Shiloh: A special horse with Moonblindness
Janet Roper, an Animal Communicator with whom I became acquainted through the Internet, is a passionate animal lover and is also a dedicated musician. In addition to sharing her life with several furry beings, she has a lovely 16 year old horse named Shiloh, with whom she has shared her heart for 11 years. Shiloh is blind in his left eye due to Moonblindness, a condition that can be caused by parasites, bacterial infection, virus or trauma.
Janet describes her relationship with Shiloh as the "love of my life!". She wrote that Shiloh said, "he wanted a blanket with yellow stars on it- You probably can't see the the stars, but they're there."
I have no question that Janet considers Shiloh to be both a pet and part of her family.
Shiloh often is a guest blogger on Janet's site! Please take the opportunity to visit her blog and see what he may have to say.
There is something very special in the relationship that we build with a "special needs" animal. In regard to horses, from my own experience sharing my life with two of them who had medical conditions resulting in lameness which could be controlled by special shoeing and prudent medication, I shorly came to realize that the bond between us deepened as I provided the day to day care that they needed. Both of these horses may have ended up "down the road" had I not taken the chance to give them a second chance at a more tranquil and less demanding life. Both of these horses enriched my life deeply, as I feel that Shiloh is enriching Janet's.
Have you ever shared your heart with a special needs pet? If so, how has it enriched your life? Please leave a comment and tell us about it.
9 comments:
Wonderful story!!!
Jo
What a wonderful person Janet must be. I have such admiration for any animal lover, let alone one who takes the time, and gives the love to a special animal in need of someone to love and care for them. I don't know you Janet, but I love you.
We have two special needs cats, Magnus and Emma. Previously "dog people" these two and their wonderful people oriented personalities were such a great introduction to the feline world. I don't know if "normal" cats are like these two but they are so loving and always around. They are interested in everything and their handicaps don't affect them in the least. Every day is a great day to them. What a unique and special pair.
It is always nice to see a person caring for a 'friend' that needs the help. My first horse lived to be 31 and the time came when she needed tlc. People would ask why don't you put her down? I was blessed with riding Smoky (Holy Smokes) for 28 years! So she needed retirement in an area where horses can't really graze for nutrition. I loved being able to care for Smoky the way she did me all of those years! And if I paid for a non working horse it was worth all of the money I had. Smoky always worked though! If not under saddle through our hearts!
Bam fractured her leg while riding the mountains. I had a vet tell me at Christmas that she would never be sound again and I should put her down. With that he added 'oh, that just hurt didn't it?' 4 years later we still have our Bammer! We don't ride like we used to but when we are blessed with a ride it is always a special one. As long as we can keep them comfforable and also know when it is time to say 'good-bye'.
This horse has an awesome home and I love how his owner knows he likes stars on his blanket! We know these things!..:-)
Thanks for featuring the lad in your special needs story. There will be no living with him now that he's a star!
I think the special needs animals have a gift - or maybe it's a mission? - to show us how much we are capable of opening our hearts and allowing them in. I sometimes wonder if the lesson involved is for us, not for them.
A toast for all those wonderful animals: hip-hip hurrah!
Harmony,
Janet Roper & Shiloh
Oh, that was a wonderful story!! I wasn't aware of moon blindness - Thank You for educating me on that!! Shiloh is a very beautiful boy and I bet he has a huge thankful heart for all Janet has done for him!!
I do actually have a cat who has been blind in one eye since he was three. I was just devested, he is my favorite cat of the two (Shhh, don't tell Koko), Persian cat's that I own. They have very flat faces & he ran into something very sharp. He is now 13 and still gets around well with a little extra help from myself & his brother Koko. :>)
What a handsome boy Shiloh is! I have never cared for a special needs pet but the bond between me and my dog, Maverick, was made much stronger after he recently injured his foot and I cared for him every day. Prior to the injury, he wasn't crazy about me touching his paws, but now his trust has increased and I can hold his paw any time. Caring for an animal definitely deepens that bond! Thanks for the wonderful story!
Caroline
Oh so wonderful! I have two special needs animals. Great
Harvest. He is 28 years old.
He is a special need horse becuase is just got old. He failed this winter and had looked bad.
But, we have him on a special new diet. High fat feed, weight builder
supplement, dried ears of corn,
one half can of beer and 1 egg a day mixed with his feed. He is
improving! Thanks to Jesus!
I am so glad that Great Harvest is improving so nicely! It is fantastic to have a horse at that age. We had a horse at the barn where I was boarding mine who was 27. He was incredibly feisty and just loved to go out for a trail ride. His owner was able to handle him and do a fairly gentle ride around the lake, but this horse had no idea he was 27 at all. If I recall correctly, he lived until he was 30, and died peacefully.
Good luck with Great Harvest. Would love to see a photo of him.
Jo
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