Can I ride a horse with just one eye?

Question

Okay, there's this horse that my father might buy me. It is very possible that I can get it, he says. I've seen this horse and all, but I have not ridden him. He has one eye and my father says he's gentle. This horse is a 11 yr. old Tb-Qh cross and is around 16-17 HH. He's just beautiful and I've heard he jumps with just one eye and can do about anything. But I've never ridden a disabled horse. I really want him for myself because no one even rides him anymore. Any advice?

Answer 1

Test rid ehim around, and with blind and visually disabled horses, there is  alot of trust going on.  We have an Appy at our barn with only one eye and we still ride him occasionally down the trails.  They are more aware on their off said so it is always best to approach any obsticle with their good eye tilted towrds it.

Answer 2

Yes you can....iif he's not trained all that well, he might be a bit of a challange, but you say he's already broke....Go for it.  A friend of mine has a horse and he rides him just fine gathering cattle and what not.  I know it's a different type of riding, but  do what your horse is comfortable with.

Answer 3

If he's already gentle and has learned to compensate for one eye, he's worth your time, definitely. Just be sure you let him adjust to your surroundings and take time to get him acquainted with you, your voice and how you do things. He has already learned to trust his human companion, he's a good age and you sound like you already like him. Go for it.

Answer 4

Yes you can as long as you give him some extra guidance with your legs and hands. Don't worry to much just take time to find out how he acts when you ride so that you can find out how much guidance he needs from you! Good Luck he sounds like a great horse!!

Answer 5

I have experience with 2 horses who lived with me and were blind in one eye.  One was a broodmare who lost an eye to cancer at about 8 yrs.  She was spooky and scared at first but stayed very close to a good buddy and in a few months behaved normally.  Another was also a mare who became blind as an adult and competed in Dressage and had a normal life.  So if everything else about the horse is good, especially safe and gentle, the eye should not be a problem.  Tina

Answer 6

I've worked with several sight-impared horses and it's certainly possible for you to ride him. It's important, however, to remember that he will be completely blind on one side of his body and horses that cannot see or have partial vision can be very skittish when it comes to things on their blind side. One horse at our stable had severe cateracts in one eye and we rode her with a blinder because she had just enough vision in that eye to jump at any shadow.

Before buying this horse, you really need to test him out thoroughly, including over jumps if that is what you are training in. You need to make sure that his disability is one that not only you can handle, but one that you can handle safely for both of you.

Answer 7

I've seen many one eyed horses being ridden.  You just have to always be conscious of it.  Only approach him on the sighted side and make sure you speak to him as you approach him so he'll know you are there.  There are times when some one might approach him on his blind side and spook him so you'll always have to be aware of that.

Answer 8

how long has he been one-eyed? if he's use to it then he has made the neccesary adjustments. he sounds like it means nothing to him and is no different than a horse with both eyes. i would get him. just because he has only one eye doesn't make him less of a horse he still needs TLC too

Answer 9

Yes you can, there are many one eyed horses out there being ridden and doing a great job.  Just remember though, to talk to the horse when approaching, more so than your two eyed friends who see you from either side.  This horse will just need a little more verbal instructions and warnings when you are working around him.  good luck with him, I know he will make a great pet.

Answer 10

Riding will be fine.  The bigger question will be handling him from the ground.

I've had two horses blind on one side, and both had problems.  Always, always, always talk to the horse when you're on the blind side.  Keep a hand on him to let him know exactly where you are and what you're doing.  If you startle them, they may kick because they're scared.

Be careful who you turn the horse out with.  If one of the other horses is a bully, he'll quickly learn he can approach and be mean from the blind side.  This will make the half blind horse even harder to work with, as he'll learn to react quickly and strongly to any unexpected approach on the blind side - meaning he'll kick!

Both my horses were handfuls to begin with, and the loss of sight in one eye made them worse.  

On the other hand, I have a special bond with the one I ride all the time.  He trusts me more now, and knows when I come to doctor his eye it'll feel better.  When I call, he comes running; on the trail he'll go anywhere.  He's a great horse.  But I'm very careful of him on the ground, for my safety and his comfort.  I don't want to get kicked, but I also don't want him to be scared and panicky not knowing what's going on.  I reassure him that it's ok and he stays calm.

These horses may take a bit more effort, but the rewards are great.

Answer 11

shouldnt be any problem at all.  you will have to be his eyes on the blind side and take care not to ride up on low tree branches that can injure him or you.  other then that just be aware that he doesnt see quite as well as other horses, and allways rememebr that.  Hope it works out and you get him.  i have seen many, many horses show, and race that only have one eye.  the only thing you will not be able to with him, that i can think of is show him under a.h.s.a. over fences.  its against the rules.

Answer 12

yes you can ride him and it won'e be any different than a normal horse. I wouldn't call him disabled, just at a slight disadvantage but most horses are very good at adjusting to their surroundings so i wouldn't worry about it at all. I would ride him though before you buy him becuase he could end up being a bad ride or have bad habits that you didn't know about. good luck!

Answer 13

Go for it! He just has to learn to trust you. you have to be his eyes and that requires a lot of trust.

You know that game where one person is blindfolded and the other person leads them? Well, it's kind of the same thing only the horse can half see.

Answer 14

That all depends on the horse and how confident you are. If the previous owner says that he is a good horse to ride then maybe you should try him out and see how it goes. Hope this helps!!!

Answer 15

I think u can because horses are very special and are really nice and gentle. You can totally do it.

Answer 16

as long as your willing to take the time to build his trust in you to watch out for him.  There is no reason not to ride him.  I have a friend who's ridden a half blind horse for 10 years. Jobe, trusts his rider beyond words and the pair of them compeate in Ring jousting, trail riding, parades and other usually spooky events.    if he's been blind since birth,, or for a long time, he has adapted to his sight and should be fine.

Answer 17

Yes it is ok to ride him. If he isn't the best trained horse then a challenge might just come your way. He is a great horse by the sound of it. Go for it!

Answer 18

Yes. I went to a christian camp called WLD Horse camp. There is a horse there named Dream. A couple of yours ago her eye got infected. She lost that eye. They were very UN sure if they could keep her. They didn't know if she could let anybody ride her. She is one of the best horses there. As long as they can see straight ahead he will most likely be the best horse ever.

Answer 19

Nothing differnt just have to gain his trust so that on that side he knows you can guide him. He is already broken which is grand all you must do is work on trust.

Once you have that trust you can make a wonderful parthnership. The bond will become special as the horse will rely on you to know how close he is getting to the rail on that side as not to get him hurt.

Though he seems trained so he is pretty skilled at what he must do and how to navagatie himself.

Answer 20

A one-eyed horse can be ridden.  I know of one myself who is a field trial and trail horse.  He has no trouble navigating whatsoever.

Test him out before you buy him and just make sure he does indeed get around well when ridden.  I cannot imagine that he wouldn't get around just fine.

I hope it works out for you since you sound like you would give him a good home and keep him fit!

Answer 21

I used to ride a one eyed horse at the school - she was great, never tripped or spooked and could jump just fine. We wanted her but they refused to part with her - she was one of the favourites ( owner's ex-eventing horse)

Answer 22

I've known several horses that have had just one eye, due to injuries.  "Badger" was a 17 yr old QH I met in the 1960's and was just like anyother horse except at a lope he tilted his head to the side, I guess to get a better view of where he was going.

Another horse, a stallion, AQHA True Money Whiz was injured as a yearling according to his owner and lost the vision in one eye.  His owner roped off of him, rode him in the arena and took him down the trail.  In the over 10 yrs I knew him, his eye was NEVER an issue.

Even my old mare who in her 20's somehow when she was in pasture in 1970, she got her left eye scratched and there was a portion of it that she couldn't see through because of the scar.  I did notice that the night I tried to ride her from the pasture back into town where I could feed and doctor on her, she did veer toward traffic, but within a year she was healed and fine.

So the loss of an eye is NOT the end of the world and a horse can operate just as they did or learn to use the one good eye they have.

He'll be a GREAT horse to learn from!

Answer 23

I wouldn't see why that would be a problem, as long as he's broke and knows his job, I'd say test ride him and see how you like him. I'm sure as long as he knows his job, you should be fine, and as long as your willing to build that trust with him.

I rode a half blind horse doing hunter/jumpers a few years back. you just have to be their good eyes for them.

Answer 24

This is a subject near and dear to my heart.  I own two one-eyed horses, and a friend has one.

The gelding, now 10, was blinded at 6 months.  He grew up that way, and is a safe, sure footed trail mount who I would trust to take anybody anywhere.  You wouldn't even notice he was blind by behavior, except that he will crane his head around to look at something.

The mare, now 13 was blinded as an adult.  She gradually lost sight following an injury the former owner did not care for properly.  She c***s her head at an odd angle when going down the trail.  She's beginner safe, too...in a bitless bridle.  She gets really light in the front with a bit, totally unrelated to her eye.

My friend's one eyed mare  lost her eye in an accident as an adult.  Sudden total loss of vision in one eye.  She swings her head from side to side with her natural head bob (TWH) to see as she wants.  Beginner safe, great mare.

Take the slightly disabled horse for a spin, and judge him on his performance.  They can be wonderful horses, I think my gelding was more sure footed because he was compensating for his disability.