Breaking and Entering: Inside the Disney World stables

It’s not like Megan Kaiser pulled a stocking over her head and bum-rushed Mickey Mouse. She just, you know, took a little unauthorized detour.

From Megan:

It wasn’t entirely unauthorized–we only went in the “cast members only” gate, down a little pathway, and around a corner to get there–but I couldn’t help it.  I went to the beach with my family for five days and before heading home we spent a day and a half at Disney World.  The evening we arrived we went to a BBQ with Mickey at the Fort Wilderness Resort.  While holding my two-and-a-half year old and dancing with goofy I could smell it–we were near the stables.  They were somewhere close by.  Sorry kid-o, that’s enough of doing the maracrenta with an oversized undetermined animal creature–there are horses nearby.

Through a gate, the one we weren’t supposed to go through, I could see these several big beautiful Belgiums–one happily eating hay in his little paddock the other playing halters with his neighbor through an open window (even though neither had on a halter).

At the beach my mom had her dog, so I had gotten my dog fix.  We saw plenty of manatee, dolphin, tortoise, sea birds, bunnies, squirrel, etc.  But I was so busy I didn’t realize how much I missed my horse until that sent hit my nose.   Of course, I was checking HN and EN everyday, but when I smelled that smell I realized how much I missed them.

The barn was neat and airy.  A nice wide aisle, big box stall (probably 14 x 16), fans going, plenty of hay (and from what I understand, the price of hay in Florida is outrageous).

They were all draft horses used for pulling carriages.  Most were napping–but several were looking for treats pets.  And I was happy to provide them.  Each had a name plate with their name, breed, a couple facts about the horse and their feed information.  Half of the barn was roped off–so I can only comment on the ones we could look at (I had already dragged my kids through enough unauthorized areas, so I figure ducking under the rope was too much of a bad example) all of them were geldings.  I thought that was interesting but maybe a mare in season could result in ruining a “magical day” (as all the cast members are constantly wishing you).   They also all had normal people names–I had envisioned I would be meeting Doc,  Tigger, and Chip, not Dan, Brandy, and Doug.

There was another family snooping while we were.  I heard the mom comment to the daughter that she can’t go in the stall, this isn’t like home. I guess we all gravitate to where we love to be even on vacation.

On the way back to the boat to take us back to the magic kingdom my daughter had to use the ladies room and I helped her wash her hands.  So I only got to have that lovely smell on my hands for a little while, but it carried me through until I got home and could see my guy again.