In 2004, H.O.R.S.E. of CT received a call that two horses were in trouble and the caller asked H.O.R.S.E. of CT to intervene.  The owner had become ill and was financially and physically unable to care for the horses.  One (Lady) belonged to the owner, the other (Champ) to someone else who was boarding. The boarder had abandoned Champ and could not be located.

Rather than face prosecution, the owner released Lady and Champ to HORSE of CT and they arrived in very poor condition.  Both were extremely underweight and Lady had a terrible eye injury.  The eye was badly damaged and infected.  The vet determined that the injury was old and had never been treated.   Because Lady was so underweight, the vet could not perform surgery until she became healthier, so the eye was treated to attack the infection before a determination was made on the next step.

Lady is a beautiful blue-eyed Appaloosa mare who displayed a lady-like demeanor from the moment she arrived at the rescue.  She is loving, sweet, funny at times and a joy to handle and ride.  She loves trail riding and when she is out on the trail with a favorite rider, she struts along with her tail in the air and joy on her face.  When you come to her paddock to take her out, she nickers to you in greeting and can’t wait to get on the trail.  She’s a mover and loves to be the lead horse.

Over the months that Lady and Champ recovered at H.O.R.S.E. of CT, Lady gained about 400 pounds, as did Champ.  The decision finally was made that the eye could not be saved and it was surgically removed.  It was a sad day for us because we had hoped that it might be saved…and, being a blue-eyed horse, having only one eye could be a problem.

You see, blue-eyed horses are susceptible to “Moon Blindness” or uveitis, which is an inflammation of the structure of the eye, including the iris.  It can sometimes be brought on by blunt trauma (which is Lady’s case).   This disease can ultimately lead to blindness.  Unfortunately, Lady developed uveitis and because of glaucoma, is losing the sight in her other eye.  Through all of this, she has remained a wonderful girl and brings joy to all who take care of her on a daily basis.  Because she still has some sight in her remaining eye, she still gets around just fine.  Even when she ultimately goes completely blind, she will be okay because she knows her surroundings and knows her “roommate” Misty will take care of her.  H.O.R.S.E. of CT will remain steadfast in its care of Lady and won’t let her down…as she was let down in her past life.

Lady’s rescue and rehabilitation is what H.O.R.S.E. of CT does day-in and day-out.  We do this work without the benefit of federal or state funding…just donations from individuals and some grants.  It’s an awesome task, but when you meet a horse like Lady, you realize how important it is to do that task day-in and day-out…after 25 years, H.O.R.S.E. of CT is still committed to this mission.