24 Jul Buckshot
All About Buckshot!
Buckshot is a beautiful blind buckskin Appaloosa in his mid-twenties. We know that for years, he was used as a show horse, a lesson horse and whatever he could do so that he could “earn” his keep. He was at different barns almost every year as someone would lease him for the show season and then return him back to his owner at the end of the season. He came to us in poor physical condition, his ribs were showing, his feet were terribly overgrown, you could see the neglect, and he had started to get cataracts. He was of no use to his owner anymore, because he couldn’t make her any money. When we took him in a couple years ago, he was worn down and had lost that horse spirit. Within the first few weeks of him being with us, he gained weight, and his spirit had returned. Buckshot, aka “Bucky” or” B.B.” is now completely blind. It is very common for the Appaloosa breed to develop Equine recurrent uveitis (ERU) or moon blindness. ERU is the leading cause of blindness in horses. It is an immune-mediated disease where the immune system attacks its own eye tissue. Even though Bucky is disabled, he does not miss a trick! Due to his debilitated eye sight his other senses are heightened. He can hear and smell food a mile away. He is very well adjusted and even has made two new friends, Prince and Cocoa who help him maneuver in his paddock.
