December has been exceedingly cold, caused by a polar vortex driving the jet stream south across America. And of course, winter nighttime conditions come earlier in the northlands, where darkness falls at 4:30 pm. Yet the horses grow thick coats and brave the cold through the day, returning to the barn at sunset for food and a peaceful sleep.
A few days ago, Connie came to the barn, fed the horses, and noticed that Jupiter’s eye was watery with pus. She put an ointment on his eye to fight the infection. Unfortunately, in the following days, he got worse with greater pus flowing from his eye, which now wouldn’t open. So, Connie called the vet, scheduled an appointment and waited for her to come to the barn. 
It wasn’t long before the vet arrived and gave Connie her diagnosis. Somehow, Jupiter had punctured his eye, and there was nothing to be done but to have it removed. How it happened is still unknown; perhaps he rubbed up against a branch in the pasture or some other sharp object. In any case, the vet scheduled surgery the next day in Troy, PA.
Connie borrowed her neighbor’s horse trailer and arranged with another neighbor to haul Jupiter to Troy. After loading him into the trailer, always an ordeal, the truck pulled away from the barn and began an hour road trip. But all the while, CJ was frantic, whining, and running pell-mell around the pasture, afraid at the loss of his buddy.
Upon arrival, Jupiter backed out of the trailer and walked into the vet’s surgery room.
The removal of his eye went smoothly, and after the operation, which lasted about an hour, he was ready to go home. When the trailer pulled into the loading area in front of the barn, CJ and Jupiter joined together in a duet of whines. Both horses were glad to be reunited, and Jupiter wasn’t bothered by his missing eye.
Connie settled back into her barn work of feeding and watering the horses. On closer inspection, she discovered that while CJ was in a frenzy running around the pasture; he picked up a load of burdock, which she brushed and pulled from his mane and tail. When she finished her chores, she shut off the barn light and went to her house.
It is not unusual for a horse to lose an eye, since they have large eyes on the side of their heads, vulnerable to injuries. The average lifespan of a horse is approximately 30 years, putting Jupiter in old age at 29. He has health issues, but for now, in Connie’s good care, he is doing well. In the days after the operation, Jupiter adjusted to his reduced vision without difficulty, and he and CJ are back to their daily routine.
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