# Blue eyed horses and temperament???



## annaleah (Jul 6, 2010)

Honestly, I think it is a myth. I've rode horses with blue eyes before and they seemed just fine. But, I have seen blue eyes horses that were a little fiesty too, I believe it all depends on the horse, wether they have blue eyes or not I don't think makes a difference.


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## Tennessee (Dec 7, 2008)

Total myth, more than likely.

I owned a blue eyed, bald faced paint for quite a few years that was gelded at seven and wasn't trained until he was ten, and he was one of the best horses we've owned. He was completely kid safe and didn't have a mean bone in his body.


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## Carleen (Jun 19, 2009)

Haha I'd say a myth.. but I did know this grumpy old gelding who had one blue eye. He was a fantastic beginner's riding horse, but he'd try to bite anything that came near his stall! What a turd! 

I also worked at a barn with a blue eyed horse, she was an angel for leading to her stall and feeding but I never saw how she acted otherwise.


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## JennKzoo (Sep 23, 2010)

See, I'd never heard that before either so it just got me to thinking and wondering. I've known enough horses that did not have blue eyes or anything close and they were butt heads, LOL.


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## paintsrule (Aug 20, 2009)

I have a horse with one blue eye and he is the sweetest, nicest horse. Hes perfect for everyone. Sure he can get a little hyper occasionally, but BARELY and then he calms right down. So thats a myth, for sure.


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## PaintHorseMares (Apr 19, 2008)

Certainly just a myth. Our Paint lead mare has two blue eyes and is the most laid back horse I've ever ridden....go anywhere, do anything, dead broke, never fusses about anything.


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

Yep, total myth. I suspect it may be a bit of a vicious circle of myths there. People who believe the myth treat blue eyed horses as if they are supposed to be monsterous killers and so, they become monsterous killers. People like PHM, who treat them like any other horse end up with nice, well broke horses.


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## Poco1220 (Apr 6, 2010)

I have a mare with two blue eyes and a stallion with two blue eyes. Both are very laid back, eager to work, and as gentle as they get. Total myth.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## BackInTheSaddleAgain (Apr 20, 2009)

My 3 year old has one blue eye and is the best behaved horse I know


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## haviris (Sep 16, 2009)

I think smrobs may be on to something, and yes it's a myth. My first horse had one and a half blue eyes so I got to hear it plenty. Currently of the 4 horses in my family two have two blues and two have one blue each. Of course my horse (w/ one of each) is the best (shhhh don't tell the others I said that).


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## trailqueen (Sep 14, 2010)

My first horse was a cremello with 2 blue eyes. She had had a rough life before I got her and she was always sweet as could be. We used her for a Therapeutic riding program for kids and she was wonderful with them. I wish I had a nickle for ever kid she taught to ride. She was patience personified.


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## PaintHorseMares (Apr 19, 2008)

smrobs said:


> Yep, total myth. I suspect it may be a bit of a vicious circle of myths there. People who believe the myth treat blue eyed horses as if they are supposed to be monsterous killers and so, they become monsterous killers. People like PHM, who treat them like any other horse end up with nice, well broke horses.


Not to hijack the thread, but I firmly believe that this is also the root of much of the stereotypical bad rap that mares get all the time.

p.s. Our mares told me to post this..._or else..._


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## JennKzoo (Sep 23, 2010)

LOL, kind of what I was thinking when she said that, except I thought "all Arabs are crazy and high strung".
Same goes for dogs. All Rotties are mean and viscous (somebody should've told my brothers German bred Rottie that one all he wanted to do was climb in your lap). Or all pit bulls will kill you. 
Just have to settle for the "everyone has their own opinions." :roll:


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## simplyes53 (Jul 2, 2010)

i would say total myth. i have an 11yr bay gelding with two blue eyes and a 2 yr old palomino paint filly with two blue eyes. both are the sweetest, most willing, and trustworthy horses. i love them to pieces and wouldn't trade those blues eyes!! lol


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## dreamrideredc (Apr 16, 2009)

DEFINITELY A MYTH! :wink: I own a paint with two blue eyes and he is fantastic! I absolutely love him and wouldn't trade him for the world


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## MacabreMikolaj (May 9, 2009)

There MAY be a stitch of truth to that myth actually - blue eyes are associated almost strictly with splashed white overos (possibly frame, but no definitive connection yet) and splashed white horses are known for being deaf! The condition usually affects horses with major white that extends into their ears but has been seen to affect all types of splash horses.

So it's possible there's been enough people owning these deaf horses without realizing it that a stereotype was born. The thing about stereotypes is you can't write them off completely - there is often a REASON they exist. It usually isn't a highly accurate reason but you can usually hunt down the source of how it originated.

My partial blue eye is definitely as laidback and quiet as they come, but she also has black ears! :lol: This is an example of a potentially deaf horse and what pattern presents to cause it:








''









"Normal" splashed white (likely not deaf):









Interestingly, this filly HAS dark ears and yet she was born deaf!


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## sarahver (Apr 9, 2010)

PaintHorseMares said:


> Not to hijack the thread, but I firmly believe that this is also the root of much of the stereotypical bad rap that mares get all the time.
> 
> p.s. Our mares told me to post this..._or else..._


Ha ha, loved this :lol: It's TRUE though, mares do get a bad rap and unfairly I believe.

Now as for chestnuts, well they are ALWAYS hot.


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## SorrelHorse (Apr 9, 2009)

MYTH. One hundred percent.

My family has owned paint horses forever and we have had a lot with blue eyes. Some have been crazy, some have been the best horses ever. But then again, we also had some crazy brown-eyed horses. I think its just the fact that a lot of the blue eyed horses are hard to read because their eyes are much more intense, and not soft like brown eyes.


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## trailqueen (Sep 14, 2010)

I think this is like the myth about white hooves. Years ago I asked my farrier if I needed shoes on my cremello because she had white hooves. He said he thought that was a myth made up by old time farriers to sell shoes. Since then most of my horses have had at least 2 wht. socks. I've seen differences in feet between horses and certain bloodlines but not between light and dark feet. 

I think certain myths will perpetuate as long as people keep and ride horses.


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## haviris (Sep 16, 2009)

Most splash whites have colored ears, I don't think deafness is the cause of the stereotype, deaf splashed whites generally tend to be really loud (so easily recognized as a splash), not always of course, but generally and splashed whites don't carry the stereotype of being crazy. I think it's just one of those things that happens, same as the idea that white hooves are weaker. So far I haven't had a crazy blue eyed horse, not saying there aren't some out there just I haven't encountered one (but it wouldn't be because of the blue eyes), don't know that any have been splashes, although I suspect my current one is.

I've heard alot of horror storries about deaf dogs, they are ticking time bombs, they will eat you alive if you touch them while they are sleeping (or not looking), you can't have them around kids, etc. guess what, my deaf dog is nearly 8 and the gentlest thing in the World, I have 15 nephews and one neice (soon another nephew and neice), that have all grown up w/ her and she hasn't eaten one yet! The majority of the poeple that are so sure deaf dogs are dangerous have never had or been around one, and most usually get that from other people w/ no experience and breeders that want to justify having them put down at birth. No one even has a clue she's deaf til I tell them.

I think it's just one of those silly things that once it gets started it will never end.


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## jazzyrider (Sep 16, 2007)

pffft lol ive known a number of blue eyed horses and they have been the exact opposite really.

i think its the same as a friend of mine who says she hates chestnuts cause they are all mad. this was because she rode 1 chestnut who was a little on the nutso side so all of a sudden she is telling everyone that chestnuts are fiery horses. this probably started from one person saying 'i have a horse with a blue eye and its crazy...must be the eye pigmentation' *rolls eyes*

eye pigment or coat colour arent going to make a difference in the horses temperament. i'd just say its bad luck that you have come across so many bad mannered, blue eyed horses


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## Redial (Oct 1, 2010)

I've owned two blue eyed horses both were flighty twitterheads. yet their siblings with brown eyes were really great horses, all raised and trained ont he same farm by the same people...


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## jazzyrider (Sep 16, 2007)

mares or stallions?


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## Redial (Oct 1, 2010)

a gelding and a filly, both Chestnut overos.


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## jazzyrider (Sep 16, 2007)

maybe my friends theory on chestnuts is right then


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