Bri Kurtz and her horse “Bear” share a special bond of trust. She’s a first-time horse owner. He is blind.

 

Twenty-six-year-old Kurtz of Fairmont acquired Bear when she was only 19 years old. He was about the same age and had health issues.

 

“I wasn’t really particularly looking for a horse, but someone at work said she knew of someone trying to find a home for one that had come from a bad situation,” Kurtz said. “I went to see him. A lady had found him and another horse in a muddy paddock.”

 

Bear, who had equine recurrent uveitis – also known as moon blindness – also suffered from a metabolic condition which required a specialized diet. Yet, he was in better health than his horse companion.

 

Kurtz took a liking to him.

 

“They were selling him for next to nothing because of his issues,” she said. “I had always wanted a horse and I was able to keep him at that barn.”

 

So, she became a horse owner and a quick study, not only about equines, but also about Bear and his issues.

 

“Equine recurrent uveitis causes the eyeball itself to degenerate, develop ulcers and different things in the eye,” Kurtz said. “I tried to manage it for years, but got to the point that it was unmanageable and for his sake – because it was causing so much pain – his eyes had to be removed.”

 

Kurtz relocated Bear to Hinkle-Deegan Lake Stables in Bridgeport just a year after she acquired him. He completely lost his site in 2016. A couple years later, the first surgery took place and in January of this year, the second eye was removed. Both surgeries were performed in Pennsylvania.

 

With his sight gone, Bear required retraining.

 

“We had to teach him a few extra verbal commands, for situations like there was an obstacle in front of him,” Kurtz said.

 

But Bear is still very ridable.

 

“Normally, you can’t even tell he can’t see,” Kurtz said. “He’s done very well. Actually, I think it helped strengthen our bond. Now, he relies on me even more.”

 

Not only does Kurtz ride Bear, but others occasionally do too.

 

“He tends to drag his feet a little bit, but he knows if I put somebody on him, I trust them,” she said.

 

Kurtz is very committed to Bear and his care, including maintaining his special diet.

 

“Most horses can digest sugar and starch, but he cannot. Too much can cause muscle spasms,” she said. “He has to have a feed that is based on hay products like alfalfa, etc. and he also needs an increased amount of fats, like soy and rice oils.”

 

Bear’s stall at the stables indicates he is blind and alerts other horse owners and visitors not to startle him.

 

“People realize he might be special, but he can do anything a normal horse can do,” Kurtz said.

 

Bear has been receiving some special attention.

 

“He even got fan mail the other day, a card about what a good horse he is and that he’s been through so much,” Kurtz said. “We don’t look for attention, but it’s nice to see people taking an interest in a horse like Bear.”

 

His care is all quite costly and time consuming. But she couldn’t have chosen a better horse to be her very first.

 

“He is just one of a kind,” she said. “I guarantee I will never have another horse as amazing as he is. There is a 100 percent bond between the two of us. As far as a horse goes, he’s totally bomb proof. He’s so well broken, even without his eyes. He literally does anything I ask of him.”

 

Kurtz currently works at Texas Roadhouse, but plans on furthering her education.

 

“I’d like to someday work with the rehabilitation and retraining of abused horses,” she said.