One eye'd horses/Huszar at Blenheim

[wizoz]

Did anyone else see Huszar do the eventers grand prix at Blenheim? It's the first time i've noticed that he only has one eye!
Also Briarlands Blackberry only has one eye and has contested Badminton!

I used to have a fantastic pony years ago that was a real jumper and he only had one eye. I love the guts some of these horses/ponies have. The story of how he lost his eye was extremely sad though.

Does anyone have any stories about horses/ponies with only one eye?

 

[WelshRareBit]

I loved BBlackberry he was very brave!

What happened to your pony? Im too curious not to ask!

 

[wizoz]

We were told that he had a tumour behind it and it had to be taken out but some years later I found out that there was a nail sticking out in his stable and he skewered himself on it

It never bothered me the fact it wasn't there and he still used to blink, which was quite peculiar. The eye lid was sewn into the socket and it still had the whiskers on it!!

But he was such a star, he was Dun coloured and ever since then I've wanted to find another Dun but with longer legs!!

 

[lexiedhb]

Stephen Clarke used to have a stallion (Hermes) that blinded itself in one eye by chucking one of those over the door feed bowls about... never effected his performance though!

 

[charlie76]

this is a horse from our yard with one eye- he does all the usual activities with no worries.

http://homepage.mac.com/kevinroyle/Sites/0909/c4/pages/page_24.html

 

[wizoz]

Don't you just feel that they're extra special when they have such an ailment? Clever creatures

 

[wizoz]

I'll have to dig out an old photo and scan it for all to see.

 

[JessPickle]

We have a horse at our yard with only one eye. He is a lovely horse and his performance never changed

 

[alicep]

ive never properly seen a horse with one eye and im curious... do they normally sew it shut after the eye has gone?? is it not a bit odd if they dont? i hate eyes im not sqeemish but eyes just make me feel odd

 

[wizoz]

Sometimes they take the eyeball out and then sew the lid inside the socket, but Huszar just had his lids closed together.

 

[alicep]

so in some cases you can see in? do you have to be careful of infection or anything?

 

[wizoz]

My pony had had his op years before I had him so his wound was already healed. I never had to do anything to it, so no need to worry about infection. I'm guessing that when he had the operation, it would be like any op, keep it clean etc.

 

[HenryandPeta]

I took this at Burghley last year:

Note the empty eye socket?! What a horse!

 

[Mid]

Nick Gauntlett's Uno only has 1 eye and is a grade a sjer

 

[wizoz]

That's exactly how my pony's eye used to look.

 

[HenryandPeta]

My friend has a one eyed horse too - his eye socket is hollow like that. It "blinks" when he does, so cute! The only issue she finds is he drifts to his blind side when jumping so she has to help him more than before, but she still tackles all the same things!

 

[wizoz]

[ QUOTE ]
his eye socket is hollow like that. It "blinks" when he does, so cute!

[/ QUOTE ] Yes, mine did too!!

I was lucky with mine, as he had been without his eye for at least 10 years and was very used to it not being there. He was the pony that "took me" x country and founder'd my passion for it. At my first ever hunter trial, we came 3rd, then at the end of the day, my friend and I took our ponies back over the bigger jumps, bear back with only halters and lead reins!

You wouldn't find that as acceptable now!