Just got some super discouraging news about one of my horses...

[bufforp89]

Got some pretty discouraging news about one of my mares today....She came to me as part of a package deal with another mare that I bought, didnt really want her at the time but it was both or nothing and they were going to send them to the sale

She was supposedly green broke but we never rode her or tried her out other then some saddling/lunging as we didnt have the time and there were other horses that needed the attention more. Over the past few months she has done a complete 360 as far as temperament goes, she has always been high strung/nervous but has gotten much worse over the past few months. Had the vet out to look at her about 2 months ago to see if there were any physical issues causing her behavior, he couldn't find anything but suggested we put her on Mare Magic, Regamute (SP?) etc...We put her on the Mare Magic and no change.

Had the vet out again this morning for fall shots and I asked him to take a look at her once again...Low and behold....She is blind.

He says he didn't catch it before as it must not have been as severe + we didnt really think to look for it (although sort of annoyed at the vet, thinking he should have caught it last time as she is an appy

) Apparently she is totally blind in one eye and partially in the other, vet thinks she only sees shadows. He says it will get worse until she is totally blind.

I'm super blown away by this, I never thought as she gets around so good, never bumps into anything, respects the fence etc. Guess I didn't really know what to look for though as I have never encountered a blind horse before let alone owned one.

Not sure about her future at this point. I feel horrible about considering euthanasia but an thinking its the only option. Its obvious that she can never be ridden, maybe if I had the funds to send her to a trainer experienced with blind horses but that's just not an option financially......And I just don't have the facilities to keep a totally blind, large, dangerous pet at my place.

Poor Lacy

Done with Appys....they are such heart breakers....

 

[PitterPaws]

I'm sorry you got such bad news, how terrible.

Maybe that is why the person you bought the horses from said both or nothing on the horses maybe she was already going blind and the one horse is the other's seeing eye horse.

 

[bufforp89]

No, I don't think that she was blind (or not much) at that point (9ish months ago) or my vet would have caught it during the Pre Purchase Exam....

 

[AccentOnHakes]

I read a story once about a blind mare...they put tanbark 6 feet around the fence, water, and food...so she would know where she was and where the water was.

It was in some Chicken Soup book, and the story was titled "Great Finesse".

 

[drdoolittle]

That's so sad. Maybe you could find someone looking for a pasture buddy for their horse. As long as they never change where anything is, she should be o.k. Of course, I would look for someone with a pretty calm place----no kids or ATVs running around.

Wish you were closer----I have a friend who takes rescue horses. It would be a wonderful home for her.

 

[llrumsey]

Her life is not over, nor is she worthless, there are org. that specialize in blind horse, they are rescues so you will have to turn her over.

I have read stories of how these horses have been trained to do just about anything, heard other animals, do jumps, they just have to learn to trust their rider.

Dont give up on her, search the internet, give the poor girl a chance, I'm no expert, not by any means just a horse lover that has read stories of amazing blind animals.

If I had the means I would take her and just let her live her live out here, but due to family problems I dont know if I'll be keeping the animals I have.

Good luck and do some reasearch.

 

[gaited horse]

just because she doesn't see doesn't mean anything. Remeber she is an Appy, they can over come anything.
My 29 year old mare fell over the fence and then got tangled init she just layed there and waited for use to get her out. She still get's out at least twice a month even though she is going blind. Heck I would still ride her if she wasn't 29. I'm trying to exple she doesn't need to work anymore but she wants too.

 

[HighNDryFarm]

We have a blind horse and we rode her up until she just got to old. You have to pay attention riding them because they listen to you to tell them where to go. She can see shadows and she stays in her stall and a large portioned off part of our pasture but she does fine and will live out her days with us. She's almost 30!

She was a ride when she was young. We bought her off the racing track and she's my husbands horse. I never liked riding her dancing butt. We're much better friends from the ground.

If you can't keep your horse then donate her. Hopefully just getting her where she feels safe will calm her down.

 

[Peaches Lee]

I have a horse very similar to this. She had an injury which has caused her to become blind. She is not handling it well. Some horses handle blindness better than others, some run through fences, run into people and are just way too uncomfortable with losing their sight. If your mare is becoming dangerous to handle and genuinely uncomfortable with life, euthanizing may be the best option. I don't think it's fair to send her to a new home, especially if she is struggling at her home now. Good luck to you and sorry you are dealing with this, sometimes owning animals can suck!

 

[Avalon1984]

So sorry to hear about your horse. I wonder if she is dealing with moon blindness? I have a mare like that. In the darker months she is fine and you can barely see any cloudiness in her bad eye. But in the summer months she becomes completely blind in one eye and gets tricky to deal with. She is 25 years old and I am considering the same options you do. First and foremost you need to ensure that you and your family are safe. There is no sense in exposing yourself to a blind horse that becomes erratic in behavior and ends up hurting somebody. I love my mare to death and I don’t wish her to die, but I will be the first one to have her put down if she starts to pose a danger to herself or others. An ex-friend of mine has an app that is completely blind and 30 years old. Poor thing runs into fences and trees all day, his head is full of scars. Now he is too scared to even move. She won’t put him down because she “loves” him. I don’t see that as a humane solution.