anyone any ideas - help for my one eyed yearling

Bosworth

Bosworth

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www.ballhillequestrian.co.uk
I have been given a gorgeous fantastically bred yearling colt. He is Burggraaf/Nashwan lines and is stunning although unhandled - I have had him 3 days and we are making huge progress, he will now follow me, feed from a bucket I am holding and take food from my hands. My problem is he only has one eye, which in itself isn't a problem and doesn't cause him any issues except as it is his left eye I am struggling to get a headcollar on him as I need to do it up on the left side and approach from that side. And he gets startled very easily if you do anything on the left side. I can work my way up there from the back to his neck but don't want to make him wary

I am trying to find a headcollar that either does up from the right - or one that has a head piece that does up on both sides. I am sure they used to be available. I don't think once he has got used to the headcollar on I will be able to revert to a normal one but if I can get one that does up on the right it will make the first lessons that much easier

Any ideas?
 
I have a leather headcollar that has a buckle both sides of head piece, it wasn't expensive, think it was a shires one..
Or be really UN-bhs and stand in front of him so he can see you
 
Will have a look for the shires one as standing in front of him at the moment is not an option - I have to start by scratching his bottom and slowly work up to his neck . Standing in front of him may be too 'in your face' as he finds that scarey.
 
What size head has he got? Mine is a full size one? There is one on Robinsons on page 2 of the headcollars but it is £50, mine was about £25 (is english lol) I got t from Zoars agriculture in Neath (they do do phone orders I think)
 
Try an old fashioned rope halter, you can put this on from either side.
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Remember it will help him if you talk or sing to him all the time whatever you are doing with him too, whether it is his bad side or not and to always work your way gently along so he feels you the whole time; that way it won't be a shock when you touch him anywhere. With time and patience it will become second nature to you but you must remember to warn anyone who is ever likely to handle him at any point.
Good on you for giving him a chance.
 
My Sunny has only 1 eye. He's 23 and had to have an eye removed 2 years ago so he'd had longer to get used to all the horsey stuff round his face. You do have to remember to keep touching him gently and talking to him when you are working on his blind side. I spoke to (Saint) Richard Maxwell as I was having problems lunging Sunny when his blind side was to me as he couldn't see my body language so - being the sweetie he is - he just used to turn in and rest his head on my shoulder. Max also has a one eyed horse so I bet would be happy to advise. He has his own forum. What he suggested for Sunny that I think would work for your ned is to teach a verbal cue to an action on his SEEING side so that he can link it when you do the same thing on his BLIND side. If you try that, I'd recommend NOT talking to him all the time when you want him to know you're there, but rest a hand on him and just make occasional small sounds at the right time. Keep the single words to what you want him to learn. So you would say "HEAD" over and over while you fit the headcollar on his seeing side and then repeat it when you move to his blind side. Eventually he will get it though it could take endless patience and understanding. When my veteran came home from horsepital after having his eye removed, and was allowed a run around in the outdoor school, he was so happy and pain free and full of life that he loose schooled himself over TWO jumps, BOTH ways! Your boy will be fine - you will learn little tricks like not putting his feed bowl too close to a wall. If he can't see anything, he will assume there is nothing there! Be careful travelling him too. Had to move my boy and he jerked away from his travelling companion and hit his eye socket badly on the metal of the trailer. A brilliant local saddler and harness maker (Helen Reader) has made me an eye socket protector - think top quality poll protector but made to fit onto a head collar and cover the entire eye area. If you look at Helen Reader's website, she has pics of Sunny wearing it. PM me if you need any tips or info but I'd defo contact Richard Maxwell for training advice. He has a soft spot for one eyed neds as he has one himself! Good luck and can we have some pics?
 
Being a bit thick here. But can you not turn a headcollar inside out and it will fasten on the right. The buckly might be harder to do up but it would be his good side and help initially until you get something that buckles on both sides.
 
Can't you just get one of those rope, slip on headcollars? That would be easier as can do from either side then.
 
He is a real sweetie - he has bee with us since Tuesday PM. I had to collect him in my trailer and he had never travelled before. Infact he has never left his herd of yearlings before. So its all new, We lifted his backside into the trailer and he travelled well. Got him home and just turned him into the small paddock which has two stables in it - along with my old horse. We couldn't touch him. Now we can stroke him - chatting away as we move. I can stroke both hinds and his offside fore. his is a bit more wary of the nearside as thats the missing eye. But he will follow me around, go into the stable and wait for me to put his feed bucket in, will calmly stand in and eat and let me stroke him. I can move around him with the wheelbarrow and touch his head on the offside. We are slowly getting there with the nearside but it will take time. I need to get him leading so I can move him around so ned to get a head collar on and off again. At the moment it's a bit tricky. We managed to get one on him to bring him home and he still has that on - but I want to start taking it off in the stable and getting him used to it.

Good info about Richard Maxwell. Everyone I have spoken to says it will make no difference to my chap as he was born like this and certainly when you see him you wouldn't know.

His breeding is phenomenal - Burggraaf, Ladylkiller, le mexico candy boy through the dam and Nashwan through the sire. He has fantastic paces and the most lovely attitude. He has never shown his hind legs to us although he has had the chance and just seems to want to please. I will put up pictures when I have some good ones
 
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