Bonnie and Clyde came to Dunrovin via a telephone call. A woman in the Bitterroot Valley who tries to help horses in need called SuzAnne to see if she knew of anyone who could take in two sweet ponies that belonged to a kind, but very poor family lacking the resources to care for them. They wanted the ponies to stay together, as the older female was going blind and she was completely dependent on her younger son for guidance. Dunrovin had just started its children’s program and was very open to the possibility of having two Shetland ponies that were friendly with children.
So off SuzAnne went to investigate and see is she could be of help to the ponies and their owners. The situation was exactly as it had been described. The ponies were in a very small yard full of junk and other animals, such as pigs and goats. They were incredibly calm, good natured, and very easy to handle. The owners were, indeed, very kind, loving people who were simply down on their luck. The many children and animals that had the run of the place were clearly loved – but it was also clear the resources were very thin. SuzAnne bought them, their harnesses, and their beautiful little wagon on the spot and loaded them up in her trailer to take them back to Dunrovin.
It was a GREAT decision. The children hanging around Dunrovin at the time all suggested various names for the two very charming additions to the barn yard and everyone settled on Bonnie and Clyde. Both were very underweight and put on a diet to increase their condition. They were also taken to the vet right away. Clyde was given a clean bill of heath in spite of this lack of weight; and Bonnie was diagnosed with a severe case of moon blindness that would only progress.
At first, Bonnie could see somewhat out of one eye; but she soon went totally blind. Her left eye gave her such pain that we chose to have it removed in early 2015. We think she is just as beautiful as ever.
When we brought Bonnie back from the vet hospital after having her eye removed, Bonnie and Clyde erupted in joyful whining which was captured by the microphone that sit above our ospreys’ nest web camera. Play the video below if you want to hear what pure equine joy sounds like.
