Blind Ambition - August 2007

Here is her story so far...
August 18, 2007
She was born on August 18, 2007 at Myhre Equine Clinic in New Hampshire. All was fine we thought when we received a call from her owner saying she had been born and she was headed out to see her. I asked her to take pictures and send them to me. At 7pm I went to the computer to see the pictures. Her email said that there was a problem with the foal and she was born completely blind. Dr Grant Myhre had told us that the foal had Micropthalmos.

Microphthalmos or a small eye is an ophthalmic congenital defect in the foal. She would be blind her whole life. Our first thought was what kind of life would this poor horse have being blind? We thought the best thing would be to euthanize her. Dr Grant Myhre asked why? Blind horses can lead a very productive life. We hashed it over and dove into anything we could find on the Internet. Most everything we saw online was about adult horses who were born with sight then lost it. We agreed that that was probably worse then being born blind and never knowing anything different. As far as this little filly knew this was what life was, this was the way the world was. It was all she knew. She was healthy in every other way.

We contacted Rolling Dog Ranch in Montana, www.rollingdogranch.org. A fabulous animal sanctuary dedicated to caring for disabled animals. They have 30 blind horses. Some foals with the same condition our little filly had. We talked about eventually sending her there to live out her days. Please visit their web site. I can't think of the words to describe the dedication and hard work these people have devoted to disabled animals. They are truly angels. Well it was not long before we knew we would not let the issue of her being blind cause her to not live out her life. We would figure it out.

August 29, 2007
we lined our trailer with enough straw that it resembled a yellow cloud and off we took to pick up Mom and baby at Myhre Equine clinic. I had not seen her yet and I was dying to see her. I think we were all a little nervous about loading them and how the ride would go. Once we arrived at the hospital, we walked to their stall. I slid open the door and stepped inside. There was little mousy brown/gray filly, beautiful in every way. I spoke to her and she walked up to me. She started sniffing me. I bent down to her level. She sniffed me from head to toe, lingering at my ears and took a taste. Her muzzle and whiskers were like a blind person hands reading brail as she grazed her muzzle over me, reading me.

She was adorable. We watched her navigate around the stall. She bumped the water bucket a few times but did well getting around. Everyone was just staring at her taking it all in. Dr Grant Myhre walked up and asked "couldn't you just stare at her all day?" The filly recognized the Docs voice and whinnied. We asked questions and talked about her future.

I have to mention that the Vet Tech's and Dr Grant Myhre are a wonderful bunch. I think I saw a tear or two knowing that she was leaving. They did an excellent job imprinting her, which I feel is crucial in a blind foal. All the folks at Myhre Equine Clinic were very caring and their devotion was apparent. An added note of interest: Dr. Grant Myhre is responsible for establishing the New Hampshire Equestrian Academy Charter School that opened its doors in September of 07.

I backed up the trailer and we loaded them. It actually went pretty well. The foal was naturally nervous, new place, new sounds. We waited about 15 minutes while they settled down. The ride went just as well. On the ride back we talked about keeping her and giving it all we had. I have experience working with babies, training and imprinting. Jim has a special spot in his heart for the babies and loves working with them. We have a positive outlook. So it was decided that we would work with the filly to do whatever she is capable of doing.

Once we arrived at Black Horse Farm we put Mom in her stall and we wrapped our arms around the filly's chest and butt thinking we would lift her down due to the trailer being a step down. As we scooped her up, her ears came straightforward but she never flailed. It looked as though she was enjoying the ride so we kept going and carried her right to her stall.

Introductions...
Once on the floor she started to discover her new home. Her new stall was very similar to the one at Myhre equine Clinic, 12x20. Jim made certain the walls were flat and solid. He paneled the walls with barn board making sure there was nothing for her to hurt herself on. I discovered that banking the bedding in her stall all along the bottom of the walls gives her something to feel with her feet to give her notice that the wall is here. We covered the water bucket holders with fleece. She uses her whiskers, muzzle, and ears to feel her way around. At first she would bump into the walls. Sometimes it is hard to watch when she really bumps her nose. But she is a fast learner and became quite comfortable with her surroundings.

Blind horses tend to walk in circles. I am not sure if it is their way of moving in a safe fashion or if it is stress related. They will also extend their neck out and cock their heads to the side a little. Watching her is mesmerizing. I realized that every circle she walks is 10 paces. She is almost exact when she places her feet in this circle. Jim and I both realized that she does better coming to us rather than us going to her. We speak constantly while we are with her. She has learned our voices and finds comfort in them. She likes feeling our hands on her muzzle first, and then we bend over to her level. She then feels her way all around our heads, shoulders and arms. Once she does this she is ok with us touching her. We start at her shoulder and work around her from there. With blind horses you cannot just walk up and put your hand on them. We have found it works best for her to do the initial touch. She loves giving Jim kisses; she raises her head up to his face and gives him lots of kisses.


Purpose | May/June 2008 | April 2008 | January 2008 | November 2007
October 2007 | September 2007 | August 2007 | Home