Nancy Jensen-Case
One day in late August or early September of 2004, I had a telephone call from Josh Colvin, Cruelty Intervention Coordinator for the Animal Rescue League of Iowa, asking whether or not Dreamtime would be open to taking on blind horses. I had my doubts but as I listened to his story I found myself drawn to open the doors to these two.
Joe and Hope had belonged to a person in Clark County Iowa who at one time had some 160 horses. Following numerous complaints about conditions at the facility the Animal Rescue League of Iowa investigated and determined that many of the horses were living in deplorable conditions. In a coordinated effort with local law enforcement the Animal Rescue League of Iowa began the process of seizing those horses in the worst condition. Among them were Hope and Joe.
Following
the seizure, Colvin stated. “The person who owned them had been
neglecting horses for many years. The stallion (Joe) was in a filthy stall
up to his knees in a mixture of mud, urine and manure. He seemed friendly,
but looked broken. His head was down and he was in poor condition. The
mare (Hope) was in the center arena with three other horses. You could see
her backbone easily and she had many deep scars on her back, probably from
the other horses picking on her. Of
all the horses we seized that day, we really had little hope for these
two. Who would want blind
horses? ”
To
further complicate matters, following their removal, the two struck up a
strong friendship. “As soon as we saw their interaction to one another, we
knew they needed to be together,” said Colvin.
Not
hopeful, Colvin began a search for appropriate sanctuaries.
That was when Dreamtime got a call.
After hearing the story of these two horses, I told him I would
consider taking them. Colvin
indicated that they would prefer a sanctuary closer to Iowa, and would
continue their interviews of prospective sanctuaries.
I
thought about these two creatures for weeks, wondering at the spirit that
caused them to survive. I also wondered if they had found a home.
Then one day the phone rang, it was Colvin. “We have found no one
else who is willing to take blind horses. Are you still willing?” I said
I was and so began making arrangements for their arrival.
Colvin too began preparations, having Joe gelded, and arranging for
transportation to Dreamtime.
On
the night of October 27, 2004, the hauler hired to deliver Joe and Hope
phoned. They were two hours away. I couldn’t sleep any more from the
anticipation of their arrival. Then,
sometime well after midnight the phone rang again. “We’re turning onto
your road.” I was out of the house and standing at the gate in a flash.
Soon the headlights came over the horizon. A large trailer stopped at my
gate and I looked inside to see two tired and anxious horses. We led them
off the trailer, one at a time, and down to a pen.
Once they were settled a bit the hauler drove off into the night
I
stood in the quiet dark of that fall night. Two blind horses. A recently
gelded stallion and a mare, both of whom had known nothing but misery at
the hands of humans. What had I gotten into?
The
two were inseparable and over time began to settle into the calm routine
of daily life at Dreamtime. They learned to trust me as I was quiet and
brought food. Still thin, their appearance was much improved from when
they were first found on that property in Iowa.
Over time they began to put on more weight. The scars disappeared.
Their coats began to shine. Three elderly Dreamtime companion horses
became their eyes. They gained in confidence and were soon navigating all
over the small pasture they shared with the others.
Joe,
who clearly sees some shadows and light, is the more confident of the two.
He continues to behave as the stallion he had been for 17 years. He
will stand for long hours to be stroked, even on the nose that had clearly
been broken at some time in his life. Hope, on the other hand, is
completely blind and therefore more hesitant about touch. She wants to be
close to us but is easily frightened by movement which she feels but
doesn’t see. She walks with her head and neck held in an odd way using
them to sense any obstacle that might be in her way. Both are living proof
that horses – and other animals – do not appear to consider blindness
to be a handicap. There is no indication that they feel self-pity but,
rather, that they simply live their lives as ordinary horses among their
horse friends.
animal tales
hugs and kisses
bea and andrew
joe and hope