The Odd Couple

After little Brynn came to us as a blind 5-day old foal in the summer of 2006, we tried to buddy her up with blind Lena, our Queen Bee mare who raises the blind foals that arrive at the ranch each year.  Even though Lena would seek her out and stand next to her, trying to kindle a relationship, Brynn showed no interest.  Nor was she interested in our other blind youngsters, Nikki and Destiny.  She'd park herself in the corner of the corral by herself, or wander around aimlessly, never looking for company.  For a horse, that's odd behavior.

We weren't dealing with 'orphan foal syndrome' here, in which a foal is taken away from its mare very early and then bonds with its human caregivers, only to forget it's a horse.  Brynn's mom came with her and nursed her until Brynn was four months old.  Even so, Brynn and her mom weren't particularly close.  When it came time to wean Brynn, her mom never even looked back as we led her away.  Amazingly, Brynn never whinnied a "where are you?" call as her mom's hoofsteps retreated towards the waiting trailer.

But Brynn did bond with people and loved all the attention she got from the two-legged herd at the ranch.  She just didn't connect with other horses. 

When blind baby Cash arrived at four weeks of age this past winter, we thought he would be a perfect companion for Brynn.  Smaller and younger, maybe he would make her feel more comfortable.  No dice.  She fled from him. 

So we gave up trying to be the Match.com of the horse world, and resigned ourselves to having a blind foal who liked to be by herself.

Meanwhile, we had a big, brawny blind mare named Darby arrive.  She's the one whose painful glaucoma eyes we had to remove recently.  We had paired Darby up with another blind mare named Honey.  She's the one with some, um, personality issues who we just had spayed to help with an "attitude readjustment."  Darby came to love Honey and was obsessive about being near her, frequently hovering right next to her.  She would become almost uncontrollable if we separated them.

Honey, for her part, bonded with Darby, but she did not like being crowded.  And she had a bit of a mean streak, so she frequently would turn on Darby and let loose with her hooves.  This behavior got worse over the past few months, and Darby became increasingly neurotic.  She had this overwhelming, almost fatalistic, need to be as close as she possibly could to Honey, but she feared getting kicked at any moment.  Darby would edge ever closer to Honey, and then tremble and flinch at the blow she knew was eventually coming.  But separate her from Honey, and she would become agitated and start thrashing around, banging her head.  It had become a completely dysfunctional relationship.

We knew we had to do something. 

So the day I took Honey in to be spayed, Jeanne H. -- our part-time employee who helps us care for the horses -- had a flash of pure inspiration.  She put Darby in with Brynn and then watched what would happen.

It was, as they say, love at first sight.  (Not with two blind horses, but you get the idea.)  They sniffed each other, then quietly stood side by side.  No squealing or other "getting to know you" antics.  A few minutes later they put their heads down and began munching hay together in the feeder.  (Honey would never let Darby anywhere near food or she'd kick her, so we always had to tie up Honey at mealtime.)  Darby visibly relaxed, and by mid-day these two were actually taking hay out of each other's mouths.  Why, I don't know, but it's a sure sign of absolute bonding.  Darby is probably 20 years old, Brynn just over a year old, yet the age difference didn't matter at all.  Physically they couldn't be more different either, with Darby towering over Brynn.

It's been just a few weeks, and Darby is a new horse.  Although she's completely dependent on Brynn for companionship, she's no longer neurotic about it.  She doesn't have to worry about getting kicked.  She finally found the gentle soul she so desperately wanted in a friend, and someone who treats her with kindness and respect.  (Hey, isn't this what we all want?)  And Brynn finally found the buddy she needed but didn't, until now, know she needed.

So there they are, big Darby and little Brynn.  We call them the "odd couple," and for them, this relationship sure seems to work.

As for Honey, we'd like to take out a singles ad on an equine dating site that says, "Attractive foundation Quarter Horse mare, seeks friendship in strong male or female companion who won't take no for an answer.  Learning to share the good things in life.  Not perfect but becoming better.  Love to go for strolls in pasture together."

Comments

[Debbie Burke]

As I read this great story, I kept thinking of the old Dean Martin song, "Everybody Loves Somebody Sometime." For these two, "sometime is now."

[laura louzek]

how touching...so nice for them to bond...great job guys

[Mary Young]

What great story & a beautiful photo! There is somebody for everybody! They are both so beautiful!

[Shirley & James, Portland, OR]

Wonderful, wonderful!!!!

[Lisa]

Love it! Congrats to the new best buddies!

[ginger & Tobias (the greythound)]

That's a great story! Sounds like Jeanne has the skills of matching horses. I'm glad that Brynn now has what she didn't know she was missing. Maybe Honey will be a tad sweeter, now that she has been spayed. Love these great stories!
Hugs to all,
ginger, Tobias & Tlingit

[Mircat]

What a great story! Thank you for telling us about it. Looks like that mysterious chemistry thing that happens in the human world also happens in the horse world. Best wishes to the odd couple!

[Boundforglory]

I'm glad Brynn has found companionship in Darby; and visa versa. Sounds like Darby was in more need of the relationship than Brynn.
What a superb and kind friendship they'll have!

[danielle]

Brynn looks so small next to Darby! but she still looks so much bigger than when we first met her. Good luck with the matchmaking business... :-)

[Debbie]

What a flash of genius putting those two together...who would have ever imagined! Hooray! This just made my day. And don't worry, Honey will one day find the right "partner"!