# Blue eyed horses, how do you...



## MyBoySi (Dec 1, 2011)

Why not ride her in a fly mask if you think it's an issue? I've ridden my gelding tons on a particularly wooded trail with tons of bugs and it doesn't bother him.


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## Nikkibella (Mar 10, 2012)

I second the fly mask. I believe there are special ones you can buy to ride in but and old fly mask will be fine under a bridle while riding
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Elizabeth Bowers (Jan 26, 2012)

The only reason i think its an issue because when riding her on bright sunny days last summer she would spook at things she couldn't see until they were right under her nose, and she would not go down a trail if walking in direct light, she would put her nose to the ground to make sure it was there. 
I thought about it, but i didn't know if anyone ever had before LOL


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## verona1016 (Jul 3, 2011)

My horse is cremello and I also see him squinting a bit on very bright days. He wears a fly mask during turnout for sunny days, but I don't usually put anything on him for trail rides. Mostly we ride in wooded areas, and he rarely spooks. I haven't noticed him being any spookier out in full sunshine versus cloudy days.


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## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

We had a mare that we bred that had one blue eye and one brown eye. I can't say that she ever showed signs of 'spooking' on that one side or of being light sensitive but a think a face mask would be a good idea especially if she's also got pink skin around her eyes that makes her prone to sunburn


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## Elizabeth Bowers (Jan 26, 2012)

Yep def pink skin, and me nearly sunburnt LOL. Though i haven't had an issue with sunburn since i'v owned her.


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## ecasey (Oct 18, 2013)

My instructor has a baby blue eyed pony and he has a fly mask on at all times in the summer and when the sun is out in the winter, even during lessons.


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## Mulefeather (Feb 22, 2014)

Cashel makes "quiet ride" masks, like a fly mask your horse can wear over it's bridle. I don't see anything listed where it offers UV protection, but I would think it would provide your horse with at least some physical shading from the sun.


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## Corporal (Jul 29, 2010)

I like the idea of a fly mask bc of it's purpose, but honestly, I think you have a sight or a training problem. My old big barrelled pony (13.2hh) Pony, "Toma," (1970-2004) was a paint with a brown face, blaze and *two blue eyes. *I owned him from 1985 until his death. 
He spooked at nothing. 
On the other hand, my brown eyed cremello, "Dandy Silver Moon," was going blind at age 7. He started spooking at shadows, and kicked me in the head before I had him checked out.

Toma on left, Dandy Silver Moon on the right


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## Elizabeth Bowers (Jan 26, 2012)

She's not going blind thats for sure, nothing i mean ABSOLUTELY NOTHING gets past her. She pays more attention things than my other brown eyed horses do. I will give riding her in a fly mask a try. She is still fairly green, but i'v never owned a total blue eyed horse before. She's finally used to the pigs, she's super curious about the cows, and is getting over her fear of vehicles, quads and other noisy movable objects. I know her past, and she wasn't exposed to much when she was sold to her previous owner. I know a good bit of it was her training and experience.
Thanks everyone!! 

She has never spooked on wooded trails, or shaded paths.


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## Corporal (Jul 29, 2010)

I'm glad that she has no sight problems, but blue eyes don't work any better than brown ones do for a horse. It's all about skin pigmint.
People were always asking me if Toma was blind, and it got a little old.
Do get the fly mask.


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## verona1016 (Jul 3, 2011)

Corporal said:


> I like the idea of a fly mask bc of it's purpose, but honestly, I think you have a sight or a training problem. My old big barrelled pony (13.2hh) Pony, "Toma," (1970-2004) was a paint with a brown face, blaze and *two blue eyes. *I owned him from 1985 until his death.
> He spooked at nothing.
> On the other hand, my brown eyed cremello, "Dandy Silver Moon," was going blind at age 7. He started spooking at shadows, and kicked me in the head before I had him checked out.
> 
> Toma on left, Dandy Silver Moon on the right


A little off topic, but no such thing as a brown eyed cremello. Looks like a lighter colored palomino, though the photo's not the best for judging color.


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## Corporal (Jul 29, 2010)

I didn't know that. I guess the person that registered him didn't know it either.


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## Zexious (Aug 2, 2013)

^I thought cremellos (sp?) could have hazel-ish eyes? How interesting!

My suggestion, too, was going to be fly mask xD Let us know how that works out for you!


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## verona1016 (Jul 3, 2011)

Most cremellos have light blue eyes, some have greenish eyes. All will have pink skin all over (which is what really gives away Corporal's horse as palomino, since it looks like you can see the dark skin on his muzzle)

Mine has one blue:









And one that's kind of a flat green-ish tan:









The darkest eyes I've heard of for cremello is Amberfields Desperado, and they describe his eyes as "greenish with amber flecks"


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## PaintHorseMares (Apr 19, 2008)

Corporal said:


> I like the idea of a fly mask bc of it's purpose, but honestly, I think you have a sight or a training problem. My old big barrelled pony (13.2hh) Pony, "Toma," (1970-2004) was a paint with a brown face, blaze and *two blue eyes. *I owned him from 1985 until his death.
> He spooked at nothing.


Our lead mare Angel is a bay tobi with 2 two blue eyes. She never has problem with sunlight or adjust to changes in the light. She is "bombproof", but I'm sure it nothing to do with her eye color. I have had to tell countless people that she does not have cataracts, though.


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## its lbs not miles (Sep 1, 2011)

Over 40 years ago I was given a young, white (not gray) QH filly (unregistered...didn't have DNA tests back then and there was no such thing as a white or paint QH...even if both parents were registered, foundation stock :lol:...fortunately the AQHA has had to grow up some since then and yield to DNA :lol who had blue eyes. She spent her life in sunny SC, worked cattle, did 30-40 mile daily rides over long weekends, never had any issues. One of the best horses I've ever owned and the best horse I've ever ridden for working.
Of course if I'd listen to a lot of people back then the poor horse was doomed. White feet = soft feet which meant there was going to be a problem since we never shod any of our horses (and she spent her life with beautiful feet, hard as a rock from riding on roads), she was going to go blind, or at best have eye issues, because she had blue eyes (but somehow that never happened either :lol.
I've often wondered how some of the old wives tales got started.
Fact is a horse with blue eyes just has a blue iris. It still works the same.
Just like a white hoof is actually just as hard as a black hoof (providing they've had the same conditioning).
Now exposed pink skin will burn, but that's a different issue :lol:


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## Alexandra V (Jul 6, 2013)

Fly masks do a world of difference for horses with sensitive eyes. Try to find one that offers UV protection as well, since the lighter pigment skin is more susceptible to damage from the sun. 

My old instructor has an appy mare with pretty severe uveitis in one eye, and the light really bothered it. She's more or less blind in that eye completely now, but she still wears a fly mask to help protect her vision in the good eye from retinal damage due to the sun.


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## amberly (Dec 16, 2012)

My white horse has blue eyes but the light -dark or bright - doens't seem to have an affect on him.


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

My cremello will sunburn all over his face, so I have to use sunscreen and keep him in during the harshest sun hours because he refuses to keep a fly mask on. I only tried the long nosed ones and he hated them, so this summer I'm going to try sunscreen and a regular short nosed one. Otherwise, during the heat of the day he has to be in to protect that light pigment and those blue eyes. I didn't get to ride him out on trail last year, this year I'll try the Cashel Quiet Ride mask and see if that helps too. 










Cashel Company: QUIET RIDE MASK STANDARD


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## Elizabeth Bowers (Jan 26, 2012)

I have 1 that has UV protection, i got it for my paint mare who has 1/2 blue eye, and pink skin around both. And one that is black but doesn't have UV protection. I will try the quiet ride for sure!! And on sunny days both my girls wear their flymasks, though the one with UV protection doesn't fit Chloe's huge head. So i'm off to get one that will fit her noggin!!
Here's a pic of my paint mares eye...


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## GodGirl11 (Jan 10, 2013)

I've seen fly masks designed specifically for riding at Dover  And be careful with that skin! I knew a gray horse who ended up passing away, and he had skin cancer


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## SammysMom (Jul 20, 2013)

My guy has a pretty blue eye without the benefit of "eyeliner" and a bright pink nose, so I have to leave a full-face mask on him when he's turned out. I've ridden him in it when I'm outside with no tree cover, and he doesn't seem to mind it at all.


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