horse lost its sight?

R

ruthb

Active Member
Joined
19 November 2008
Messages
42
Visit site
Has anybody had experience of a horse which has lost its eyesight? I'm a journalist writing for Horse magazine and am looking for case studies of horses which have lost the sight in one or both eyes (during the time that you have owned it) and which have either managed to adapt really well or have benefitted from cataract surgery?

Would love to hear your experiences, either on the board or by PM.

xxx
 
Hi ruthb. Yes, my horse Sunny had to have one eye removed after a 6 month battle to save it. I've got tons of case history as I have owned him right through this and successfully out the other side. I use this Forum to spread the word about the terrible damage that unskilled people putting ointments etc in a horse's eye can do to the eye. I've been desperately hoping to catch the attention of the major drug companies so that they could come up with a "safe" applicator for horse's eyes. I'd love to tell you anything at all - Sunny has adapted amazingly well and is the safest hack on my yard and still wins me ribbons in local dressage competitions! He is so safe and laid back that he has special privileges on the yard and is often a "free range" horse, doing a wonderful job keeping the verges down! Mind you he also blocks the drive and ignores people trying to get UP it to the yard - they try everything to get him out of the way and in the end risk a tiny toot. He also ignores those! Often the only way is to get out and lean on his backside to get him to reluctantly shift! And tonight I had to yell at him because - yet again - when coming in from the field he stops at every flippin' feed bowl on the way to his stable. Now he KNOWS where his stable is in the barn and he KNOWS there is a feed waiting for him but every night he still tries it on. Tonight I wasn't quick enough to shoo him on to his own stable and he knocked another horse's feed bowl to the floor and had the plastic lid off in a split second. When I came up behind him calling him every name under the sun, he calmly trotted off to his OWN door, with the flipping feed bowl lid still gripped firmly in his teeth!!!!!

Please PM me hun - the loss of Sunny's eye was very sad and probably unnnecessary but his battle and the lessons we have learned have hopefully helped other horse owners on this Forum, not least to be able to see how a horse can recover and manage beautifully xxx
 
I had an old blind in one eye polo pony on loan, she could do anything a fully sighted horse could do, you just had to be careful when you went to her on her blind side or she would get startled and jump lol.She had played polo with only one eye up to county level
 
Mine lost his sight at four years old but I had him put down because he was terribly frightened by life. It was degeneration of the retina, very very rare and incurable.

There is an affiliated eventer in the Northwest with only one eye - it's a thing to marvel at when she's in the warmup on it and jumping at an angle from his blind side! Sorry, I don't know her name, maybe someone else will? Perhaps post in Competition Riders and ask??
 
One of the riding school ponies at the college i went to only had one eye. She was a stunner otherwise and in no way spooky in the stable or when ridden. Lovely jumper too, you had to let her turn her head a little on the approach to get a good look but she jumped straight and well. She was difficult to persuade to bend when her good eye was to the inside of the school and tended to overbend inwards when it was to the wall but only in her neck, she was surprisingly good through the corners in her back if you used your legs well.
 
This is Nick, he lost his eye in '08 after getting what is believed to be a blackthorn splinter in it whilst out at grass for the summer.
He returned to pointing in 09, then we started teamchasing him last Autumn. He's the most natural jumper i've sat on for years, has absolutely no issues and oozes confidence at all times. The only time you are aware of his lack of vision is when people quietly come to his blind side, he'll jump and spook then. He's been placed at dressage, is running inters tc'ing at the moment and we hope to move him up to opens this year. You adapt your style of working with him a little, and accept that when riding and leading him you'll have a few raps on the knee when he bumps you. And he prefers to have you on his blind side strangely enough, he kind of leans into you when being led off the floor. Security I guess.
I have to admit I wasn't impressed when he was offered to me...... but having met,handled and ridden the lad I wouldn't have such thoughts again. It all depends on the horses' attitude, I have another that i'm convinced wouldn't be able to cope if the same happened to him. Of course, being a mentally immature thoroughbred he's also known as Nick the Pr.... well, use your imagination! But that has nothing at all to do with his missing eye
cool.gif

img014-1.jpg
 
There was a point-to-pointer in the Clifton country that only had one eye called Nelson. It appeared in the members' race for years.
This was a long time ago!

I also know a pony that ran into a hedge when frightened by a hot air ballon and so damaged his eye it had to be removed. He is OK and is a child's pony, but he has to be approached from his good side and sometimes goes round in circles to see what is happening!
 
I have experience of two ponies with loss of sight in one eye.

My current driving pony has a v large congenital cataract in her right eye. The only impact it’s had is that she has a tendency to move slightly crookedly & has to have regular physio to keep her comfortable. She competes regularly in a wide variety of driving competitions. She’s not at all spooky and never shys. The only concession we make is that we’re very careful whom she gets turned out with as she’s very much the bottom of the pecking order out in the field, but don’t know whether that’s just her personality rather than lack of sight.

My old pony was a serious head shaker. He banged his head during one head shaking episode and damaged his eye. It was treated aggressively at Newmarket, but unbeknown to everybody he had an allergic reaction to the preservatives used in several eye ointments. Once the allergy was discovered he was treated with just distilled water. Although his eye settled down he sadly lost the sight in it. He received treatment for his head shaking at Liverpool University, then went onto to be placed several times at RC eventing championships, and competed 4 times in RC quadrille at Olympia (& won) The loss of his sight didn’t impact him in anyway.

I’m now very nervous of any injury or inflammation in eyes and very very wary of any medications that are used.
 
This is Zoom my ex-polo pony. She was kicked in the face and lost an eye 6 years ago. She was unable to play high-goal anymore but had a successful 4 years doing horseball and has sinced started jumping with me.

If you would like any more info on her, please PM me.

scan0006.jpg
 
Hi,
My mate keeps her apoloosa gelding with my mare. He is totally blind and has been for about 7 years. He blinded one eye on a corn stalk and has a tumour in the other. He is still ridden regularly and lives out in the summer. He does everything except jumping, still gallops on the beach and loves life. He does tend to bump into things quite often but knows his way around his field/stable. Last summer when we moved our horses to a new summer paddock my mare led him around the perimeter initally then left him to it, making me think she knows he needs extra help. He used to be partnered with a veteran mare who lived with him for years before he went blind, she was great and used to reply to him when he called out asking where she was, tho my mare doesn't really bother answering! He is a fab ride, so responsive and sensitive but not spooky and has made me realise horses should not be written off too easily so long as they are not in pain. PM me if you would like any details.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top