# Deafness in horses?



## LittleRedHorse (Jun 7, 2011)

I'd love to know about your experiences and/or knowledge of it. I'm now nearly certain that my boy is deaf which would explain all the problems I've had with him - what I thought was pure stubbornness is likely miscommunication.


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## Cherie (Dec 16, 2010)

Is your horse a paint? There is a very prevalent deaf gene that is hooked onto the paint gene.

It certainly has not hurt the reining horses that have it. Gunner (registered name is Colonels Smoking Gun) and most of his foals are deaf. They have won over two million dollars. Most of the paint reining horses that I know of are stone deaf.

Other than the obvious -- like you cannot use voice commands -- it does not affect their training in any way. The other thing to watch is to not approach one from the rear. You can startle one very easily if you do. 

The trainers that train them have no problem at all with their deafness. I know some trainers that really like them because they are not distracted by anything they could have heard and are really 'tuned in' to their riders.


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## Cherie (Dec 16, 2010)

I found an old 2007 'Quarter Horse News' article about deafness in pain horses and it has a lot about 'Gunner'. Here it is:


> Equine Genetic Deafness Written by Susan Morrison
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## Cherie (Dec 16, 2010)

Her is the second part of it



> The lethal white gene also affects Paints, but is different than the lack of pigmentation that can cause deafness. The gene that causes lethal white syndrome was identified in 1998 by researchers at the University of Minnesota, in a study partially funded by the American Paint Horse Association. However, lethal white foals also have other physical problems, including fatal defects in their intestinal system, and seldom live longer than a few days.
> Although extensive research has been done on coat color genetics in Paint Horses, mention of deafness is secondary. The APHA’s “Guide to Coat Color Genetics” refers to deafness in a section on the splashed white pattern – that of Gunner. “Some people have observed that many splashed white horses are deaf,” the booklet states. “This is not much of a problem if the trainer realizes the limitations of the horse in question and modifies the training program to meet the horse’s special needs. Many of those horses go on to lead normal and productive lives.”*Gunning for Glory*
> Colonels Smokingun, better known as Gunner, has always been a crowd-pleaser. From the time he claimed the Reserve Championship at the 1996 National Reining Horse Association Futurity with Clint Haverty riding until his final winning show-pen performance at the 2001 United States Equestrian Team Reining Championship with Bryant Pace in the saddle, Gunner incited reining fans into tumultuous cheering and applause.
> Gunner never heard any of it.
> ...


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