His primary care veterinarian found the signature of anaplasmosis in his bloodwork — clusters of bacteria inside white blood cells — and started him on antibiotics and anti-inflammatory medication.

Renee O'Leary watched a young Amish man ride a 3-year-old Percheron cross around the grounds bareback, steering with nothing but a rope around the horse's neck.

He was the first horse she saw three years ago at the Great American Ranch and Trail Horse Sale at the Virginia Horse Center.

"I let the other bidders know that I was not going to lose," O'Leary said.

Smokey came home to her farm in Louisa, Virginia, and became her trusted trail horse.

He has one known quirk: He prefers to be ridden only by his 'Boss Mare'.

But in June, their partnership nearly ended.

A tick-borne infection called anaplasmosis set off a chain of complications that injured Smokey's kidneys, muscles, and he…