Corneal graft - experiences?

N

Nakipa

Well-Known Member
Joined
13 November 2008
Messages
101
Visit site
I am looking to buy a new horse for some low level eventing and also doing some Prelim and Novice dressage.

The yard I am attached to who know me well have a horse on livery there that has come up for sale who they think would be perfect for me. He is jumping and doing really well out competing up to 1.20 which is way more than I want to do. He had an eye injury in the summer and has had to have a corneal graft and the vets say he can see out of the eye but it does look odd being all white and it weeps quite a lot. When he is ridden in bright sunlight he has to wear a mask. I have watched him out competing this weekend and he did a beautiful job in two classes, a 1.05 speed round and a 1.15 speed class.

He is 13 and very sweet.

The owners are more than happy for me to talk to their vet about the op. He is obviously a great price because of his eye and he is the quality of horse I could only aspire to owning because without the eye problem I could never dream of affording him. The owners are not short of money but they want to find the right home for their boy so he will be cared for and competed at a lower level and have an easier life than he has with them and their very competitive family. He is mainly ridden by their teenage son who wants to move up the levels and so he has outgrown this horse.

Does anyone have any experience or knowledge about corneal grafts and how they might progress and do they deteriorate with time?
Thanks x
 
I have no experience on the corneal graft but it would concern me that he requires a mask to be ridden in bright sunlight if I wanted to event, you may find that the mask is not allowed in competitions, I am not sure on the rules but worth looking into, also has he actually done dressage or eventing, he may be a great SJ horse but at 13 with potentially restricted vision he may not take to xc when going into and out of bright light, he may be best suited to a SJ home where he can be jumping in more suitable conditions.

It can be the easy option to buy a known horse but make sure you are doing it for yourself not because you want to help the horse, its owners or that it is just the easy route which saves you going out to find the right horse by yourself.
 
That is a very valid point Be Positive I had not even thought about being allowed to use the mask in competitions although he was jumping in a big affiliated show yesterday. I will have to find out. He has done dressage before the accident but I am not sure about XC. I am planning on asking the yard to take him out on their XC course for a play to see what he thinks of solid and natural fences.

The yard are helping me to find a horse as I have some rather specific requirements and to be honest I am not knowledgeable enough to find a horse without a lot of help, advice and support.

I do have a good budget and this horse is way below it so it's not as though I am buying him because he is cheap, it is more because I trust the yard owner who has a fantastic reputation and he thinks the horse would be perfect. To be honest I am not in any hurry to buy and they are not in a hurry to sell so I can see how it goes.

If anyone has any experiences or knowledge about the op though I would be grateful to hear them.
 
It is quite a short time since the operation so maybe if you get on with the people who own the horse they would let you loan him for a short spell to see if the eye improves more.
 
A horse on our yard has recently had a corneal graft and recovered really well. It isn't a reason not to buy the horse - but you do need to be aware of the potential issues. The eye is always going to be vulnerable and it is likely that the eye only has partial sight - mostly they cannot see through the graft area as it is thickened. If this is to be a horse for life then you need to just be aware that he might loose the eye eventually, simply because it is going to be more vulnerable. If this is just a horse for a time then you need to consider that he will be harder to sell on both because of the eye and because of increasing age. Any insurance you take out is likely to exclude the eye so you might need to budget extra for vet care.

As Be Positive says - check the rules of the discipline you want to compete in. A mask might not be an option in all cases - Rule 102(6) for BS for example states that no attachment to the bridle may be worn which limits the horse's field of vision.
 
Shay does the horse on your yard have to wear a mask at all?

I have just checked and you are right that the horse cannot have any kind of bonnet that covers the eyes. I will need to speak to the vet about this and ask about just taking it off for the duration of his test. If he can't tolerate it then it would be a no go.

Thanks for you input it is very valuable.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top