Lissa Bachner

Lissa Bachner grew up in Great Falls, Virginia. She was three years old when she first sat on a horse and by the time, she was five, she was competing in local horse shows.

Soon after her sixth birthday, Lissa was diagnosed with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis and a rare immune disorder that attacked her eyes called uveitis. Her left eye was the weaker of the two and when Lissa was thirteen, her retina detached leaving her permanently blind in that eye.

Doctors and surgeries became a way of life for Lissa but no matter what, as soon as her doctors gave her the "okay," she was back on a horse.

In 1996, Lissa graduated from Skidmore College with a BA in English. Two years later, while living in Maryland, Lissa's left eye developed complications and had to be enucleated.

While struggling to make decisions about her future and trying to get used to her prosthetic eye, Lissa purchased a misunderstood, yet talented horse from Germany. He arrived in Maryland, New Year's Day, 1999.

Lissa and her horse, Milo, quickly developed a powerful bond. Her love brought the champion out in Milo. When glaucoma began to strip Lissa of her remaining vision, that same love gave her the strength to keep fighting for her sight.

Lissa lives in Wellington, Florida, with her three dogs and her horse, Marvel.