I've been riding horses for the vast majority of my life. It's what I do, it's what I've always done. And for most of my life horses and riding have provided unbelievable joy, adventures, an escape, a place to release stress and a way to exercise since goodness knows I won't go to the gym.
If you know me for any period of time you know I ride and that currently I ride a horse who is completely blind. If you ask me how that goes I'll answer that it depends on the day and I completely mean that. Sometimes my horse is with me, other days he is... well honestly I have no idea where he goes.
Demetrias came to the barn where I was riding in January of 2009 and by March he was mine. In retrospect, I have no idea why I thought a 9 year old thoroughbred was the right buy for me, but what can I say? He has the sweetest personality.
A month later he had a flare up in his eyes and I was told it was allergies. Chronic uveitis comes and goes, each time it comes back it is worse until it just stays. In true uveitis fashion it went away until it came back to stay. Demetrias' stayed a year later.
March 2010 D ran into a tree branch and needed stitches in the corner of his eye. The cloudiness had returned to his eyes and I was concerned but I was hoping it was just allergies again. New vet came to the barn and she confirmed that the cloudiness was a pretty big problem. NC State confirmed the diagnosis of chronic uveitis in May and that should've been the end. Instead I took my horse to a university hospital and he got a medicine implant above his right eye.
In the 20/20 vision that comes from looking back, that is where the journey with Demetrias should have ended. He was going blind, this was unavoidable and there was little to nothing that I could do to prevent it, I should just put him down.
We spent a year at the walk because that is all he could do and since I didn't want to walk beside him I rode. In hindsight this probably saved our butt since I don't know if I would've gotten back on him otherwise. I figured out how to get a blind horse to longe and fell off a lot!! D is the kind of horse who flips out, bucks you off, runs aways and then comes back to see what's wrong. It was a blessing when he finally couldn't see anything. He still makes up monsters but less often.
D has put me in the position of making tough decisions for him. He sand colicked (sp?) in August 2013, he got a bladder infection in June of 2015- didn't even know horses got those. Each time getting a prognosis that didn't necessarily see him pulling out. There's that moment of not wanting to say goodbye but a lot of confusion when many vet bills later, he once again pulls through.
As I stand here now facing the decisions in front of me I wish that was the decision I made. But I didn't. I started treatment for D and 7 years later, a mountain of debt and heartache later, here we are, at this crossroad.
D is attempting to live in the pasture 24/7- he was protesting when I left tonight but that has more to do with missing his friend I think. He is prone to abscesses if his feet aren't picked out regularly and weekly koppertox keeps his feet firm. D is currently on thiamin to keep him calm- so that he stays focused when under saddle, has front shoes and is a good patient although if you give him wormer he will not take a treat from you for a day.
From the outside looking in he looks like any other horse. You will notice he has a slight tilt to his head, that his rider talks to him a lot and on some days, that he talks a lot. For the most part though, he carries himself very confidently which is both a blessing and a curse.
D is capable, rideable and has a lot to offer on the flat. He is high spirited and requires an experienced rider. He is sweet. D has had excellent care for the last 7 years and that care has put me into some pretty intense financial situations.
I am at a crossroads. Once again, D is counting on me to make a decision that is, well, pretty hard. If there is someone who wants to love and ride him and help share the financial burden, that would be great. D could do with a lot of rides, is there a rider out there??... otherwise... well, I'll decide that later....
