When Red and the rest of us came to this farm, we inherited a 34-year-old Appaloosa pony named Rocky, he was blind and had been living out in the pasture for 15 years. He had no real shelter and found the water he needed back in the marsh. Even though he could not see, he followed long-trodden paths to the good grass and the water. He took care of himself.

We loved Rocky, Maria and I took care of him for a couple of years. He was fading, and then was set upon by Simon, our sometimes belligerent male donkey who decided, as equine herds often do, that it isn’t safe to have an infirm animal in the herd, Simon attacked Rocky repeatedly. We separated them, but it was a temporary solution. Rocky faded under the stress, and our vet recommended a merciful euthanasia, she didn’t think Rocky could handle another winter.

This was the most painful moment for Maria and I in  a long time. She was especially attached to him. Red and Rocky took to one another right away, Red seems to win the acceptance of other animals, he knows how to conduct himself in a way that is not threatening. I was startled to see that Red was working as a seeing eye dog for Rocky, he would lead him to water and to the barn and paths. Rocky would come up behind him and smell where he was, then Red would move ahead a dozen yards or so.

In this way, Red guided Rocky around the pasture. it was a beautiful and powerful thing to see. When Rocky died, Red was content to manage the sheep. Yesterday Chloe arrived, another pony, and the two of them seem to have connected already. Whenever I looked up today, Chloe and Red were together, keeping an eye on things. Chloe does not need a seeing eye dog, but she perhaps does need a friend until the donkeys decide it is okay to hang out with her.

She picked a good one.