Darby the blind horse
Darby was in a Washington state feedlot destined for slaughter when a horse rescue group spotted her. Her eyes bulged from glaucoma, she was thin, and her skin was covered in scars from getting beaten up by other horses. The rescue group asked if we could take her.
Once at the ranch, we set about pairing Darby up with a friend. Blind horses commonly fall to the bottom of the pecking order in a herd environment, but they still need to be with other horses. The best situation is for a blind horse to have one pasture buddy, but not be in a herd.
We had trouble finding a good match for Darby. Her first buddy, our blind mare Honey, would turn and kick her if Darby got too close… and poor Darby wanted to be as close as she could be to her new friend. She was obsessive about being right next to Honey, but she was also constantly terrified of getting kicked. And despite being a much bigger horse – we think Darby is a Thoroughbred/Quarter Horse cross – she would never defend herself. So it became clear that Darby needed someone else… a gentle, devoted friend..
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Meanwhile, one of the smallest horses at the ranch, our little blind filly Brynn, wasn't interested in other horses at all. We even tried to buddy her up with our new blind foal Cash, but she wanted nothing to do with him either. Though horses have a natural need for companionship, Brynn would run from any horse we paired her with. She really preferred the company of people!
Then one day we had the counterintuitive idea of putting Darby and Brynn together. It was, as they say, love at first sight. (Not with two blind horses, but you get the idea.) They sniffed each other, then quietly stood side by side. No squealing or other "getting to know you" antics. A few minutes later they put their heads down and began munching hay together in the feeder. Darby visibly relaxed, and by mid-day these two were actually taking hay out of each other's mouths.
Darby is probably 20 years old, Brynn just over a year old, yet the age difference didn't matter at all. Physically they couldn't be more different either, with Darby towering over Brynn. We call them "the odd couple."
Darby is a new horse. Although she's completely dependent on Brynn for companionship, she's no longer neurotic about it. She doesn't have to worry about getting kicked. She finally found the gentle soul she so desperately wanted in a friend, and someone who treats her with kindness and respect. (Hey, isn't this what we all want?) And Brynn finally found the buddy she needed but didn't, until now, know she needed.
It took a long time to get weight on Darby, and we eventually had to remove her eyes because of chronic pain. But now Darby is enjoying life at the ranch, along with the devoted companionship of her little buddy Brynn.
November 2007
