opinion wanted please

jensheff26

jensheff26

Well-Known Member
Joined
13 December 2009
Messages
492
Visit site
hi iv just been offered a 13yr old 16.3 tb gelding he is blind in one eye and not been ridden much how much do you think he would be able to do with only 1 eye? would it affect him much?
 
I think it is largely down to the individual horse and the circumstances around how they lost the eye, eg. if they were younger when they lost it they would probably cope better. Generally though they seem to adapt quite well and their other senses compensate, before I got my horse I rode a riding school horse with one eye a few times and he could do everything the others did.

I think the problem you may have is with hacking, especially on the roads as he may be a bit spooky with things on his 'blind side'. Have you been able to ride him yet?
 
My mum had a one eyed horse many years ago (it was taken out because of cancer), she was only a hacking horse, but did everything she did before it was taken out. She was a laid back soul though, so took it all in her stride.
 
[ QUOTE ]
I think it is largely down to the individual horse and the circumstances around how they lost the eye, eg. if they were younger when they lost it they would probably cope better. Generally though they seem to adapt quite well and their other senses compensate, before I got my horse I rode a riding school horse with one eye a few times and he could do everything the others did.

I think the problem you may have is with hacking, especially on the roads as he may be a bit spooky with things on his 'blind side'. Have you been able to ride him yet?

[/ QUOTE ]

brilliant answer, I totally second this.

One of my best mates ponies slowly lost his sight to uveitis and coped very well. I have also heard of many doing very well with just one eye, just depends on the horse I suppose.
 
horses with one eye adjust remarkably well. you do have to be careful when leading through gates and narrow areas! and remember when going up to the blind side to speak first, but if horse is of well balanced nature shouldnt be a big problem! took a half blind one to the world championships driving in early years! the only mishap was in vienna when the hired groom crashed him in a stable doorway!! for general day to day jobs and jumping shouldnt be a problem, dont turn him tight to a fence on his blind side if you sj. good luck, they are very perceptive and adjust well. how long has he been blind in one eye?
 
iv not seen him yet iv only had a e mail tonight im wanting a rescue horse i wasnt expecting someone to e mail with a 1 eyed horse so am a little taken a back thats why im asking she said hes 13 and been ridden as its a rescue i dont want to poke my nose in too much if you know what i mean sounds funny but im really interested in him as long as i know its something that i could work on with him to get him to be a hacking horse
 
as a rescue you need to ask all the q's!!! dont dismiss him cos he is half sighted! i have known many one eyed horses which have led full and competitive careers! i used to jump against 'one eyed fury' many years ago and he beat the best of them. go see and ask all the q's. he might just fit the bil!!! as a hacking horse it would be better if vision was in right eye not left. go try ask the q's. have on a trial basis! dont let it limit you
 
my warmblood has uveitis and I must admit, he is quite spooky and can be a bit unbalanced at times,
but ofcourse it depends on the horse,
Dont love him any less, infact love him to pieces!!
grin.gif
 
he has been blind for 6 yrs he has been used for hacking and good on roads hes a very handsome bugga he is a bit spooky on his own but good in company his lost eye is his left side
tn.jpg
 
aw bless him, I'm sure he will be fine - atleast with it being his left eye he won't get spooked out hacking with traffic coming up on his right side.

My old horse was partially sighted/blind in his left eye - he's now 13 years old and hunting/showjumpping in his current home. There isn't any reason they can't go on to lead an active competitive life at all.
 
Milo (the grey in my siggy) is totally blind in his left eye and has been since i bought him 5 years ago! as you can see he manages absolutely fine and we have hunted, done xc and showjumped with no problems at all! if anything it has made him alot more trusitng of me which makes our relationship much stronger
laugh.gif
 
Sunny had his right eye removed (superficial keratitis) almost 4 years ago. He hacks, jumps, does dressage tests, breaks out of fields when he sees better grass next door, tries to steal the chicken's bread, grabs his headcollar off the outside of his stable door and throws it across the barn in a temper if I'm too late doing something and is generally a HORSE. Farrier knows to talk to him or to lay a hand on his neck to let him know he's there. Vet's adore him because he's so chilled and obliging (plus he's got a heart shaved in his bum). Where I learned to ride, the YO had a 1-eyed TB that she used to event with! Farrier knows loads of 1-eyed ponies and horses, some good, some monsters...just HORSES.

The only, only, only, only, only scary thing with a 1-eyed ned is they have no spares if anything ghastly should happen. But hey, that could happen to any 2-eyed horse.
 
Theres a one eyed horse doing BE novice, saw him out and about a few seasons ago did really well. Didn't seem to bother him at all. Carried his head a bit crooked but think that was just because he was compensating for the lack of sight on one side. Lovely thing tho....can't remember his name. Bex
 
I used to ride a little pony who was fine for years, then turned really spooky on one rein, often refusing to go faster than walk. I got her going again but she stayed a bit quirky.

Turned out she was completely blind in that eye and going in the other.

From reading, some horses are fine, but Whisper was a bit agitated, especially on her totally blind rein. She only went fine with me because she'd known me for years - from when she could see - and trusted me.

to be sold new to someone else, I'd have said would be a bad idea for her. She was on a yard where she'd been able to see the school. In a new home I'd have thought she'd be unrideable for years.
 
They're all completely different. Ty is blind in one eye and is the most unspooky TB you can meet. He does have his moments and isn't a confident jumper (but we believe he was a flat racer, went blind through an accident and didnt' ever jump with full sight).

So try him and see!
 
back in may 2008 I was doing the MKEC 3DE. Stabled next to me was a horse with one eye. certainly didn't cause this horse any issues and iirc he finished in the top 6.
smile.gif
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top