Luna the blind mare
A rescue group in Denver called us about a blind mare they had just found at a feedlot, destined for slaughter. Her name was Luna, and her eyes were a mess. One eye appeared to be missing, the other was white and inflamed.
They asked if we could take her. We agreed, and a week later we set out with the truck and trailer for Sheridan, Wyoming, where we had arranged to meet a volunteer for the rescue group who was hauling Luna north. Sheridan was halfway between Denver and Missoula.
We saw Luna for the first time in a hotel parking lot, and her eyes were even worse than we had expected. How long she had lived like this we could only imagine. The mare was very subdued. If her eyes were as painful as they looked, we could well imagine why.
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We promptly took Luna to our equine vet in Missoula. In surgery we found the missing eye was actually buried in the socket, rock-hard and shrunken to the size of a marble. The other eye was so painful it had to come out, too. Both were filled with old, black blood inside. It was clear Luna had suffered for a long time.
Once the pain was gone, this mare blossomed. Just days after surgery she became spunky and playful, and revealed a newly confident personality. Luna turned out to have so much zest that we began calling her ‘Luna Bar,' after the energy snack.
Here at the ranch Luna found a new friend in one of our other blind mares, Hannah the big red Appaloosa. They're both high-energy girls, so it's as if Luna and Hannah were made for each other. They spent their first summer and fall together, happily grazing on pasture. Whenever they'd get separated – this happens quite often with blind horses! – they'd whinny for each other.
For Luna, she must be amazed at how her life has changed.
