Betsy driving Lulu in the arena
Clearly Shadow had been a victim of some kind of abuse as evidence by numerous scars, including one across his entire left buttock. Additionally, his owner proudly claimed he had gelded the horse himself without the use of anesthesia and had no remorse for this horse’s deplorable condition.
With no other prospects in sight for this young pony, Mylestone agreed to accept him; a compassionate family was willing to pay the owner the fee. Despite the fact that we don’t believe he was ever off his farm, he trailered like a gentleman, and seemed glad to arrive at Mylestone. We named him Shadow because he quickly became just that, wandering around behind me, whenever I was in his paddock.
Despite being almost completely blind Shadow appeared to have adjusted quite well. However, we knew there would come a time when we could no longer manage his pain with medication. In 2009 the decision was made to remove Shadow’s left eye. We knew we had made the right decision when within two hours of the surgery Shadow was looking to play with his buddy next door and when it came time to remove his sutures he allowed the doctor to remove them without sedation.
Now, approaching nineteen and completely blind Shadow continues to be as sweet and grateful as the day he arrived. Happy and healthy he spends his time next to his buddy Jackson, a paint gelding who is also blind. Though guarded with voices he doesn’t recognize he will happily come to the voices he does and always great you in response, hoping you just might have bought him a cookie.
call Mylestone home. If anyone does rescue work you then know it’s not the same as getting an animal form a loving home. They come with baggage, and sometimes that baggage can take years to overcome. Many have gone through horrors we can only imagine and for those, learning to trust again takes time, sometimes a lot of time, consistency and patience.
Shadow
In 2005, we were told about a large pony that was going to be sent to the killer buyers within the week if we didn’t take him. He was a seven-year-old mostly blind overworked hack horse who was about to be sent to the auction at New Holland, PA where he would surely have
faced slaughter. This was our introduction to the
horse we named Shadow.
No other rescue would take him, nor would
animal control. Shadow was living in 12” of
manure, but that was the least of his
problems. He suffered from moon
blindness, which is extremely
painful. Longstanding eye
infections were never
treated, and one eye
appeared to be on the
verge of rupturing. Clearly Shadow had been a victim of some kind of abuse as evidence by numerous scars, including one across his entire left buttock. Additionally, his owner proudly claimed he had gelded the horse himself without the use of anesthesia and had no remorse for this horse’s deplorable condition.
With no other prospects in sight for this young pony, Mylestone agreed to accept him; a compassionate family was willing to pay the owner the fee. Despite the fact that we don’t believe he was ever off his farm, he trailered like a gentleman, and seemed glad to arrive at Mylestone. We named him Shadow because he quickly became just that, wandering around behind me, whenever I was in his paddock.
Despite being almost completely blind Shadow appeared to have adjusted quite well. However, we knew there would come a time when we could no longer manage his pain with medication. In 2009 the decision was made to remove Shadow’s left eye. We knew we had made the right decision when within two hours of the surgery Shadow was looking to play with his buddy next door and when it came time to remove his sutures he allowed the doctor to remove them without sedation.
Now, approaching nineteen and completely blind Shadow continues to be as sweet and grateful as the day he arrived. Happy and healthy he spends his time next to his buddy Jackson, a paint gelding who is also blind. Though guarded with voices he doesn’t recognize he will happily come to the voices he does and always great you in response, hoping you just might have bought him a cookie.
If you would like to learn more about Mylestone and how you can help this We Ride charity continue to be a voice for the voiceless please visit www.mylestone.org or visit us on Facebook. There you will find additional information on the rescue including adoption, sponsoring a horse, purchasing a 2018 Calendar and how to become a Holiday Gift or Valentine’s Day Gift Sponsor. Mylestone is making a difference one horse at a time.
Shadow
CONTINUED >>