16/02/2022
🌞 It was a beautiful sunny day and Rocky and I had just enjoyed a lovely stretched out canter up the gallop strip and now we were walking back towards home along the road and down the bumpy track that would lead us to where the rest of the herd were patiently waiting in the sunshine. Not unusual, you say. That’s quite true... except Rocky is totally blind!
💕 Rocky, a blanket roan Appaloosa gelding came into my life some 17 years ago. I knew he had Equine Recurrent Uveitis (ERU) then but he still had pretty good vision, any flare ups were controlled with conventional eye drops and he wore a mask to shield his eyes from the brightness of the sun during the day. From day one, he struck up an incredible friendship with Pagan, the handsome 17.1hh, Anglo-Dutch Warmblood gelding who was already in my life. Pagan, a very deep and wise old chap, knew Rocky had some limitations with his sight and kept him out of trouble. In fact he kept him so well out of trouble that it was a while before I realised that Rocky was suffering with night blindness (about 15 years ago now). I was quite shocked when I discovered this and learnt, then, that he would probably one day go blind altogether.
By that time I had developed a fabulous relationship with Rocky, working at liberty on the ground where he would read and respond to my body language and positioning, and riding bridle-less - his trust in me was amazing and I trusted him implicitly, even when riding him at a flat out gallop with nothing at all on his head. We had a lot of fun together - he was an absolute ‘rock’ and helped me regain my confidence when I lost it following a riding accident with Pagan. He and Pagan have both taught me so much on my horsemanship journey and were instrumental in inspiring me to continue to learn as much as I could about equine behaviour and how I could become a better human for the horses in my life.
When I realised Rocky’s vision was beginning to fail, I changed my communication with him a little and started to add sounds and touches into our discussions, knowing that I wouldn’t always be able to rely on him being able to visually read my body language. Every sound had a clear intention and every touch meant something, although I knew at this stage that he was still very much responding to my body language rather than the sounds and touches alone, but I kept it up knowing that I would be likely to need it one day.
A few years later, as I was becoming concerned by the number of ERU flare-ups Rocky had started to have, I turned to homeopathic treatment in the hope that things would stabilise somewhat. It did so and for about 2 years during which time Rocky hardly had any trouble at all, and if he did flare-up it was knocked on the head within a couple of days.
In November 2010, tragedy struck and we lost Pagan to Cushings Disease (how many times do I wish I knew then what I know now!?! I’ve successfully treated many horses with this disease since learning CST). Rocky was initially very upset by the loss of his friend but survival instincts kicked in and he fended very well for himself. By this time I had a well established herd of 4. Pagan, Rocky, B (a cheeky Highland mare who was second in command), and Remi (a young, vibrant AQH mare). B stepped up to the role of herd leader and Remi took over from Pagan, to a degree, where Rocky was concerned. They became very good friends although Remi was quite careful to ensure Rocky learned to stand firmly on his own 4 feet and ‘look out’ for himself.
Unfortunately, about a month after we lost Pagan, it became apparent that the last of the sight Rocky did have had disappeared altogether and he was totally blind. Nothing really changed at all for him though as I had already altered the communication I had with him, its just that he really didn’t have any idea about what was under his feet so I had to be sure to tell him when the ground changed or if there was a step up or something to step over when we were out hacking.
A year later Rocky had to have his right eye removed as we had been unable to control a particularly severe flare up made worse by chronic secondary complications, and the eye had become incredibly painful for him (in many cases of ERU this is often the end result of the disease). I was blessed to have the help and support of a brilliant eye specialist (Rob Lowe from Optivet in the UK) who undertook the procedure and did a really neat job. Although this caused a couple of days of confusion for Rocky due to the change in routine and sensation of it all, since he was already coping with being blind he quickly returned to normal once his regular routine resumed, and I started riding him again.
All was going great until the health of the left eye deteriorated a few years later, to a point where we could not get the pain under control and, once again, we had to make a decision surrounding removal. So in June 2016 Rocky had his left eye removed leaving him with no eyes at all. Since he had been blind for so long by this point, in reality for him it was about taking away the pain rather than his vision, as that was already gone. Once again our awesome eye specialist stepped in and agreed to operate. I did wrestle with what the right decision was for a while but in the end I could see no reason at all to put a healthy, happy horse to sleep when all he needed was to get rid of the eye pain… after all he was already living happily and successfully without vision.
When the day came, just as before, he loaded without incident - lifting his feet up high upon hearing the word I use for him to do so, until he felt the angle of the ramp and then stomped on up and in. At the other end he unloaded calmly and into the stable where he took in the sounds and smells of the new environment. When the time came, he walked straight into the stocks and didn't flinch when sedation was given. Nerve blocks in, eye removed and one big wee later we were backing him out of the stocks and back to the stable for recovery. Just 45 minutes later, once Rocky was fully recovered from the sedation, I loaded him back into the box and we drove home. He was very happy to be home and everyone greeted him with lots of whinnying.
Only a few days later I started to notice a massively positive change in Rocky. He was great before but since the second eye removal I can only describe him as phenomenal. Evidently the eye was causing him more discomfort than he let on and, since the pain was no longer there, he exuded more confidence and character than ever.
Occasionally he will have a little worry if he's not sure where the rest of the herd have got to or if someone is missing from the herd. He's a horse who, if he's going to get worried, worries about others more than himself - he's always been that way. If I move fence lines or change where the water is in the pasture then I just show him what’s new. Its obvious that he maps his environment because within 24 hours he can walk pretty well straight to the water. If its not quite where he thought it was then he knows to turn left or right to find it. He is just incredible.
Throughout all this, Rocky was always the horse who we chose to es**rt the babies out for their first few hacks when they were staying to be backed. Even without any eyes!!! For the first couple of rides the human owned by the youngster would ride Rocky and I would ride the youngster. Then, when I was happy with how things were going, we would swap and I would ride Rocky as the es**rt. In addition, Rocky and I still went out and did demonstrations of the ridden communication and bridle-less riding techniques. Remi would come along for support and do a little demo of her own too.
In the summer of 2017, Rocky, Remi & B all moved with us to France from the UK. Due to Rocky’s condition, I arranged for the horses to be transported together as a private load so they would travel direct to the destination instead of making many stops along the way. Rocky was the first one up the ramp of the big transporter! They were unloaded in Kent for the night before reloading early the next morning for their journey to France. The transport company reported to me that Rocky was a superstar to load the next day and was travelling well. My husband and I hightailed it to France to get there ahead of the lorry and ensure the pasture was ready for their arrival. On arrival, Rocky unloaded as fresh as a daisy, unfazed by the whole thing, although obviously pleased to hear my voice. I showed him around and made sure he knew where the water was… with that done, the head went down and he had his first taste of France!!! This horse never ceases to amaze me.
Sadly I had to stop riding him 2 years ago due to arthritis in his stifles. Until then I kept him going with gentle hacks. The thing with Rocky is that he has a very high pain threshold and so its not always obvious when things aren’t right. I know him so well by now though that I pick up on the little things. If he’s obviously lame or not moving right then I know there’s a big problem. Learning the bodywork has been hugely helpful - I can help him stay as happy and healthy as possible. I’m just sad I didn’t know 15 years ago what I know now as I have successfully treated two horses suffering from ERU. Maybe Rocky would still have his eyes! But I cannot dwell on this… it is what it is and I am blessed to be owned by such a wonderful horse. He is truly an amazing friend and teacher.
Horses are survivors and adapt as necessary to whatever the situation, however, I am convinced that the communication I have with him is what has enabled him to adapt so well and is the sole reason I was able to continue riding and working with him for so long, despite the blindness. He is truly an amazing friend and teacher, and I love him dearly.
🌟 It's Rocky’s 30th birthday today… Happy Birthday Rocky! 🌟
With love
Viki x (Tom-ah-toe) 🍅
