Welcome home, Buddy! Meet our newest rescue, the 31-year-old blind Appaloosa, who is gentle as can be. Most people are either unable or unwilling to provide the extra care required when horses lose their vision, and so many are euthanized. Buddy, in fact, was scheduled to be euthanized the very day we rescued him, as his former human was unable to care for him due to changes in her personal life. But having made the trip to meet Buddy, we were confident he had some good years left!
Like so many who come to CAS, Buddy just needed a chance. We’ve been working with him offsite for months, teaching him vital verbal cues: “Up,” “Down,” “Choppy,” “Water,” and “Stop” that will help him navigate his new world without sight.
Buddy’s new pasture-mate is also named Buddy - a 35-year-old rescue from 2007, also blind. We’ve now had FOUR blind horses named Buddy - maybe a remarkable coincidence, but we think it’s a sign that this is the path we are meant to walk, side by side with those horses the world has given up on, leading them into their new lives.
Rescuing blind horses isn’t easy, even with twenty years of experience. But it is SO worth the effort to see Buddy’s hooves touch soft grass, to see him touch noses with his new friends, and to hear the joyful clop of his hooves as he trots down the path, guided by his seeing-eye human.
Love, indeed, is spoken here.
If you want to help Buddy have the best possible life at CAS, you can become one of his sponsors. Sponsorship helps support the cost of his care: in addition to his blindness, caused by a condition called uveitis, we are currently managing his other health conditions (“heaves,” a type of equine asthma, and Cushings, a thyroid condition). Sanctuary sponsors receive regular updates, photos, etc. of their new BFF. They can also schedule a special VIP sponsor visit to the Sanctuary. Folks can learn more about sponsorship at this link: bit.ly/sponsorbuddy21