Horses with only one eye!

[ClaireM4]

Hi all
Does anybody own or has bought or knows anyone who has owned or bought a horse with one eye?
I am interested in a pony who sounds perfect but he lost an eye about 3 years ago to uveitis. I have spoken to my vet who says the risk of the other eye being affected gets lesser as time passes, but to be careful as the pony may struggle to cope with a change of environment and owner/rider.
Does anyone have any experience of this?
Thank you.

 

[DressageCob]

My horse lost his eye in October. He's 15.

He has gone back to doing everything he did before. He competes affiliated BD, jumps, hacks, lives out with his herd...everything you need a horse to do.

He didn't have uveitis. His was lost due to an auto immune over response to a corneal ulcer.

His remaining eye doesn't produce enough tears, so I'm very careful. He gets turned out in a fly mask at all times, and for riding he wears an Equivizor. They are approx £200 but well worth it for the peace of mind. The UV filter means they are good for horses with uveitis so maybe worth having a look at?

After this experience I would have no issue buying a one eyed horse in the future.

 

[MotherOfChickens]

one pony I knew was a great jumping pony, it was his right eye so he always hacked with a buddy on the roads but he was fab. I knew one horse who lost his as an adult (a tumour I think), he didn't jump afterwards and we were careful turning him/bringing him in an out of the barn on his blind side as he was a big horse. He went on to be successful in dressage and endurance post-op, he just didn't want to jump any more.

 

[Moscovite]

I rode a couple of one eyed horses whilst working in racing yards. I would certainly try a one eyed horse if it was sensibly priced. The ones I rode were absolutely fine. I might be slightly concerned about riding a horse which had lost its right eye on the road as they tend to be slightly unsure about things coming from behind them on there blind side in my experience.

 

[DressageCob]

I rode a couple of one eyed horses whilst working in racing yards. I would certainly try a one eyed horse if it was sensibly priced. The ones I rode were absolutely fine. I might be slightly concerned about riding a horse which had lost its right eye on the road as they tend to be slightly unsure about things coming from behind them on there blind side in my experience.

That's a good point. I'm lucky that my horse lost his left eye and not the right.

 

[Hollychops]

My old mare (now no longer alive) had her eye removed in Apr 16 due to recurring equine uveitis. It was the best thing it could have done for her. The vet had said it would probably affect her right eye as well over time and this happened early 2016.
Apart from me being more aware of where i was in relation to her blind side and her not knowing where i was, she adapted fine. We think she had very, very limited vision in this eye before it was removed so she had had time to become accustomed to vision loss on the left. She still did all the bits that she had done previously with no issues, i just gave her more opportunity to look at things and weigh up what was happening.

She became very clingy to her field companion, but i have no proof that that was as a result of losing the eye or just they way she had become over time.

She was still the same happy, loving mare and the same to ride pre and post op, so i was glad i had the eye removed, for her sake.

 

[ClaireM4]

Ah bless her ☺️
How soon after losing her eye did the uveitis affect her other eye?

 

[sport horse]

There are several horses competing at top international level show jumping with only one eye - they seem to cope fine not only with the actual jumping, but different venues, travelling etc etc.

 

[Goldenstar]

Would not touch a horse who lost an eye to uveitis with a barge pole .
Very sad for the horse but don’t go there .

 

[rabatsa]

I rode a mare that had lost her left eye before I knew her. The only thing that changed was letting her know where we were when handling her and mounting from the right side.

 

[Carrottom]

My friend had a one eyed pony on loan for her daughter but it never settled in with her, always seemed nervy so she returned it to the owners. She said it was like a different pony the moment she unloaded at their yard. We think her vision in the other eye may have been slightly impaired making new surroundings very difficult for her.

 

[Goldenstar]

The issue with this horse is not having one eye it’s the uveitis.
It’s a terrible thing to deal with and the thought of dealing with it in a one eyed horse is awful.

 

[Merrymoles]

There was a one-eyed pony in the village where I used to live years ago - he had lost it through an accident. He was passed around families in the village for various different riders, worked in the local riding school and generally seemed no different to any other pony.

He was a so-and-so to catch at time and even when people tried sneaking up on his blind side, he always knew!

 

[Orangehorse]

Yes there are several around that go on and do what they did before.

The uveitis thing is important, but as we know any horse can go down with anything at any time! Consult with the vet and if you can buy it cheaply and on the understanding that if it doesn't settle it can go back, it may be the right one for you and give you a few years of useful life. If you were thinking of selling on when outgrown, then no.

 

[ClaireM4]

The issue with this horse is not having one eye it’s the uveitis.
It’s a terrible thing to deal with and the thought of dealing with it in a one eyed horse is awful.

 

[ClaireM4]

Yes I agree it is the uveitis which was worrying me! After speaking to the vet who did the operat to remove the eye and my own vet apparently the longer the pony goes with light the other eye being affected the less likely it is to Ben affected and after 4/5 years you’re back to normal risk as you would be with any horse.

 

[Leo Walker]

I get a form of uvetis. It is horrendously painful and does cause damage to your sight over time. Having had it once it doesnt take much to trigger it again. On that basis I wouldnt even consider this horse.

 

[Goldenstar]

It’s not a risk you need to take unless you already own the horse .
If the horse was gift wrapped ,free and come with its own lorry and a cash budget to pay for its care I would not have it .
It’s terribly sad for the horse ,uveitis is one of the worse things I have ever been through with a horse .

 

[AandK]

I have a one eyed horse. He is 22 and had to have his left eye removed in Feb last year, due to cancer. I'd have no issue buying a horse with one eye, although I can't comment on uveitis, as that is not what affected my horse.
In terms of how he is with one eye, he is the same as he was before. The only changes I made were to lead him on the right so he can see me (kept bumping into me on the left!) and I travel him with no partitions in the trailer as he wouldn't go in with them there. He is exactly the same to ride, and made a return to low level eventing in August last year, being placed in his section (although has just been retired due to non-eye related issues!).

 

[poiuytrewq]

Yes, and it might not be what you want to hear sorry.
We had the most gorgeous in every way horse who sadly had uveitis. After fighting it for a few years we removed it. He never ever had an attack in his “good eye” so we really thought that was the end of it all. Until he started loosing the sight (without obvious attacks). Later his first attack in the remaining eye. We pts straight away.
It’s a horrible horrible illness and i will never again knowingly take on anything with eye problems.
Even now if one of my horses get a slightly puffy or weepy eye the vet is called!

 

[Red-1]

A one eyed horse I would consider.

A one eyed horse who had lost the other eye to uveitis I would not. Not unless it was free, up and running and I could prepare myself for the worst.

 

[Lammy]

I knew a pony who had uveitis and had to have the eye removed. 4 years later he had to have the other eye removed with the same thing and it was really tough and go and very painful for the poor chap. Personally I wouldn’t.

I’ve also jumped a wicked one eyed horse who had no problems down a grid. But in this instance it’s not worth the risk.

 

[hellfire]

My first pony as a child had one eye. Apparently it was severely damaged on barb wire when he was younger. We done everything and many shows and pony clubs. He used to tilt his head while out at times and walk near edges of there was any drops about which was un nerving but he lived a long normal happy life. Just be aware of the blind side and make your presence known I was told. Never had a issue. I miss that little guy. Taught me so much.

 

[hellfire]

Just to add with it being uveitis that's a gamble. If it's free or very cheap and you can accept the worse may happen then one eye shouldn't put you off just accept it can take extra time to settle into a new home and be aware of his big blind spot but then some horses are funny for a while in a new home anyway.

 

[cindars]

Friend has Welsh cob mare lost one eye to uvitus and she was perfectly ok.Now unfortunately retired due to tendon injury but still enjoys life.I always tell her I'm coming if on her blind side and always show her anything like a treat.

 

[awelshandawarmblood]

One of the riding school ponies I learnt on had one eye & she was amazing, you'd never have known riding her at all. It was more so on the ground just making sure you approached her on her good side so she could see you & also coming to to think of it we were always told to keep a crop on her good side so she could see it. I definitely wouldn't write anything off because of having one eye, the adapt so well & you just have to be mindful i think.

 

[Antw23uk]

My friends pony had an eye removed because of Uveitis and he is amazing, worked his way up the levels dressage, learnt to jump AFTER the eye was removed and is a machine out XC and hunting, hacking ect. Nothing stops him, certainly not the loss of an eye thats for sure!

 

[Hollychops]

"Ah bless her ☺️
How soon after losing her eye did the uveitis affect her other eye?"

The uveitis in her right eye happened before i made the decision to have her left eye removed. I had a herbal supplement (cant remember which one bur could probably find the name) that she had that stopped the ERU flaring up for 18 months at one point, otherwise it was a case of watching her eyes like a hawk and having a stash of drops and bute in the fridge incase of an attack. And the vet on speed dial.

As others have said, a 1 eyed horse is one thing but 1 with uveitis is another. It is a painful and in the case of recurring uveitis expensive. Personally i would avoid the horse and look for another.

 

[Annagain]

My 23 year old has a large cateract growing in his right eye. The only reason we know it's there is because he scratched it last summer so the vet had to examine it. His behaviour hasn't changed a bit. Uveitis in a 3 year old is a bit different though. There are plenty of 3 year olds out there without potentially degenerative problems.