Lissa Bachner the World’s Top Disabled Equestrian Rider it out with a new book, “Milo’s Eyes, How A Blind Equestrian and Her “Seeing Eye Horse Rescued Each Other and Accomplished the Impossible”.
Bachner joined Gayle Guyardo the host of the nationally syndicated health and lifestyle show Bloom with the heartwarming story.
On New year’s morning, 1999, a twenty- six -year-old Lissa met Milo for the first time.
The young equestrian, purchased the five-year-old horse, sight -unseen, from Germany and aspired to, one day, compete on him.
But, the scrawny, foul-smelling, bad-tempered gelding that arrived shortly after midnight, barely resembled a horse much less one that belonged in the show ring. It was hard to miss the signs of neglect and Lissa knew the horse had been mistreated. Had it not been for the fire burning in Milo’s dark, brown eyes, Lissa would have thought the spirit had been beaten out of him.
Determined to eradicate the demons of his past, Lissa spends hours each day grooming and caring for her new horse. As Milo grows stronger, so too does the unconditional love, unyielding trust and that magical bond between he and Lissa.
When, finally, Milo and Lissa are ready to make their debut in the show ring, Life makes it clear that it has other plans for the two of them.
Suddenly Lissa is battling to save her vision! As her eyesight diminishes, the young rider leans on her beloved Milo for strength and comfort.
After she loses the fight and is completely blind, Lissa turns her back on the life she once knew. Terrified and with each day that passes, sinking deeper and deeper into a depression, she refuses to leave the safety of her bed. But an afternoon spent with Milo, the only living creature she feels truly understands her, awakens the warrior inside her. More determined than ever, Lissa promises Milo she will find a way back to him.
Willing to do whatever it takes to ride again, Lissa asks the unthinkable of her mother, her friends and most of all, her beloved Milo. Together, Lissa and Milo will accomplish the impossible, becoming one of America’s most successful riding teams in the world of show jumping, winning 2 national rankings, 4 zone rankings and over 35 nationally ranked classes!
Milo’s Eyes is available on amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, Target.com, Walmart.com (Paperback, $16.95).
Bloom airs in 40 markets across the country, with a reach of approximately 36 million households, and in Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands and Madison, WI.
You can watch Bloom in the Tampa Bay Market weekdays at Noon on WTTA: Spectrum 1006; Frontier 514; DirecTV 38; Dish 38; Comcast 43, and look for Bloom early mornings on WFLA News Channel 8.