LIFE

Blind horse gets by with a little help from her friend

Tressa Glass
tglass@dmreg.com

Daisy and Angel are two horse friends awaiting adoption at the Animal Rescue League of Iowa (ARL). However, they are not your average gal pals: Daisy, 10, is blind and relies on Angel, 17, to be her eyes.

Their friendship is a special one because of Angel's tranquil nature. She doesn't mind that Daisy follows her closely and doesn't get irritated when Daisy accidentally bumps into her. If the two get separated, Angel will even broadcast her location by whinnying to Daisy.

Carrie Spain, Second Chance Ranch Coordinator of the Animal Rescue League of Iowa gives rescue horses Angel, left, and Daisy, right, carrots as she removes a fly mask at a foster care facility near Elkhart, Thursday, Sept. 8, 2016. Angel is a Palomino who was rescued after a result of neglect. Daisy is a Bay horse who has gone blind from uveitis which causes blindness if left untreated. Since having met, the two have become close friends. Angel guides Daisy around the pasture.

The ARL's Facebook post about Angel and Daisy has been shared over 150 times and has more than 600 likes.

"Sometimes you just need a friend who gets you," the ARL wrote.

Carrie Spain, who oversees the ARL's barn animals, thinks people were moved by Daisy and Angel's story because "When people think of rescue horses, they just have this picture of them being sad in a stall, but these two are doing great. They can see how well (horses) can do when taken out of bad situations."

Daisy was picked up in Warren County in the summer of 2015 after being called in as a stray. When she first arrived at the ARL, Iowa State veterinarians examined her and concluded that she was suffering from uveitis, an eye condition that leads to blindness when left untreated, Spain said.

Daisy was in a pen by herself at the ARL until Angel was rescued from a neglectful situation. Daisy and Angel ended up getting housed together because they could share a special type of hay that Angel needed. That's when the caretakers noticed their compatibility.

Spain said they needed to move the horses into a different pen — a new environment for Daisy. The caregivers watched the two together and realized that Angel would help lead Daisy around in the new environment.

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Spain said Angel would be fine if she got adopted without Daisy, but Daisy will need a pasture pal. "It would be preferred (if they got adopted together), but if someone has another horse that would be good for Daisy, then that would be an option, too," Spain said.

Both horses are currently being cared for in a foster home near Elkhart and have been under the ARL's care for around a year.

Beyond adoption, there are other ways you can help out. If you have the space and resources, you can foster a horse until they find a permanent home.

Spain added, "We always take donations, whether that be hay or money to buy what we need for them."

The ARL hosts a variety of events and fundraisers throughout the year and are hosting The Mane Event on Sept. 17 to raise money for the horses. There are currently eight horses up for adoption at the ARL.