Avid horse lover, Kris Klasen of Bemidji, MN was on vacation in Florida when she passed a riding stable with a sign posted, "horse for sale." Kris looked at Miss Goodwood Five for only 10 minutes and purchased her on the spot. When "Goldie" was shipped to Kris in Minnesota, it was then that she found out that the horse was blind in one eye; however, she had fallen in love with the Palomino mare.
During the first summer with Kris and her family, Goldie injured her other eye. Due to an infection, Goldie's eye had to be removed. Although now completely blind, Goldie continued to compete in horse shows. "We competed with her and trail rode. She was the most sure-footed of all our horses," says Kris. Goldie was also considered a wonderful broodmare, never injuring a foal and always having a level head.
Although Goldie was careful when she was in the pasture, it was when someone mounted her that she had the freedom to run. She knew that the person in the saddle would guide her and tell her which way to go.
As Goldie grew in age, Kris found that the weather in Minnesota was becoming too harsh for the Florida-raised mare, so Kris donated Goldie to Flurry's Hope that was founded by Emilie Storch of North Carolina. Flurry's Hope was developed to help educate the public about the usefulness of blind horses.
Goldie is now a therapy horse and is a great mount for trails and in pastures. She works with mentally and physically disabled children and adults and is described as one of the easiest horses to work with. "She has a beautiful heart and body and is so thankful to be able to still be a horse and run," says Emilie.