LIVING

S C

d a w g th S li p

li h F

When Emilie Storch, PhD, was

r

h

Still, Flurry coped surprisingly wellll in how to navigate her turnout area without bumping into trees or fences, and she even became the dominant mare in a three-horse herd. She was also a trustworthy companion for Storch, who was able to ride her around the farm. Flurry showed Storch that “a disability is not an inability,” and that her life could still be full of love and enjoyment despite her disease.

“Flurry gave me hope that I could

FLURRY

have a second chance at life.” Storch said. “She had a disability and it didn’t stop her at all.” But just three months after her arrival, Flurry died. Storch was devastated. And she was further saddened when she learned how many other blind horses are sold for slaughter. “A blind horse had given me a reason to keep going,” Storch recalls. “I knew I had to do something.” So she did.

Storch founded a rescue she called Flurry’s Hope to take in unwanted blind horses who are otherwise healthy and rideable. In an effort to keep more of them in their original homes, she also educates owners of horses who are losing their sight to help them make the transition safely.