# Buying a partially sighted horse



## Meeko (20 February 2013)

As the title says, I have the chance to buy a partially sighted horse. Only partially sighted in one eye. I dont have all the details as i am still waiting for this information to be sent to me.

Any body have a horse or no of a partially sighted horse??

I dont no enough information about the eye to give you the details as yet, just wondering what everyones first thoughts/experience were.

Thanks


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## ILuvCowparsely (20 February 2013)

Meeko said:



			As the title says, I have the chance to buy a partially sighted horse. Only partially sighted in one eye. I dont have all the details as i am still waiting for this information to be sent to me.

Any body have a horse or no of a partially sighted horse??

I dont no enough information about the eye to give you the details as yet, just wondering what everyones first thoughts/experience were.

Thanks 

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Just wait  - you will get a lot of negative comments like. Do not buy- don't touch with a bargepole.  Be warned.

 That said  I did and she was the sweetest trusting loving mare I could ask for- she had moon blindness.  To start with she mock hunted galloped.  Then as her site got worst I still hacked her out, she acted sited with a firm contact and a *hup* when there was a pavement or tree to step over.   I would have no regrets and in the same boat I would go there again.


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## HelenPassfield (20 February 2013)

About a month ago my elderly first pony had an accident and walked into something in the field in the dark (his sight not great anymore before this), and suffered a massive trauma to one eye which then became infected.  The worst outlook was that the infection would travel down the optic nerve and cause meningitis, the best he would lose the sight of the eye.

He has been such a brave soldier and exceeded everyone's hopes, fought the infection, kept the eye and regained some sight although it's still a little cloudy and far from perfect vision.

He gets by fine in the field and the other horses respect him and always give him space.  A happy ending for him but he is 38 years old and well and truley retired, all he does is go from field to stable and back  I''m not so sure how he would be if he was still ridden.


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## zigzag (20 February 2013)

I used to ride a horse with an eye missing, she was fab, she would tilt her head slightly when riding her to see where she was going especially jumping, but as long as you let her do it, it was fine.


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## Ahrena (20 February 2013)

My boy only has one eye.

He competes at novice be and schooled intermediate. I jumped a 1.30 course on him two days ago. He wins numerous jump offs. It doesn't bother me at ALL. Looks a bit freaky but I got used to it. Just meant I got a fantastic horse abut a 1/4 of his value with two eyes! I ride him like a normal horse and make no allowances for it - I just don't need to!

However, I may be more cautious with a horse that has say 30% vision in 1 eye rather than none. I knew one that had a cataract and partially blind in that eye and it made her VERY scatty. I don't know if it was just her but I think the fact she could see a bit but it was all shadowy made it worse than if she had no sight in that eye.


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## ILuvCowparsely (20 February 2013)

Ahrena said:



			My boy only has one eye.

He competed at novice be and schooled intermediate. I jumped a 1.30 course on him two days ago. He wins numerous jump offs. It doesn't bother me at ALL. Looks a bit freaky but I got used to it. Just meant I got a fantastic horse abut a 1/4 of his value with two eyes! I ride him like a normal horse and make no allowances for it - I just don't need to!

However, I may be more cautious with a horse that has say 30% vision in 1 eye rather than none. I knew one that had a cataract and partially blind in that eye and it made her VERY scatty. I don't know if it was just her but I think the fact she could see a bit but it was all shadowy made it worse than if she had no sight in that eye.
		
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 at the end my girl had no vision in one eye and 20% in the other  she was quiet careful and trusting.


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## luckilotti (20 February 2013)

one of mine in partially sighted in one eye after an accident before i got her.  She can be scatty and silly at times on the ground (she isnt ridden anymore and came to me as a broodie, mainly due to the eye).  You have to be extra cautious in the stable and talk to her lots.
Having said that... more recently she has gone really quiet and doesnt seem scatty as usual... next time the vet is out i am going to have the re-examine the eye as i do wonder if she has now completely lost sight?
I spoke to the old owners vets before commiting myself to this mare and wouldnt take on a partially/blind horse without speaking to the vet who has been treating/examined it 1st. 

We had a former livery whos horse had sight in just the 1 eye - she took him jumping, hacked him out etc and he was fine, he had lost his sight at a young age hence adapted.  He was a loner in the field until he built up trust with other horses but that was about his only negative thing!

I think a lot depends upon your situation.  Is this your 1st horse?  what support do you have around you? do you already know this horse or would it be totally new to you?


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## paulineh (20 February 2013)

I have a partially sighted Arab in my yard that we bought as a 4year old (now 17) He is an Advanced Endurance horse , competing over lots of differen terrain  and it has never worried him at all. 

The only thing that he has is very good hearing (can hear things long before I can)

He also jumps with no problem.

We knew he only had minimal sight in one eye when we bought him,the other eye is fine. He has no sight in the bad eye now and is still ridden out as normal.


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## Goldenstar (20 February 2013)

It completely depends why the horse is partially sighted .
I have had three horses with eye problems .
One had had uveitis , awful terrible disease eventully he was PTS awful suffering would never buy one who had suffered in the past.
One had a lost one eye in a accident and was partially sighted in the other she was a brood mare but lived a long normal life so I would consider buying a horse who had lost an eye to trauma.
One got a virus it affected his optic nerve he lost his sight gradually and had to be PTS.
It's vital you really clearly understand why the horse is partially sighted before you make a desision.


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## mirage (20 February 2013)

My girls both learnt to ride on a one eyed pony,they had no problems at all. There was an article in Your Horse maga last month about a stuntman with 2 blind horses that still worked.


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## Emsarr (20 February 2013)

I know of a mare that was born without one eye and it doesn't effect her, she's a bit spooky when ridden but it's more of a pathetic reaction than anything else. Other than that she's fine, a bit marish  but fine


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## RainbowDash (20 February 2013)

The first pony I ever rode had one eye (I was 9 - his eye was shot out by an air-rifle - poor boy) - he was a star and never bothered by his 'deflect' - he was also the first pony I cantered on, had an excellent jump and was a lovely boy on the ground.  (this was 1986  ).

You may have to be more cautious on hacks but to be fair they cope pretty well.  Just wait for more details, have a chat with your vet and if the horse is otherwise what you want then go for it


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## Meeko (21 February 2013)

Thank you for all your helpfull replies.
Ill keep you up to date once I know some mor information


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## SuperH (21 February 2013)

I've not had one personally but my sister had a friend who had a pony that was blind in the one eye.  I saw her ride him regularly at local shows and they seemed very happy.  He did like to have other horses on his good eye side, he didn't like them passing on the other.

Bit different but along similar lines, we have a cow with one eye, she is quite happy as long as you don't creep up on her blind side, then she will jump a mile when she finally sees you.  She also only likes to come in a certain side of the milking parlour. 

If you are happy with the horse in all other areas and know how to manage them you shouldn't have too much trouble.


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## GlamourPuss86 (22 February 2013)

I used to ride a horse with 1 eye. Lovely sweet mare. Jumped no problem. There was a horse on the local circuit who had a cracking jump and frequently won his classes.


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## Nudibranch (22 February 2013)

OP looking at your location, is this horse being advertised fairly locally (i.e. north east) at a very cheap price? Gelding by any chance?


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## Bay TB (22 February 2013)

I have a friend who has a young pony that only has one eye now. She had her from a foal and she had a freak accident in the field one day as a yearling which resulted in her losing one eye. My friend still went on to back her and she is now a happy 4/5 year old who hacks out, schools and jumps. She did have some initial problems with her spooking in traffic whilst out hacking due to her not always seeing buses etc.. coming but she has settled down well and has got used to it.


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## Kat (22 February 2013)

Might be worth looking up posts on here by MontyandZoom and maybe sending her a PM (she doesn't post here much anymore) her mare has only one eye.


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## princestar (10 March 2013)

When I was at equine college there was a horsebwith one eye - it was fully removed and like a hole... soon got used to it but was curious about it as never seen one when I first started college. He competed, was schooled and lived a normal life except for placement of buckets and not to move anything too much in his stable. Was also one at a local riding school who was amazing - needed more space to see a jump if coming from his blind side but amazing little fella.

Go for it, he may need you to be morr of his eyes - to show him the way and reassurre him theres no need to worry - you will be his leader and not hurt him. 

Good luck  xx


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## NaeNae87 (11 March 2013)

At Tafe there was a lovely Standardbred called Poppy. She only hd one eye... and was a pretty successful pacer. She came to Tafe for retirement as she was 10 I think, and her owners wanted to show students that partially blind horses can still do most things that sighted horses can do. They just need to be given a chance.  There was a lovely video on youtube.... 
Here it is. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXMynWZIfLc
The trust this horse has in his owner is amazing.


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## katastrophykat (11 March 2013)

Mine competes, he has a few eye issues... Manages fine, I am careful in poor light but he's fine! Has hunted (has no brakes!!) shown to county level, and I mainly do driving trials with him x


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## poiuytrewq (11 March 2013)

I agree with goldenstar. You need to know for sure it's a stable condition. I had one that lost 50% vision in both eyes suddenly and she was a bit spooky for a couple of weeks and then was perfectly ok. 
I've currently got a horse with uvietis and its progressively got worse. He's currently unsafe to be ridden. We've gone from horse of a lifetime to probably retiring a 6 yr old


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## ILuvCowparsely (11 March 2013)

As mentioned one of mine had 20% vision she coped.

 the important thing is

 Trust with you
trust with field companions
careful leading her in and out box, making sure nothing for her to bang into. 
riding keeping good contact so she feels secure. 
careful going up pavements and over obstacles in the path.  Once they have total trust, there is nothing they wont do.


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## Meeko (11 March 2013)

Thank you for all your helpful replies!

Sorry in the delay, the eye issue is due to a accident when she was a foal, its not a on going problem and she deals with it fine, she can be a little more spooky but thats about it.

To me, the eye makes her that but more special


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## springtime13 (11 March 2013)

my late, great, highland pony Archie had very little sight at all. He had congenital cataracts, which we found out about after he had been backed and ridden away. He was amazing, the vets thought he had about 20% sight in one eye and very limited sight in the other. They couldn't believe he led a normal life with no special allowances and was the best hack I've ever ridden. Never spooked at anything and would even jump, went out on his own etc. People of all ages rode him, until his untimely death aged 10. I wouldn't hesitate to have another, although I probably wouldn't want to pay much for one.


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## poiuytrewq (11 March 2013)

Meeko said:



			Thank you for all your helpful replies!

Sorry in the delay, the eye issue is due to a accident when she was a foal, its not a on going problem and she deals with it fine, she can be a little more spooky but thats about it.

To me, the eye makes her that but more special 

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In this case if you like the horse I wouldn't let it put you off


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## Goldenstar (11 March 2013)

Meeko said:



			Thank you for all your helpful replies!

Sorry in the delay, the eye issue is due to a accident when she was a foal, its not a on going problem and she deals with it fine, she can be a little more spooky but thats about it.

To me, the eye makes her that but more special 

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Go ahead if you love her


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## Goldenstar (11 March 2013)

poiuytrewq said:



			I agree with goldenstar. You need to know for sure it's a stable condition. I had one that lost 50% vision in both eyes suddenly and she was a bit spooky for a couple of weeks and then was perfectly ok. 
I've currently got a horse with uvietis and its progressively got worse. He's currently unsafe to be ridden. We've gone from horse of a lifetime to probably retiring a 6 yr old
		
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I am sorry you have to go though the uveitis thing it's awful .


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## poiuytrewq (11 March 2013)

Thank you. What a horrific illness, not just "a bit of a sore eye from time to time" as old owners told me. It's hell and awful. Ours has had his eye removed now recently but I fear the damage is done and like I say he will be retired. On the plus side I still have his cheeky little face to kiss each morning so maybe I'm a lucky one? Never again


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## Meeko (18 March 2013)

Well I get this lovely mare in 2 weeks


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## YasandCrystal (18 March 2013)

Meeko said:



			Well I get this lovely mare in 2 weeks 

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Excellent news


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## ILuvCowparsely (18 March 2013)

poiuytrewq said:



			I agree with goldenstar. You need to know for sure it's a stable condition. I had one that lost 50% vision in both eyes suddenly and she was a bit spooky for a couple of weeks and then was perfectly ok. 
I've currently got a horse with uvietis and its progressively got worse. He's currently unsafe to be ridden. We've gone from horse of a lifetime to probably retiring a 6 yr old
		
Click to expand...

wow  my first mare lost 85 % of her vision, blind in one eye and 20% only  as the cataract detached and took the lens with it. I still rode her she used to  p off with me, had such trust.

 The importance of uviitis is to catch the warning signs,  my late mare had it and I knew the shaking of the head was the warning sign and vet gave me atropine to get in there asap after the warning she lost very little vision..

 very sudden is harder for the horses, my mares was slowly she learnt to cope.

 Does your horse start to shake his head poiuytrewq???

just trying to help here
http://horse-care-and-advice.weebly.com/u.html

 The important thing with uveitis apart from learn the signs of a flare up is
 get meds in
 keep mask on
avoid windy days
bright days
 snowy days



.


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## Faithkat (18 March 2013)

I was given a NF pony who lost the sight in his left eye at a day old (infection).  It never bothered him as he never really knew what it was like to have two functioning eyes.  He was a stunning pony but when I sold him he went for peanuts as no-one could (pardon the pun) see past the blind eye.  It's amazing how stupid people can be.  There was a one-eyed horse in the dressage at last year's Olympics (Santana competing for Sweden)!!


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## Mearas (18 March 2013)

I was once advised to turn down a horse that was found to have a cataract on vetting, which I did. The horse went on to be on the British European team with his rider who is now regularly seen on the Grand Prix circuit Congratulations and Good Luck


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## Meeko (9 April 2013)

Well I got my gorgeous new mare on the 5th April, the eye sitution doesnt bother me at all. 
She has settled in brilliantly.
Im now having a difficult time trying to do some research into her breeding


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## hnmisty (10 April 2013)

A girl I was in the pony club had a pony with one eye, didn't stop her doing anything. 

Good luck with her


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## babs2507 (18 April 2013)

I rode a 20 year old dutch gelderlander for about 4 years. He had an olcerated eye which meant that it was like looking out of a bathroom window for him. He was great, he did everything. Sometimes he was a little wary but was never stupid about it! Good Luck with her!


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## lamlyn2012 (19 April 2013)

Have a read of jilly coopers "jump" about a one eyed racehorse! Apparently there are a number of one eyed racehorses with successfull careers.


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## Pale Rider (21 April 2013)

I had a one eyed horse and a mate down the road has one. Horses live in the now, and don't think, 'poor me, I've only got one eye', so a one eyed horse is the same in his head as any other. They cope easily with 50% vision, but do make changes to their head carriage.
Their blind spot is massive though so train it to keep out of your space. I made sure mine stayed out, my mate didn't.
He ended up with 25 stitches in his napper having been smote with a jaw bone accidentally.
Otherwise no probs, go for it.


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