Eye loss and riding, handling again

So sorry HL that you have had such a terrible accident. Great though that you are being really positive.

I have a friend that a very similar thing hapoensed to she went to get her horse in and was found unconcious having been kicked in the face. Her eye socket had to be reconstructed and she lost the vision in the eye.

She’s done marvellously and drives. She does unaffiliated dressage on her horse. She cannot see the dressage markers properly due to the loss of vision so that made it difficult at first. At first I think the loss of vision caused issues with distance and balance but she’s adjusted since.

She hacks and did the Great Windsor sponsored ride. She even does some jumping. She’s done marvellously and has always been a positive person so I think that really helped with her recovery.
 
Hope all goes well with the horses moving. My dream would be to have an eventer with a professional, so if you continue to post I’ll look forward to following your/their progress.
Maybe sometime in the future you’ll be back eventing. I’ve never been brave or talented enough to do this but love watching/being groom for the day!
 
Hi Sussexbythesea

Thank you so much for sharing the experience of your friend. I’m so sorry about her accident and can obviously empathise massively.

I am so glad for her that she’s been able to progress and do so many things riding again - fabulous determination and bravery. It is so inspiring to hear of other riders in a similar situation to me who have been able to successfully ride and handle their horses.

I’ve gone from being absolutely convinced in the days and initial weeks after the accident that I would never ride again and being wracked with worry about what to do with my 2 young horses; to being able to see a solution for them and to believing that I just might one day be able to ride my beautiful kind mare that I’ve had for 12 years and who has always looked after me.



Sussexbythesea said:
So sorry HL that you have had such a terrible accident. Great though that you are being really positive.

I have a friend that a very similar thing hapoensed to she went to get her horse in and was found unconcious having been kicked in the face. Her eye socket had to be reconstructed and she lost the vision in the eye.

She’s done marvellously and drives. She does unaffiliated dressage on her horse. She cannot see the dressage markers properly due to the loss of vision so that made it difficult at first. At first I think the loss of vision caused issues with distance and balance but she’s adjusted since.

She hacks and did the Great Windsor sponsored ride. She even does some jumping. She’s done marvellously and has always been a positive person so I think that really helped with her recovery.
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It certainly isn’t something I had ever considered, thought about or even knew much about before this accident but it is the best solution I can see for now to deal with the fact I can’t ride the young horses or currently handle them much. It will also be good for them and hopefully they will enjoy the work & routine.

I also am not nearly brave enough to event! All I wanted previously for the youngsters was to do dressage on them myself, let them do some jumping with a rider that enjoys jumping (which I don’t bar small jumps on a farm ride/cross country course) and most of all just for them to be happy and content. Life has now given me and them a different direction to go in, but hopefully one that they will enjoy and be fulfilled by.

Thank you very much for your good wishes, tomorrow is going to be a difficult day for me leaving my boys for the first time in their lives, but I know they’ll be extremely well looked after and I’m sure will enjoy being back in work and learning new things.



Evie91 said:
Hope all goes well with the horses moving. My dream would be to have an eventer with a professional, so if you continue to post I’ll look forward to following your/their progress.
Maybe sometime in the future you’ll be back eventing. I’ve never been brave or talented enough to do this but love watching/being groom for the day!
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Wow your attitude is absolutely phenomenal and inspiring *bows down*

I have v little advice to offer apart from give it time and you will adjust, your body and brain will form new Neuro pathways and ways of adapting to the situation. Don't push too hard and get yourself frustrated!

One suggestion would be a balaclava/ buff type face shield from winter wind and weather - plates under skin get v cold!!

I'm in yorks if I can be of any help :)
 
Hi TigerTail

That’s very kind of you to say. Honestly I’m just trying to get through each day one at a time and focus on whatever it is that I have to deal with that day, whether it’s horse things, medical things, admin/sick note things etc. I got the first of the false eyes that I will be having last week and I was very scared about the appointment beforehand, but luckily it went better than I was expecting.

Thank you for the balaclava suggestion, I’m already feeling the cold more so that’s a really good idea.

Thanks also for your offer of help, that’s really good of you :-)

TigerTail said:
Wow your attitude is absolutely phenomenal and inspiring *bows down*

I have v little advice to offer apart from give it time and you will adjust, your body and brain will form new Neuro pathways and ways of adapting to the situation. Don't push too hard and get yourself frustrated!

One suggestion would be a balaclava/ buff type face shield from winter wind and weather - plates under skin get v cold!!

I'm in yorks if I can be of any help :)
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Good luck today with the youngsters.
You are doing so well, it’s really early days.
Your positive attitude will help you tremendously.
Thinking of you with the big move.
 
Thanks so much for your good wishes. Both boys dropped off, they were very good and are settled and eating.

Huge day for us, sad but excited about the future at the same time..

Spottyappy said:
Good luck today with the youngsters.
You are doing so well, it’s really early days.
Your positive attitude will help you tremendously.
Thinking of you with the big move.
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That sounds like a terrifying ordeal but you’re doing so well in taking positive steps. You should be proud!

I have a practical recommendation of wearing a jockey skull type hat as they are deeper. (A quarter of my skull is metal plate and the area by my right temple is reconstructed. This was after surgery for a brain haemorrhage.) I like the maximum coverage. You may find that you need to add padding etc as I’ve found the rivets dig in a little/the plates area isn’t as smooth over my forehead.

I also don’t have any hearing ‘direction’ in my right ear and at first it made me feel vulnerable on the road but bodies and brains have amazing ways of adapting.

I took the view that riding is a huge part of my life, that life is for living and I was going to ride again but just be sensible (I don’t jump for example!)

I hope you find the right thing for you. Certainly sounds like you’re taking positive steps forward.

Take care x
 
Hi Crazylittlemaisey

Thank you very much for your good wishes, much appreciated. It was a really horrible accident but I am lucky in that I am making good progress and most of the time I am able to focus on doing that and not get too down about it.

I’ve got the Gatehouse HS1, and luckily it is still comfortable because all my injuries are on the right hand side of my face not under where the hat goes. I am lucky in that my hearing hasn’t been affected. I did have blood filling my right ear after the accident and the hospital treated it aggressively with antibiotics but it didn’t turn out to be serious damage so that was a relief.

You have obviously been through an extremely challenging experience but are doing so well to adapt and carry on being with your horse and riding. I am hoping so much I will be able to eventually ride, I am so lucky to have an absolutely wonderful nearly 18 year old mare who has taken such good care of me over many years and who is just a throughly nice kind horse.

I’d taken an absolute stuffed full car load of kit for the boys yesterday for them to go off to big school but most of it wasn’t needed as of course she had it all already. My husband indulged in quite some “I told you so’s” about that ;-)

Take care x

Crazylittlemaisey said:
That sounds like a terrifying ordeal but you’re doing so well in taking positive steps. You should be proud!

I have a practical recommendation of wearing a jockey skull type hat as they are deeper. (A quarter of my skull is metal plate and the area by my right temple is reconstructed. This was after surgery for a brain haemorrhage.) I like the maximum coverage. You may find that you need to add padding etc as I’ve found the rivets dig in a little/the plates area isn’t as smooth over my forehead.

I also don’t have any hearing ‘direction’ in my right ear and at first it made me feel vulnerable on the road but bodies and brains have amazing ways of adapting.

I took the view that riding is a huge part of my life, that life is for living and I was going to ride again but just be sensible (I don’t jump for example!)

I hope you find the right thing for you. Certainly sounds like you’re taking positive steps forward.

Take care x
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HurricaneLady it really does sound like you’re doing well and in time your ‘new normal’ will become obvious. It’s all so recent so don’t put pressure on yourself but let yourself get used to your changes sight, etc in the time you need.

Your mare sounds like a sweetheart and a good candidate to get you back on board as and when x
 
Thanks very much, you're totally right. She absolutely is, so beautiful and talented but very calm and trustworthy. She's sports horse bred through and through but has always been an absolutely lovely horse suitable for someone like me, who isn't a professional

I am very proud of her, here she is after taking the free jumping championship a few years ago at the TBF show x

https://www.facebook.com/mcmullentr...3102468864792/417458441762527/?type=3&theater

Crazylittlemaisey said:
HurricaneLady it really does sound like you’re doing well and in time your ‘new normal’ will become obvious. It’s all so recent so don’t put pressure on yourself but let yourself get used to your changes sight, etc in the time you need.

Your mare sounds like a sweetheart and a good candidate to get you back on board as and when x
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Hi everybody, I just wanted to provide an update as so many of you were kind enough to send me good wishes.

I'm back riding my lovely mare again, hacking out with my husband and his lovely old Irish Draught (although I am feeling confident enough to go on my own which I will start doing soon) and have just re-registered us both with BD, and entered our first competition later in April. I'm feeling so much better and nearly back to normal than I did in the long months of recovery after the accident.

She's very capable indeed of dressage but sometimes has her own strong opinions about it, so we shall see how we do but it'll just be great to be out having fun together again :-)

The youngster that was involved in the accident is doing really wonderfully with a professional eventer, coming second with a double clear in his first ever BE100 and making us very proud owners which is great.
 
Hurricane lady - what a dreadful accident but it sounds like you are doing well. I have a chronically lazy eye which sees very little but has always been like that. My depth of perception is not great and I can't see a stride or play snooker (I could never work out why for ages), and can't see 3D (I thought my friend was winding me up when he got 3D TV as it looked the same to me).
If you are driving I think you will find that you will gradually adapt as other than the sorts of activities which require accurate depth of perception you will be Ok - which is in line with previous comments).
As I have always been like it I don't remember 'adapting' but some things take a bit more 'learning' for me - like judging the bottom of the sea when diving (its bad form to touch the bottom!) - good luck
 
Nothing to add except to say you’ve done so well and been very courageous in pressing on and getting back to riding! Xx
 
Hi mandyroberts

Thanks very much for your good wishes! I've had an extra reversing camera fitted to my car which has helped, although my depth perception is getting better with time reversing is still the thing driving that I have to be most careful about. Trying to thread a needle now, even with my new reading glasses on is hilarious and frustrating in equal measure!

I've never been very good at seeing a stride either and although my mare loves jumping I'm under strict instructions that it's no longer allowed due to risk of falling off, so I'll have to just stick to all four horse feet mostly on the ground ;-)

Good luck :-)


mandyroberts said:
Hurricane lady - what a dreadful accident but it sounds like you are doing well. I have a chronically lazy eye which sees very little but has always been like that. My depth of perception is not great and I can't see a stride or play snooker (I could never work out why for ages), and can't see 3D (I thought my friend was winding me up when he got 3D TV as it looked the same to me).
If you are driving I think you will find that you will gradually adapt as other than the sorts of activities which require accurate depth of perception you will be Ok - which is in line with previous comments).
As I have always been like it I don't remember 'adapting' but some things take a bit more 'learning' for me - like judging the bottom of the sea when diving (its bad form to touch the bottom!) - good luck
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Abi90 Thanks so much, I'm so glad that the way I felt soon after the accident (that I could never ride again) has passed and my confidence has come back. I'm sure we won't be getting much further than Prelim or perhaps Novice but that's fine. I'm going to register her with the veteran horse society and try and qualify for that BD championship... xx

Abi90 said:
Nothing to add except to say you’ve done so well and been very courageous in pressing on and getting back to riding! Xx
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Lovely to read this update, and you’re sounding very positive.
Glad the youngster doing so well, and you’re able to have fun with your mare, even if leaving the ground is banned!
Hope the fun continues along with even more confidence and perception of things with the other eye and brain adapting more as you improve.
 
In my teens I had a Pony Club friend who had lost an eye when she was young. She managed very well and did all PC activities including eventing and you'd never have known she was missing an eye. The only thing I remember was she had a tendency to drive towards the middle of the road presumably because it was her right eye that was missing. It's great to hear you are adapting to things, good luck when you go back out to compete!
 
Hi Spottyappy

Thanks so much for your good wishes. Next goal to achieve is riding my beautiful 6 year old full Trakehner again. He's amazing but he is a giant 17.2 hh (and I'm a midget 5'2") and a sensitive pure warmblood so it might have to wait till he's a bit older (!) He's having the summer off and is currently in rehab after some issues, so there is plenty of time.

Spottyappy said:
Lovely to read this update, and you’re sounding very positive.
Glad the youngster doing so well, and you’re able to have fun with your mare, even if leaving the ground is banned!
Hope the fun continues along with even more confidence and perception of things with the other eye and brain adapting more as you improve.
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Hi EventingMum

Great to hear about your friend, sounds like she coped very well! Yes, my right eye too. I wish it had been the other one, as I'm right handed and with things like traffic passing on the right, but you get used to it.

I actually would love to do a bit of jumping, but have received strict instructions from my other half I'm not allowed (I understand the concern). Seeing my 5 year old competing BE has been wonderful, at least I can watch him even if I'm not allowed to do it myself (!)

Definitely looking forward to getting out BD, it will be so nice to be back out with my lovely veteran mare :-) Thanks so much for your good wishes.

EventingMum said:
In my teens I had a Pony Club friend who had lost an eye when she was young. She managed very well and did all PC activities including eventing and you'd never have known she was missing an eye. The only thing I remember was she had a tendency to drive towards the middle of the road presumably because it was her right eye that was missing. It's great to hear you are adapting to things, good luck when you go back out to compete!
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Hi Dave’s Mam

Thanks so much for your good wishes, much appreciated!

Although it was very difficult during some of the very dark days, the horses kept me going and finally I’m nearly feeling back to normal. And of course who could resist riding this beautiful girl

https://www.facebook.com/mcmullentr...41832.313102468864792/417458441762527/?type=3

;-)

Dave's Mam said:
What an update, and so glad to see you are back on board. You are proof that if you want it enough, you will do it. I tip my hat to you.
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Hurricanelady said:
Hi Dave’s Mam

Thanks so much for your good wishes, much appreciated!

Although it was very difficult during some of the very dark days, the horses kept me going and finally I’m nearly feeling back to normal. And of course who could resist riding this beautiful girl

https://www.facebook.com/mcmullentr...41832.313102468864792/417458441762527/?type=3

;-)
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Wow, she's a beauty. I wouldn't have been able to keep away either.
Good luck with your dressage journey. Do keep us updated!
 
Lovely to read your update on these latest pages. Nothing to add to the excellent advice already given - the balaclava for cold days, allowing time for the new to become the normal, and taking it day by day. Very best wishes to you and I look forward to following your progress with your lovely horses.
 
Hi Suechoccy

Thank you very much for your good wishes! Yes I wished I had a balaclava when I got out of the car at Lincolnshire horse trials a few weeks ago into -10 wind chill! Pretty painful as rapidly nearly froze all the metal in my face :-o

My surgeon is hoping to remove some of the metal in the next big operation he does. I’m not particularly looking forward to that and more scars but it has to be done and it’s towards the best end result. One result is likely to be weight loss from reduced eating because of stitches in the mouth - not the preferred way of losing some pounds but I suppose every cloud has (some sort of) a silver lining ;-)

Suechoccy said:
Lovely to read your update on these latest pages. Nothing to add to the excellent advice already given - the balaclava for cold days, allowing time for the new to become the normal, and taking it day by day. Very best wishes to you and I look forward to following your progress with your lovely horses.
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I haven't posted on here for years, but thought you might benefit from my experience. I was completely blind in my right eye (although not through injury) for a period of about two years. I work with a lot of naughty young (and old!) horses on the floor on a daily basis, and compete at open team chasing and hunt race. During the time I was blind I continued to team chase (including coming second at the national chamionships) and took part in many hunt races, including the Melton Hunt Ride. I pretty much lost my ability to see a stride as I had no depth perception, but to be honest at that speed you don't have much time for that anyway. My team mates knew not to come up on my right without shouting, and my horse has never been overly reliant on my direction anyway as I've always taught him to think for himself when jumping.
I think I was slightly more wary handling naughty young horses, but I certainly didn't stop, just became more aware and careful, especially as you mentioned, the blind eye is generally the one closest to the horse.

Probably the hardest horsey thing for me was riding on the road - I was physically turning my whole head every few second to check for trafiic coming from behind as the blind eye is the one on the side of the traffic.

My main issues were walking into door frames - I cannot tell you how many times I did this, and I never got better!, and pouring wine. It is very hard to line up the bottle and glass with no depth perception, and several times found myself pouring it straight onto the table. I also developed a very strong dislike of crowded places, particularly supermarkets, and just didn't feel confident in places with lots of people. Driving was fine for me.

Luckily I have had an operation and can pretty much see again now, but it was a tricky time in a lot of respects. The two things I really felt it didn't affect were riding and driving. Good luck with your recovery.
 
I missed this the first time round. I had a haemorrhage and went blind in my left eye. Some sight has come back but its patchy and some days are much worse than others. I don't ride, I drive and have been fine with that, although my steering isn't as good as it could be! Obstacles and cones are difficult, but getting better. I'm wary if I'm in the field and they are galloping about, but that's not something that happens often.

I don't like supermarkets etc. At first I found them so disorientating that it made me sick but it has improved. I still hate crowds of people and would never, ever walk through one now. I find I have to have text bigger than usual, but that could well be a change in my vision in the good eye. I need to wait for another month before I know more about that.

Driving the car is fine although depth perception is terrible and I sometimes find I reverse park but don't go far enough back. I'm learning new techniques for things like that though.

Like you, I feel like things are getting back to normal, or my new version of it. The thing that I've found most useful is to make myself do things. I started by painting the garden fences. It was incredibly hard at first and I was sick and dizzy but my eyes adjusted and it was fine. This weekend I've built a chicken coop and a giant run. Horribly difficult at first and I threw up in a flower pot on Saturday! But again, by Monday afternoon I'd forgotten about my eyes, although I did have to have someone check my battens were straight. What looks straight to me wasn't!

I think its just one of those things that needs time to get used to and to adjust. I want my life back so am pushing myself hard, but you could get the same results much slower and with less throwing up!

I hope things continue to improve for you. Sounds like you are on the right track now :D
 
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