Partially sighted horses.

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Shammiii

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Hello there,

I am now in a position to finally start looking for another horse. I've had a 6 month break after having my first horse on full loan for just over 5 years, I seem to find myself going back to the same advert alot of the time, but the only thing that's holding me back about giving them a ring is because the horse has partial sight in one eye. It doesn't state which eye, and there are pictures and videos of the horse jumping/competing perfectly without any signs of the partial sight affecting the horse in any way. He is a 15.1hh Liver Chestnut Welsh D and temperament/experience wise seems pretty much perfect for me.

Has anyone got any advice or previous experience of horses with partial sight in one eye?

Many thanks.
 
I do not have experience of riding a partially sighted horse, but the pony I look after is partially sighted.

THe only thing really that I can tell you is that the amount of trust you build up has to be twice as much, and always make sure that the way you move around him is absolutly consistant.

He never flinches with me, but any one else he jumps out his skin.

Other than that, I see no really reason to discount him HTH
 
Hi there! I think it depends on where and what you will be doing with it. There is a girl at the yard im at who has a horse that I am positive is blind in one eye (Its dark blue and looks like it has like a crystalized effect, its wheepy and looks swollen. plus it didnt respond to when I waved my hand in front that eye. Although I dont think the girl believed me when I mentioned it). Its just a happy hack horse and she still rides her fine. She doesnt jump but she can still walk trot and canter without freaking out at everything on her right side. She does like to turn her head around alot so she can see whats happening on the right like if there is a horse or a bike behind her. It does often stumble a bit if there is a rock or a stump that it cant see. It goes in traffic fine even though it cant see the cars on the right. I dont see anything wrong with riding a partially blind horse unless it becomes dangerous to ride and begins freaking out at things it cant see; especially on the road.
 
Hi,
I have a partially sighted horse and he jumps and schools happily, hacking he can be a bit nervy (but not dangerous). His loss of sight is due to to an eye conditon which takes careful management. Personally it wouldnt bother me if the loss of sight was due to injury but I would not willingly take on another horse with an eye condition because it does take alot of care. If you like the sound of him why no give them a ring and ask about the sight?
Good luck in your search :)
 
I would get it well vetted pre-purchase. If it isn't serious, then go for it. However, do be aware that if cause by a disease it could be degenerative. Sarai (Nathan in my signature, she had Squamous cell carcinom btw) had to be PTS aged 8, as she couldn't cope with going blind, caused herself head injuries by walking into walls etc.
 
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Swift08 said:
Hi,
I have a partially sighted horse and he jumps and schools happily, hacking he can be a bit nervy (but not dangerous). His loss of sight is due to to an eye conditon which takes careful management. Personally it wouldnt bother me if the loss of sight was due to injury but I would not willingly take on another horse with an eye condition because it does take alot of care. If you like the sound of him why no give them a ring and ask about the sight?
Good luck in your search :)
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Just out of curiosity what condition caused it? If you dont mind me asking, Is it wheepy,? because the girl who I mentioned above is just putting eyedrops in every other day for the wheepyness, shes a novice and too nervous to try and put in every day if the horse objects to it. I have been offering to help everyday, but I think it needs more than a few eyedrops lol. What things do you do to manage it? Thanks
 
I have a horse who has had his right eye removed and until recently (he is now 21) he very successfully competed at dressage. I don't not jump him because of his eye, I don't jump him because he's an idiot!!

I know three one-eyed horses who event at a reasonable level quite successfully. I agree with Daisydo about the level of trust you have to have. Narrow gaps, changes in light and tight turns are much scarier for them than normal horses so they have to trust you completely.

I actually love my boy even more because of his eye, because it makes me much more protective of him and it proves to everyone else how special he is ;)
 
hannabanana it sounds like the pony in question really needs a vet to make a diagnosis. If you're on a yard then the owner has a responsibility of care for the animal even if it is being 'looked after' by the novice. Perhaps speak to the YM and get them to talk to the girl?
 
Its totally dependant on the horse, whats wrong with it, and how bad it is. I'd say temperament has a fair bit to do with it also.

I have a partially sighted gelding, he has a cataract in his nearside eye, but as far as the vet can tell its congenital (he's had it since birth) and is not going to degenerate any further (it hasn't as long as I've had him)

You would never know. He's never knocked a pole, and he doesn't have a spooky nature.

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Just out of curiosity what condition caused it? If you dont mind me asking, Is it wheepy,? because the girl who I mentioned above is just putting eyedrops in every other day for the wheepyness, shes a novice and too nervous to try and put in every day if the horse objects to it. I have been offering to help everyday, but I think it needs more than a few eyedrops lol. What things do you do to manage it? Thanks
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Sounds like moonblindness, or uveitus, the horse should really see a vet.
 
Tickles said:
hannabanana it sounds like the pony in question really needs a vet to make a diagnosis. If you're on a yard then the owner has a responsibility of care for the animal even if it is being 'looked after' by the novice. Perhaps speak to the YM and get them to talk to the girl?
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I've mentioned vet to her too as well as another livery but she didnt say much. I'm not sure she believes me! I think I will mention to the YM. Whatever it is, I think its too late to save her eyesight though:(
 
hannabanana said:
I've mentioned vet to her too as well as another livery but she didnt say much. I'm not sure she believes me! I think I will mention to the YM. Whatever it is, I think its too late to save her eyesight though:(
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Even so, uveitus is painful and distressing for the horse, I can't believe shes riding it and hasn't got advice from a vet!
 
Swift08 said:
hannabanana he sufferes from equine recurrent uveitus, will PM you though x
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Ah thanks, does your horse get a 'film' over his eye too? I couldnt agree more with mocha. I reckon it needs a vet but bl00dy convincing her to get him out is the problem! Maybe if the YM mentioned uveitus it should convince her. I think she can see shadows or partially see things, it didnt respond to waving or clicking fingers next to her eye but if I went to poke her eye (I didnt actually poke her eye though!) She would flinch a little
 
I have two partially sighted horses, and have seen how differently it can affect different horses as they lost their sight whilst with me.
One had uveitis, and the other had an accident.

One is still ridden, competed, hunted, jumped, hacked out etc. with no problems at all. I just have to remember things like:

We jump cross poles to the left, as he can't see the right hand side, so we now warm up over uprights

He occasionally bumps into me in the stable if I'm not noisy enough

He needs extra space when doing gates in hand, but trusts me to judge it when under saddle.

If a particularly big or quiet thing like a bike is passing us out hacking, I turn him round to he can see it without it being a shock!

The mare on the other hand, has gone completely bonkers and can no longer be ridden. She had uveitis and it still causes problems, it's looking like she's going to have to have the eye removed three years after the problem started.

I'd say it depends on the horse...if you'd like to know more, PM me! x
 
Mine is blind in her right eye, cause unknown, and I can honestly say it's never given either of us cause for bother. She jumps, hacks in traffic etc. and I can't say I make any particular effort to let her know where I am on the ground, or at least not beyond what I'd do for any normal horse.

If you can get assurance that it's not due to a recurrent or degenerative condition, I wouldn't hesitate to go and try him. :)
 
My friend has a 16 year old Appaloosa Gelding who is now totally blind, she still rides him, hacks him out in the forest and rides him on the beach. The trust between them is awesome.

When you ride with her in the forest she will walk over obstacles telling him when to lift his feet, he loads into the trailer by telling him foot on.

His only thing is he has to trust whoever is leading him or is around him, treat him with confidence and he is fine be a bit nervous and he freezes and when he is turned out his field has to have plastic tied to the electric fencing so he can tell when he is near it and he has to be turned out with 2 horses at a minimum so he can always hear one near him.

People keep telling her it is cruel then they come and see him cantering round the school bucking for pleasure during his lead changes and ask which one is her blind horse.
 
I have looked after a couple of horses that were either partly sigthed or blind in one eye and two ponies who only had one eye, the only problem they had is they wouldnt know you were on that side of them if you didnt speak to them and sometimes would jump but they were fine in anyother way and didnt have any problems riding etc

i think a few years ago my friend said she saw a horse go round either badminton or Brughley and it only had one eye
 
I did a few weeks for a dealer recently and rode several of the horses there. There was one brilliant mare there, a real sweetheart. I hacked her down a busy road on her own and rode her in the school with no problems at all. We had a buyer come and see her and they really liked her, wanted her for a working livery. Sadly when the vet came he said she was 90% blind in one eye! We were completely gobsmacked, had absolutely no idea about her sight problems, I guess she was the epitome of honest!
 
There is a very good racemare called Barsheba at the moment she is blind in one eye where her mother kicked her and it hasn't stopped her from racing and the only thing stopping her from winning just lately is the racing weights she has to carry.
 
I wouldn't discount the horse but I would query why you would be so interested when it appears to be your only/first bought horse? Wouldn't you rather at least start with a horse which is 100%?

I'm not saying don't get a partially sighted horse as I know a few-rode a one eyed cob who just needed extra reassurance on the road when his blind side was to the traffic.
 
When I lived in Oz years ago I used to ride a one-eyed horse every week and he was a lovely boy and nothing fazed him, he was quite sharp and eager to do things, some mornings Id go with another friend and ride at 5am with another girl, we'd set off in near darkness but it was the only way you could have a razz about in the centre of Sydney without annoying people, ie cantering around the outside of rugby pitches!! We'd go over the back of the hospital grounds which were all sand dunes with logs to jump and he'd fly over everything. Just before I came home I was lucky enough to ride him at Botony Bay, swimming in the sea. I think about him often. Id say get yours checked by a vet then give him a chance if all's well because it isnt the end of the world, as many before me have said x
 
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