He looks pretty innocent hoofing it around town, but he’s streetwise.
Usually, the streets aren’t so mean. He’s a kid-magnet out there. He was well-socialized when Cindi took him to visit special-needs classes at JFK Elementary School; he is friendly and patient through all the attention.
He doesn’t go to the classes anymore, she said, because the law changed; now the school can’t let him in because someone might have allergies.
He still visits the kids at their houses sometimes.
As the only horse in town, Cooper is a celebrity. People are getting used to seeing him around now, but for a while he was a jaw-dropping sight.
The first time she took him for a walk, she said, two cars almost hit each other.
“He still gets his picture taken about six times a day,” she said.
The neighbors don’t mind him — some even keep his favorite snack, carrots, on hand. “It’s been fine,” she said. “Everybody loves Cooper.”
Cindi has always loved horses. Growing up, she didn’t have one of her own. But neighbors did, and they let her ride. She has a riding horse boarded in Union Township, but she wanted to have a horse at home.
Her husband took the idea in stride. Is he a horse-lover?
“He’s a horse-tolerator,” said Cindi. “I’m the one — it’s a sickness.”
“I said it was fine, as long as we didn’t get in trouble with the city,” John said.
Before they did anything else, said Cindi, they made sure everyone nearby was on board with the idea. They got their neighbors to sign a petition and went before the city council. The council actually had to rewrite an ordinance for Cooper, classifying him as a “small animal.”
The Altmans found Cooper through an ad in the paper. Someone in Ohio was trying to find homes for several horses.
Caring for a horse in the city requires a little more work and ingenuity. Cindi takes him to exercise at a nearby church that has a large lawn. She stakes him out there on a long rope, and he runs. “He loves it,” she said.
He goes to a farrier in New Wilmington once every six weeks to have his hooves trimmed. The Altmans also clean up after him once or twice a day, at the same time stocking a compost bin for their plants.
Cooper eats hay and a grain supplement. He’s allowed to eat fresh grass for only an hour a day though, because too much will make him sick.
An hour’s still enough time to keep the front lawn trimmed for John. If people who hate to mow catch on, maybe New Castle will no longer be just a one-horse town.