Equine Blindness -
Helping Your Horse to Cope
How do I deal with a mare with Equine Blindness who has lost her companion? Until last week I was the proud owner of 2 horses an Arab gelding and a Welsh Cob Section D mare 22yrs and 20yrs respectively. Both were looking fit and well when without warning the Arab had a massive bleed to the brain and died which was a huge shock, this has left the mare on her own. She suffers from Equine Blindness so my Arab was her eyes in the paddock, she has settled in her stable and is gentle & loving but in the paddock she panics, sweats up & just won’t settle this makes me very worried about colic because she has been prone to this complaint. She was always the field boss and the Arab never retaliated if she did have a go at him he just walked away if I got a companion and it lashed out, because she is blind she wouldn't see it coming and get hurt. My vet said that if she couldn't cope without him it would be kinder to put her down. She is healthy apart from her sight and she's been with me since she was born as was the Arab she is like one of my children but she cant spend the rest of her days in her stable please, please help. Lynette
Dear Lynette, our hearts go out to you. Having lost a horse suddenly without warning, we can truly empathise with what you must be going through emotionally right now. Equine Blindness is a very rare condition sometimes it is caused through genetic defect (present from birth) and other times injury, disease or accident deprive the horse of sight in one or both eyes. Looking after a horse with this condition requires much patience and understanding since a totally blind horse can literally be an "accident waiting to happen" purely because they do not have the "spacial awareness" of sighted beings and cannot see how to position their body to avoid visible dangers. Your Welsh Cob will inevitably be mourning the loss of her lifelong companion and her panicky behaviour in the field is most likely due to feelings of complete insecurity and unexplainable grief. In our experience, having studied the behaviour of horses in similar situations they do experience emotions associated with loss. These can vary from becoming quiet and withdrawn to the direct opposite exhibiting signs of physical agression, panic or defensiveness. Extreme changes in behaviour are often more pronounced in horses that are very "pair bonded" or rely on one another as in the case of your mare for their safety and security, even in simple daily activities such as grazing. Without wishing to imprint human "psyche" on our beloved equine friends, the hardest part is that we cannot explain to them when a companion dies or has to be taken away. All we can do is try to make them settled and comfortable and distract them from fretting unduly. We fully understand your concerns regarding introducing a new field companion and you are wise to be so cautious. If your horse was previously able to cope with Equine Blindness there is hope however, that she can learn even in her twenties to bond with a new companion. One possibility that often works very well is to partner your horse with a donkey. Donkey Sanctuaries are always looking to rehome rescued animals and these animals generally make very docile field companions - particularly those in their teens who just want a quiet life. Finding the right companion is crucial to ensuring your mare's safety. Temperament of a newcomer must therefore be the over-riding consideration. An older horse on loan would also be a possibility but you should avoid youngsters (too exuberant) or a very dominant mare/gelding (too much of a threat). Keeping your horse stabled is not a viable long-term solution as you quite rightly point out, but perhaps it is the safest while you assess your options in terms of finding a suitable companion. Any introductions of possible candidates should be done while you are with your mare so that she understands you are there to protect her and supervise the behaviour of the newcomer. If your stables have open partitions it might be the best option to introduce any potential companion by stabling them next to each other (out of harm's way but they can still get acquainted). The introduction process should be gradual while allowing your mare to become used to another animal without the risk of bodily injury. We really hope this has helped you at such a difficult time and please do let us know how you get on. Thanks from the team at Total Horse Expert.com
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