Is this true about Appaloosas? ?

Question

Someone told me that Appaloosas get to be blind when they get older, is this true? I'm going to buy a horse soon and I always thought Appaloosas looked like nice horses, but I really wouldn't want to get a horse that could become blind. Thank you for your answer! :)

Answer 1

Any horse can go blind-but its got nothing to do with colour-Alot of people think white animals with blue eyes are deaf and blind, but although alot of white animals, that havee white with blue eyes are deaf, it does Not mean they will be Blind-people presume those coloured eyes are blind. I rode this mare who was appaloosa and she would have been late 20's early 30 & no she wasn't blind

Answer 2

ERU (Equine Recurrent Uveitis)

ERU is synonymous with "moon blindness". This equine recurrent uveitis can affect any age, type or s*x of horse (however Appaloosa horses are predisposed) and is a potential cause of blindness in affected animals. Both eyes can be affected although not necessarily at the same time.

Go to the link

Answer 3

Well, that's probably just like the saying, "chestnut mares are 'fiery'"

My QH went blind, but he wasn't an appy. I think its not true. Appys are very cute and very athletic. BUT white horses tend to get Cancer in there throat I THINK! I forget what it's called.

Answer 4

I have never heard that.... Appys are great horses  

Answer 5

dont ever let anyone tell you that appies are bad horses. not true. they are sometimes, rarely, known to get "moon blindness." this is only seen a few times  but can cause a horse its full eyesight. I have appaloosas and they never have had it before. Its not an issue

Answer 6

ive never herd that before but at the end of the day all horses when they get old usually have something or other wrong with them! its probably just a myth! ive herd before that albeano horses or any animals are usually blind or deaf or both? i would love to buy an appaloosa there lovely and there meant to have good temperament and be very quiet, laidback horses!go for it! going blind could happen to any horses! goodluck!

Answer 7

no

Answer 8

I've never heard of this. I doubt that it's true. I've known three blind horses (that I can remember the particulars about) :

A Paint (not sure of cause, developped at a young age)

An Appy (very old with cataracts)

Wamblood (caused by cancer, removing one eye stopped the disease, but her vision in the other eye was never perfect again either)

Didn't know the appy as well, knew he was over 30, so not really too shocking. Have never known another blind appy. The other two horses functioned well and were fully ridable. Paint had only 10% of vision in her own eye, none in the other by the time she was 26. Still ridable though. Wamblood mare had little vision reduction in the eye that was not removed and still competed in very low hunters.

ETA: paint was a solid dark bay mare, warmblood was light bay, appy was white with a few leopard spots.

Answer 9

First off it's not true. Second, you say GET TO BE BLIND as if to say WE GET TO GO GET ICE CREAM! Don't think any horse is sitting around hoping and wondering what it's like to be blind.

Answer 10

There is a lot of misunderstanding being passed around about Appaloosas and blindness.  Some call the condition 'moon blindness' or 'night blindness'.

These are two seperate and distinct conditions.  Night blindness: the  proper name is Congenital Stationary Night Blindness.  Congenital (because it's present from birth.)  Stationary (doesn't change or get worse with age.) Night Blindness.  The horse has no ability to see in the dark. It is genetic.

Moon blindness' correct name is Equine Recurrent Uveitis.  ERU tends to be more common in Appaloosas than other breeds.  It is NOT genetic, it is a condition that occurs later in life and in other breeds as well.

ERU is a recurring inflamation inside the eye.  The inflammation gradually and progressively damages the internal structure of the eye. This by adhesions of the iris to the lens, cataracts or glaucoma leading to blindness.

Answer 11

Hi sis!!

I would look on Wikapedia. It tells everything!  

Answer 12

They are probably referring to a condition called "moonblindness," This is also call uveitis, which is an inflammation of the iris, the pigmented area of the eye.  It is common in older Appaloosas but can happen to any horse.  The best way to prevent it is to keep a fly mask on your horse (which helps shade the eyes) and avoid situations that can cause any kind of inflammation (like riding with the eyes unprotected in windy conditions, for example).  I have two Appaloosas, one of whom has slight moonblindness in one eye. She is perfectly safe to ride. I just give her a little more time to check out anything that gets her attention, or turn her so she can see it with her good eye.

Answer 13

Umm well Appys are prone to what is commonly called Moon Blindness...its just a downfall of the breed....My family has had 2 appys who went blind from this...but it can happen at any age, but my 1/2 blind mare was still barrel racing & doing games until she got arthritis...so it doesnt hamper their abilities they just have to really trust you.   Appy's are excellent horses and are a strong all-around breed...I would suggest getting one, but thats just me!! Good Luck!

EDIT: Putting a fly-mask on your appy--as stated in lower answers doesnt help, believe me, I know...we spent over $10,000 on my appy's eyes at a specialist and he said fly masks do what they were designed to do, keep flys off their faces....futhermore, my aunt's horse actually went blind from wearing its fly mask because a piece of hay got stuck in it & scratched his eye severely, which eventually led to partial vision loss

Answer 14

I have never heard that so I;m assuming that it is not true. Have fun with whatever horse you get!!!!

Answer 15

Hm, I've never heard anything like that before. But good luck with getting your new horse or pony :)

Answer 16

Yes this is true for some appies. I have an appaloosa who is 21 and he is blind in one eye. It doesnt effect him at all though, i wouldnt even know. Please get an appy still they are great horses and if you keep a flymask on them in sunlight, it protects their eyes from becoming blind ( if only i knew that sooner)

I love my appy and the blindness isnt an issue at all!!

Answer 17

this is false i have known 20 year old appys that have full eye sight

Answer 18

This might be due to peoples inability to listen. It has been said that blind people can feel the spots on an appaloosa while a sighted person cant. Somewhere in the storytelling it might have gotten changed to older blind people then to older blind horse. Well, thats my theory.

No they are not predisposed to blindness. Some horses do go blind when they are older but that is the risk you run in pretty much any breed.

Answer 19

Some Appaloosas do have eye problems.....please check on the link provided for information provided by a world class  veterinarian who is currently researching the visual problems that Appaloosas are  having.  This is not to alarm you but to make you aware of what is going on in the breed.  If you're informed, it's not such a scary deal.  Good luck.

http://www.blindhorses.org/eye_disease.h...

ERU is the eye disease that involves many appys.

Answer 20

No. It seems blindness is a genetic problem that affects some of them (I've only known a few horses with blindness in one or both eyes, and they are/were Appaloosas), but it's not as if a majority of the breed's horses begins having sight problems as they age.

Answer 21

thats not true i dont know where u heard that but its not true. my stables has an appaloosas that is 29 years old and shes not blind. if this doensnt convise u look on wiki and it should not say that appaloosas become blind when they get old.

Answer 22

no it is not true

i have ridden lots of appys (most of them being older) and none of them have been blind

have fun with your new horse