# do the eyes tell all?



## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

I have heard the same thing for years but I havn't noticed a difference in the horse's eyes and their trainability, it's all the same too me. However; I prefer the look of a kind soft eye of any color, it just makes the horse look more willing and loving as opposed to a "hard eye".


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## Kirsti Arndt (Jun 23, 2008)

just like people the spirit of an animal shows in its eyes-look at a bunch of horse face pictures and you will soon be able to tell a kind eye from a not so good eye-i think eye color has nothing to do with it.


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## dame_wolf (Aug 15, 2008)

I think my boy has a kind eye and he shows the whites (of course he is an appy).


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## CremelloCowboy (Aug 14, 2008)

I wouldnt go so far as to say the color of the eye matters (my horse has blue eyes so I am biased haha) but I think the shape of the eye does. You can usually tell a horses disposition just by looking at the shape of the eye. But also remember not to stare intensely at the horses eye because in the wild that would be what a preditor would do or another horse to chase it off, so it may become scared if you stare at them.


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## farmpony84 (Apr 21, 2008)

I agree. It's in the eye, but it's the softness of the eye. 2 of mine have the whites that show in their eyes. I think when they say you don't want to see the whites, it's when the horse is so nervous he's got his eyes all wide and fiery and you can see the whites becuase of the fear or the attitude, not from when they are just colored or shaped that way.....


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## PoptartShop (Jul 25, 2010)

It can be the eye, but I wouldn't say every horse with a soft eye could be timid & what not.


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## sandy2u1 (May 7, 2008)

thanks for all the informative posts! I hesitated to even ask that because I thought you might all think i was looney lol. Im not real sure id recognize those hard eyes...so im gonna check out some horse picks and see if i can tell soft from hard eyes. Thanks again everyone!


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## farmpony84 (Apr 21, 2008)

I have got to get my home computer running right so I can really play with my pix! Here's some kind eyes... although, they aren't very close up...


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## 4EverPainted (Jul 18, 2008)

my boy has a half blue eye and is isn't much trouble,lol. I dont really know though but here is his 'kind eye':


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## sandy2u1 (May 7, 2008)

all of the horses look like they have very kind eyes....they all look so sweet and gentle. Anybody got a pic of the eyes to avoid? the crazy eyes?


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## kickshaw (May 7, 2008)

i say it's not so much the color of the eye, but the size of the eye that matters. I always look for a horse with BIG brown eyes - - I've always heard and gone by the saying "small eyes = crazy or stupid and large eyes = bigger brain". I've found it to be true so far...

I would say that these horses have pig eyes, and would not consider them: 


















this horse on the other hand, has large, soft eyes - I would consider him: 











hope that helps!


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## sandy2u1 (May 7, 2008)

yeah that helps a lot actually. I can really tell a difference in the pics you have shown. thanks everyone for the pics and advice! I would say looking at all the pics that the eyes do give you a certain feeling about the horse.


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## Juno21 (Jun 17, 2008)

yea I herd things like that too! Also if the horse has a all white face or have blues eyes they can be more wild or crazy! thats what I was told but i never really worked with a horse with blue eyes so I couldn't tell you if its true or not!


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## 4EverPainted (Jul 18, 2008)

Juno21 said:


> yea I herd things like that too! Also if the horse has a all white face or have blues eyes they can be more wild or crazy! thats what I was told but i never really worked with a horse with blue eyes so I couldn't tell you if its true or not!


Boo has both a white face and a blue eye and hes pretty sweet,lol. Or maybe Im screwed. :shock:


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## melinda27858 (Dec 27, 2007)

My appy has one blue eye and one brown/part blue eye.....he isn't crazy. He acts like a mischevious little boy sometimes, but he certainly isn't evil!


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## Juno21 (Jun 17, 2008)

4EverPainted said:


> Juno21 said:
> 
> 
> > yea I herd things like that too! Also if the horse has a all white face or have blues eyes they can be more wild or crazy! thats what I was told but i never really worked with a horse with blue eyes so I couldn't tell you if its true or not!
> ...


lol maybe! :lol: well like I said it just what I have been told I didn't know if its true or not!!!!


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## CremelloCowboy (Aug 14, 2008)

> when they are just colored or shaped that way.....


I guess i should elaborate on what I meant by shaped. I meant if a horse has small "pig" shaped eyes that is not usually a good thing. And if a horse has large "round/oval" shaped eyes that is what is usually refered to as a kind eye. 

As for the color issue, I have heard many many things, seeing as my horse is cremello. "Did you know that your horse is blind" "Did you know your horse can't see in the dark" "Did you know your horse has a small brain and will not learn like regular horses"... just to name a few. Although I have also heard an old myth that a horse with one blue eye has the soul of the devil. But I don't belive that of course. :roll: :wink:


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## Dumas'_Grrrl (Apr 2, 2008)

Here are a few pictures of Dumas. The first one is up close and he wasn't watching me as I took the picture. The second one is him just everyday happy eating grass relaxed. And the third is his wide eyed, gimme the dang grass and what are you doing over there look. 

Dumas has been called crazy and Dumas has been the biggest, most gentle creature on this earth. It is not *all* in the eye, but I do believe there is a depth in the eyes that reflects in the personality.


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## upnover (Jan 17, 2008)

CremelloCowboy said:


> Although I have also heard an old myth that a horse with one blue eye has the soul of the devil.



HAHAHA, I knew a mare with one blue eye and she _did_ have the soul of the devil.....


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## IcelandicHorses4Life (Jul 1, 2008)

I sometimes ride a horse with blue eyes and big white blaze and he is like a kitten ! Nothing crazy or bad with that horse :wink: 
I don't belive that thing with the eyes :roll:


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## 4EverPainted (Jul 18, 2008)

> Although I have also heard an old myth that a horse with one blue eye has the soul of the devil.


Yeah, umm not true,lol. boo may be mischeovious and misbehave but he is not like a devil.[/quote]


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## CremelloCowboy (Aug 14, 2008)

Don't worry I dont belive it. LOL... I was just stating that I have heard many crazy things that have to do with a horses eye color. Personally I think the color of the eye has nothing to do with how a horse acts.


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## o0hawaiigirl0o (Aug 8, 2008)

Yeah, I don't really think that you can judge a horse by the shape or color of their eyes. Some just happen to have really expressive eyes, and some don't. There will be horses with the brownest, calmest eyes that are awful to be around and then blue eyed ones who are the sweetest and vice versa.


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## 4EverPainted (Jul 18, 2008)

yeah, i know. :lol:


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## BraideeMyBaby (Aug 22, 2008)

you know ive always heard that but im not sure if my horse is like that or not :?


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## reininfool15 (Aug 3, 2008)

the eyes of a horse have shown me nothing my mare who i love so much had big brown eye i had never heard of the saying thing you were talking about but she does have a big brain but my other horse the white of her eyes always show but she is 1/2 app. but i know a horse with really really small eyes and he is super smart and blue eyes he is the sweetest horse ever. and then i know this one HORSE THE BIGGEST BROWNEST EYES EVER THAT MORON HORSE TRIED TO KILL ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## geewillikers (May 4, 2008)

One heck of a kind eye:


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## FGRanch (Feb 9, 2008)

I don't think an eye really makes the horse. 

Most of my horses have very kind eyes, but my cutting bred mare has what you guys are calling "Pig Eyes." She is a very kind mare and would never think about hurting anyone. Above all she is a dream to train and one of the fastest learning horses I have ever met, and I met alot. Some of my horses with a "Kind Eye" are real brats and would dump you as soon as they find the oppurtunity.


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## mudypony (Jan 30, 2008)

I don't think the eye tells you too much. Yes, I usually prefer a nice big and kind brown eye. But I also think blue eyes are amazingly cool too. 

The only horse I have ridden with a blue eye was Junior and he was a brat on the ground but a dream in the saddle (mostly :wink: ). But I blamed his attitude on his former owner who was not the kindest person. Despite his terrible problems on the ground (kicking, biting, rearing...) I ended up leasing him for 2 years. 

Personally I wouldn't just buy a horse just because they have a kind eye, I would get to know their personality and how they act on the ground and undersaddle before buying a horse.


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## TheVelveteenPony (Aug 22, 2008)

My horse has half a blue eye! :shock: 
Makes her look a little crazy but close up it looks really cool. People are always telling me it's a cataract which drives me crazy. ( I had the vet look at it during the vet check, it's definitely not)
Like other people have said, I think the old "white eye" thing is partly a wive's tale. A horse that is scared or really nervous will show the whites of its eyes, but that's temporary. A naturally white rimmed eye (Appys for example) does not indicate temperment.


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## dame_wolf (Aug 15, 2008)

I love her eye! Adds personality.


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## geewillikers (May 4, 2008)

I think she has an extremely kind eye. IMO kind eyes don't have to be brown at all! It's all about body language. Look at a horse's eye when it's going through different experiences. This is a great way to check out part of their personality- it's never failed me!


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## my2geldings (Feb 18, 2008)

I have also heard this for years. A horse's eye has turned me off some horses. I don't know that it actually means anything temper wise or has anything to do with intelligence. I have seen many horses who had smaller eyes who were actually more intelligent and learned more easily than there counter parts.
I think it's just a conformation fault. It's much nicer to look at a horse with nice big expressive eyes than a horse that is really has smaller eyes and looks pig eyed.


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## Wallaby (Jul 13, 2008)

My instructor lady has a horse with one blue eye and he is basically the calmest horse ever (it took her a year to convince him to canter after she got him and she's a really good rider). I've also ridden a horse with two blue eyes quite extensively and he wasn't more of a troublemaker than a normal horse is. I think the wildness/calmness of a horse really depends on it's training level and how much experience it has.


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