Working Blind Horses?

[Carl Russell]

Vet came today, and said she basically can’t see. She has cataracts in both eyes, the right worse than the left. She has very limited forward sight out of her left eye.

Does this look like a horse that can’t see? This was work I did with her within the last month.

So now we begin the adventure to find out how much more work she has in her. Over all the nasty terrain I have driven her, even within the last 6 weeks, she has never stubbed, stumbled, or even missed a step.

Carl

[Andy Carson]

Sorry to hear about the diagnosis. The work she was doing was impressive for a sighted horse, much less one that can’t see… Did the vet speculate about further loss of sight or give you any tips on things you can do to stop/slow the process?

[Carl Russell]

Not really. It pretty much sounded as though he thought she was blind. Just told me what to do if there are more flare-ups of uveitis, but that only to relieve the pain from inflammation.

Carl

[Tim Harrigan]

This is so sad but it shows how adaptable she really is. As she begins to rely even more on you and her mate this could be somewhat of a watershed event in bringing you to an even deeper understanding of the connection you have and what their capabilities really are. Might turn out to be your favorite. I know with my cattle I have been amazed at how well they could communicate and synchronize their movement without my intervention when they were inclined to do so, and in ways that had to transcend sight. I really hope this can turn into a happier story.

[jen judkins]

@Carl Russell 22884 wrote:

So now we begin the adventure to find out how much more work she has in her. Over all the nasty terrain I have driven her, even within the last 6 weeks, she has never stubbed, stumbled, or even missed a step.

Carl, I like the way you used the word ‘adventure’. She has shown tremendous adaptability in her work with you and her teammate. I would encourage you to avoid thinking primarily of her handicap, but focus on all the positive effort she is making for you and with you. She will let you know when she can’t anymore.

[Robert MoonShadow]

Sounds to me that from her perspective, not much has changed: she still has total faith in you and your ability to always keep her welfare and safety at heart. You haven’t changed, so why should she? As circumstances change (as they have daily throughout her life), you’ve always been there – and she trusts that you always will be. Speaking as a one-eyed man, myself, it’s not a handicap unless it’s perceived and accepted to be one. As long as you don’t accept it as making a meaningful difference in her life, why should she?
She can be a blind (or semi-blind) working horse doing what she’s bred,
trained and (it sounds like) motivated to do, or a blind pasture ornament that would probably be bored silly.
She’s got you…from what you’ve described of her actions and attitude, that’s enough…and just what she needs.

This is all just my opinion, of course.

[Mac]

Carl:
I’ve never owned any blind animals, so I won’t be much help to you in that department, but I thought I’d share this little story my Granddaddy told me the other day.

It seems one of his uncles, I think Uncle Perry or Uncle Charlie, had a team of white mules (I have only seen one white mule my whole life too.), and between them they had one, yes one, good eye, and one so-so one. They worked for years in the 20’s on up to the early 50’s, when they both died, supossedly, on the same day. The old man said that Uncle would work one of them in the garden, and the would NOT step on any plants.

So I guess what I’m trying to say is, just because a horse (or mule as the case may be) is blind, doesn’t mean the are no longer useful. I like how you look at it as an adventure, and I wish you the best of luck.
Mac

[OldKat]

Carl,

Sorry to hear of your problem with uveitis in your mare. For you or anyone else that is having problems with uveitis, you might be interested in looking at the Guardian masks. I have first hand experience with them; they help a whole lot. Hhere is the address for their site. http://www.horsemask.com/

[MuleRyder]

Hi Carl, I’ve had experiance with two horses, each with one eye blind. Both are saddle horses. One lost her right eye as a filly and if you didn’t see her eye sewn shut you’d never know it. She’s had a very succesful show career. The other one lost her left eye as an adult and was a little skittish on that side for a while. I always talked to her while I was on her near side whether leading her, tacking or whatever. I rode her on 4 hr trail rides and never had a problem. I think it’s better to have an eye totally blind, rather than have poor vision in it. I think that a horse would be bothered more by seeing shadows and unclear objects. My 2 cents

[Carl Russell]

I worked her the other day, and things seem to be about the same, however as I observe her it appears that she in fact is quite impaired. In fact it is significantly different in some areas, such as now she approaches the water tub very slowly, often missing it, or actually bumping her nose before she finds it. This is much different than just a few months ago.

I am still resolved to keep her active, and to see where it goes.

Thanks for ALL the great replies, Carl

[Tim Harrigan]

Carl, how is that horse doing?

[Carl Russell]

She is definitely sight impaired. She has trouble finding her stall, and the water tube etc., but she remains pretty calm. She also moves around her pasture freely, and has little pissing contests with the other horse, which often involve wheeling around, bucking, and trotting. She seems to know where she is, and how to move around.

I have been working her this winter on the bobsled, pulling wood from the top of the woodlot. The land, the working conditions, and the loads have all been challenging. She is an absolute trooper. Still puts more into it than the other horse, and never misses a step.

Like I have mentioned before, I generally keep a good handle on communication, and don’t leave a lot for her to decide on anyway. Though now I am much more aware of how she is following my guidance.

I stumbled the other day in the deep snow, and fell toward her on the side with her bad eye. I threw my hands up to catch my balance on her collar, and she flinched….so I know she can see something.

I will keep working her till some other factor limits her effectiveness.

Thanks for asking, Carl

[Author]

Posts