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Roy was not always sight-impaired. He started out his life as
a carefully bred Quarter Horse and because of his much sought
after color - palomino with white face and legs - as soon as he
was old enough he was thrust into training to prepare him for
a show career.
That career came to an abrupt end when the person training him
became angry and hit Roy on the head with a metal bar. The blow
was given with such force that  Roy's
optic nerves were permanently injured rendering him blind. Roy
was a mere four years old when life as he knew it came to a screeching
halt. No longer able to give his guardians the trophies and ribbons
they craved, the next stop for Roy was the feedlot to await his
fate along with many other used-up, cast-off and unwanted horses.
But Roy was one of the Lucky ones. Instead of a trip to the slaughter
house, he ended up at Equus. Today Roy lives in a large paddock
at the Sanctuary with his friends. Roy is young, happy, healthy
and absolutely beautiful. He has adjusted to his blindness well
and most visitors are not even aware of his disability.
We have many blind horses like Roy at Equus, all of them cast-off
by their guardians because they lost their sight. But perhaps
it was the guardians who lost their ability to see. For blindness
should not be a death sentence for any creature, two or four-legged.
Blindness is just an imperfection, a new challenge to be faced
in life.
At Equus we always make room for imperfections. In fact that
is what a sanctuary is all about. Sanctuaries are places where
people can see and learn that life is intrinsically and perpetually
valuable and no creature is disposable. To us, the word kindness
is always more important than competence. Roy does not have to
be powerful, beautiful or competent to deserve our kindness and
love. He deserves it just because he is Roy.
Your generosity ensures animals like Roy have a place to live
out their lives in peace, safety and happiness. Without your help
we could not give Roy all the things he needs each day to stay
whole and healthy. Each month a horse like Roy requires 4 to 5
bales of hay, 140 lbs of special feed for lunch, a mineral block,
farrier care to keep his hooves in good condition, dental care
to ensure he can chew well, vaccinations, plenty of fresh clean
water, and of course a place to live. All this comes out to approximately
$125 per horse per month. At Equus we have 275 horses who depend
upon our life-long commitment and your generosity to keep Equus
secure; a huge but joyful endeavor. For Roy and all is friends
this endeavor is a matter of life and death. Without a place like
Equus, Roy would have nowhere to go.
To meet more of our Residents, click on the icons below.
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