christine48
Well-Known Member
Definately would have PTS
I don't know, if he was healthy in every other way and I had the time to work with him, I don't think I would put him to sleep. He wouldn't know any other way of living or the fact that others can see so he would find ways of getting around. It has been done before you just have to find other ways of communicating but if you work with him from the moment he was a foal, I think he could still live a happy life with hard work and dedication. He would naturally be much more wary than other horses and more prone to injury.
Although obviously he could never be properly ridden. Saying all of this I don't know what I would've done in that situation.
I too would PTS without question
but
Totally blind horses can be ridden and this one and others are winning at dressage (put blind dressage horse into google and there are videos etc)
http://www.valianttrust.org/quest.html
I don't know, if he was healthy in every other way and I had the time to work with him, I don't think I would put him to sleep. He wouldn't know any other way of living or the fact that others can see so he would find ways of getting around. It has been done before you just have to find other ways of communicating but if you work with him from the moment he was a foal, I think he could still live a happy life with hard work and dedication. He would naturally be much more wary than other horses and more prone to injury.
Although obviously he could never be properly ridden. Saying all of this I don't know what I would've done in that situation.
Having worked with a horse that was born with no eyes i would say no providing it was healthy and the mare accpeted it. The horse i worked with was inprinted and when weaned give a mini shetland which had poor back legs as a buddy and they now live together. He is also ridden and competed in dressage at a low level.
I think it's called "responsible breeding". Anyone embarking on breeding any animal should be aware of the possibilities and never hesitate to take the correct decision. Death is a natural part of life; hopefully we can make it a peaceful and swift one for the animals in our care, if that is the sensible choice.
PTS no question. Sad yes but no life for an animal, keeping alive would be nothing but selfish.
AdorableAlice and cptrays are you refering to my post as a sick joke???
I was mearly asking a question. I have known of horses that are totally blind and read of foals born blind that have been kept and grown up blind. I was mearly asking what others opinion was on it. I can assure you i do not joke about blindness having lost one of my own eyes in the past.
AdorableAlice and cptrays are you refering to my post as a sick joke???
I was mearly asking a question. I have known of horses that are totally blind and read of foals born blind that have been kept and grown up blind. I was mearly asking what others opinion was on it. I can assure you i do not joke about blindness having lost one of my own eyes in the past.
I'm sorry if my choice of words offended you and sympathise with your own loss of sight. I was so absolutely stunned that anyone would even ask the question that I thought you might actually have posted to see what kind of argument resulted. I did not and would not have described it as a "sick" joke. It's a pretty common thing for people on this forum to do and I apologise for not realising that you are not one of them.
I hope this postdoes not offend anyone or upset anyone. That is not my intention. And i am in NO WAY critisising what these owners have done in this situation. I read today about a foal who had been born with no eyes and was PTS. My question is if this had happened to you would you pts? I have no experience of breeding and im really not sure what i would do but if the foal is healthy in every other way is it cruel to keep it alive?
Yep, I'd do the same - for a horse, dog, cat or any animal really. What quality of life does a blind animal have? Especially a flight animal!
Whilst I can understand the gut reaction here I'd have to say that an animal born blind and brought up without being reliant on sight is far more likely to adapt and cope than an animal blinded in later life. It's ridiculous to suggest that it would be in a permanent state of panic ; when you think about it, horses don't die of panic when the sun sets, or walk into the walls of their unlit stable. They tend to be calmer on a dark night than a moonlit one; my worst fence breaker was always particularly active on a shiny night. I remember being told of carriage horses that a totally blind horse was safer than a horse with imperfect vision, as long as it trusted its driver. Again, carriage horses have blinkers specifically to restrict their vision and prevent panic. And has no-one heard of a horse being blindfolded to calm it?
So I think that Megstables deserves a little more respect for what is actually rather a courageous reply given the strength of feeling against allowing the foal to live. I don't think that keeping this foal amounts to cruelty, given a sufficiently dedicated owner.
Myself, I would put the foal down, but if I'm totally honest it wouldn't be out of mercy; it would be because it would use up my slender resources (time, money, space, stabling) for limited returns.
One thing that needs to be considered, though; this is a fault which is thought to have a genetic component. I wouldn't wish to breed again from either the sire or the dam.