Blind Horse Lost His Companion

[kris0227]

Hello Everyone!

I’m still trying to decide how best to deal with this situation especially as riding season approaches. I have a blind Friesian, Jacob, who is fully retired as he wasn’t very reliable under saddle prior to his blindness. Jacob had a seeing eye horse friend, Trigger, who was retired due to lameness. Trigger used to wear a broodmare collar of sleigh bells 24/7 while turned out with Jacob so Jacob could always find him. Trigger was a superior seeing eye horse, he assisted Jacob with everything, finding the water and shelter and even offering reassurance when Jacob would get upset. It was remarkable to watch the bond they formed and how Trigger instinctively knew how to care for Jacob.

Unfortunately, we lost Trigger to colic around New Years. We pulled Jacob from his big pasture and put him in the small paddock (he is very familiar with this space) with my ponies (he knows them too) for the time being. My ponies have all paired themselves off and Jacob is kind of the third wheel. Not only that, but the only horse I have that could be on grass pasture with Jacob during the summer is my fiance’s riding horse. Obviously, this is a concern for when we want to ride. I don’t like moving Jacob back and forth between the paddock/pasture for short term stints as I feel this can cause some confusion for him.

My options at this point are to find a lease horse that might be suitable, obviously then we are taking a chance that it wouldn’t get along with Jacob or wouldn’t be able to take care of him like Trigger did. Put my fiance’s riding horse out with Jacob and deal with the potential issues when we want to ride. Or turn my back pasture (3 acres) into a hay field and keep Jacob up in the small paddock with the ponies.

My concern with him being with the ponies long term is that I have a yearling Norwegian Fjord filly that is vision impaired, she is not blind, she does see, but I question if she should be out with a completely blind friesian for safety reasons.

Thoughts?

[hairystockings]

If you’re willing to take on another horse that could be his pasture buddy, there is no shortage of those types seeking new homes. I’m sure you could find one for a free lease or one where someone would either outright sign the horse over or ask a small adoption type fee for another retiree. If it were my horse and I were in a position to take another one on, it’s what I would do.

[Marla_100]

My young, 2 yr. old, ASB became a seeing eye buddy for an old blind mare that came to the boarding barn. Within a few days
she whipped him into shape and he willingly abided by her directions. She always wanted him on one side of her so she’d know where he was and if he drifted to the wrong side, she quickly reminded him where he should be. It was amazing to watch the two of them. They had a routine that worked symbiotically for both of them.
I know not all horses will do this willingly. I’d say find a young horse that your horse can TRAIN to do the job. My horse was
called a “middle of the pack” kind of gelding and he got along with everyone.
I don’t think your vision impaired fi;lly would work if she doesn’t see well herself. It takes a special kind of horse, one who likes to have good buddies and likes to hook up with others. Good Luck in your search.

[kris0227]

@hairystockings

If you’re willing to take on another horse that could be his pasture buddy, there is no shortage of those types seeking new homes. I’m sure you could find one for a free lease or one where someone would either outright sign the horse over or ask a small adoption type fee for another retiree. If it were my horse and I were in a position to take another one on, it’s what I would do.

I’m honestly not looking for a long term retiree. I know those are plentiful. Jacob is getting on in years and I don’t want to end up with another retiree companion-less. Honestly, we thought we would lose Jacob long before Trigger, and I don’t believe Jacob with his health issues, has more than a couple of years in him.

I am strongly considering the lease option, however, and I have a gelding in mind. Jacob really struggled with Trigger’s death initially, and now seems just… lost. I have five horses total, the other’s had already paired off and so Jacob is by himself, without a true buddy. He gets along with the others, but they are more concerned with their respective friend to really be of any assistance to him.

[kris0227]

@Marla 100

My young, 2 yr. old, ASB became a seeing eye buddy for an old blind mare that came to the boarding barn. Within a few days
she whipped him into shape and he willingly abided by her directions. She always wanted him on one side of her so she’d know where he was and if he drifted to the wrong side, she quickly reminded him where he should be. It was amazing to watch the two of them. They had a routine that worked symbiotically for both of them.
I know not all horses will do this willingly. I’d say find a young horse that your horse can TRAIN to do the job. My horse was
called a “middle of the pack” kind of gelding and he got along with everyone.
I don’t think your vision impaired fi;lly would work if she doesn’t see well herself. It takes a special kind of horse, one who likes to have good buddies and likes to hook up with others. Good Luck in your search.

Don’t worry, no plans to put the vision impaired filly with him, but he’s currently in with the ponies which includes the filly. My fiance’s riding horse is the obvious candidate, but… he’s bonded with the yearling filly (ugh) and when we ride during the summer, I’m afraid this will send the reactive blind friesian into a tail spin while his friend is gone.

[fjordmom]

Never had a blind horse, so don’t have practical experience to offer, but…

Your mention of the vision impaired filly made me wonder — will she also need a seeing-eye buddy someday? If so, would it be worth acclimating her to that routine early on? Could seeing-eye buddy, vision impaired filly, and blind horse be pastured together. If the seeing-eye and the filly both wore collars with bells blind horse could navigate with both of them. Put different tone bells on each horse so its easy to tell them apart.

From a safety standpoint, I’d be concerned having the ponies and big, blind horse together for a host of differing reasons. I’d go for finding a horse size buddy if you can do so. Once the filly is full size, as a Fjord, she is likely to be able to do just fine with full size horses. I’ve had mixed Fjord & horses herd for years no problem. Especially if buddy is of calm, non-confrontational demeanor, I wouldn’t be worried about that kind of combination.

Good luck. Curious to hear what you do and how everyone adjusts.

[kris0227]

@fjordmom

Never had a blind horse, so don’t have practical experience to offer, but…

Your mention of the vision impaired filly made me wonder — will she also need a seeing-eye buddy someday? If so, would it be worth acclimating her to that routine early on? Could seeing-eye buddy, vision impaired filly, and blind horse be pastured together. If the seeing-eye and the filly both wore collars with bells blind horse could navigate with both of them. Put different tone bells on each horse so its easy to tell them apart.

From a safety standpoint, I’d be concerned having the ponies and big, blind horse together for a host of differing reasons. I’d go for finding a horse size buddy if you can do so. Once the filly is full size, as a Fjord, she is likely to be able to do just fine with full size horses. I’ve had mixed Fjord & horses herd for years no problem. Especially if buddy is of calm, non-confrontational demeanor, I wouldn’t be worried about that kind of combination.

Good luck. Curious to hear what you do and how everyone adjusts.

The vision impaired filly, Gracie, has limited vision on the right side and lights and darks only on left side. Her vision impairment is NOT progressive, she was born this way.

And for clarification, ponies is a fjord, a mini, a yearling fjord, and a paint horse (that’s the “pony” herd anyway). I have one fjord and the mini separated from the others for the very real safety concerns you mentioned about size. Oddly enough, before Jacob lost his vision, he and the mini were buddies and loved hanging out together.

I have considered turning the paint horse (the aforementioned fiance’s riding horse) and the yearling fjord out on pasture with Jacob, but once the fjord is “of age”, I likely won’t want her on pasture for health reasons (fat on air!). My other concern with this is that the paint and fjord yearling are best buds and Jacob is kind of a third wheel already, I’m afraid this would get worse with the additional space… but I’m not sure. The paint is currently wearing the bell collar so Jacob can find him if need be, but he’s able to navigate the small mud lot pretty efficiently on his own.

[hairystockings]

I’m sure you could find a horse to lease for a year or two. That’s a tough situation if he already has considerable health problems of his own and you’re not sure how long he will last. If he continues to seem lost and you feel like his quality of life isn’t the same a perfectly acceptable option is picking a beautiful day and giving him a dignified end full of his favorite cookies and love. There is no shame in that, you have clearly given him a wonderful life thus far.

[kris0227]

@hairystockings

I’m sure you could find a horse to lease for a year or two. That’s a tough situation if he already has considerable health problems of his own and you’re not sure how long he will last. If he continues to seem lost and you feel like his quality of life isn’t the same a perfectly acceptable option is picking a beautiful day and giving him a dignified end full of his favorite cookies and love. There is no shame in that, you have clearly given him a wonderful life thus far.

This has crossed my mind as well and is certainly an option on the table. It’s a little hard to consider so fresh off the loss of Trigger. Unfortunately, Jacob has cushings, is blind, and is a non-sweater… so summer is rough for him. I have to sedate him to be able to body clip him and I always said if his quality of life slips too much, then the decision will be made. I haven’t felt we’ve come to that point yet, but it is always in the back of my mind considering his health conditions.

[fjordmom]

@kris0227

The vision impaired filly, Gracie, has limited vision on the right side and lights and darks only on left side. Her vision impairment is NOT progressive, she was born this way.

…

I have considered turning the paint horse (the aforementioned fiance’s riding horse) and the yearling fjord out on pasture with Jacob, but once the fjord is “of age”, I likely won’t want her on pasture for health reasons (fat on air!). My other concern with this is that the paint and fjord yearling are best buds and Jacob is kind of a third wheel already, I’m afraid this would get worse with the additional space… but I’m not sure. The paint is currently wearing the bell collar so Jacob can find him if need be, but he’s able to navigate the small mud lot pretty efficiently on his own.

If Jacob is currently in with the paint horse and the Fjord filly, would he be OK with the filly when the paint goes off for a ride. It may not be ideal, but would it work?

I hear you on the air fern Fjords. I have two. One is 25 with IR and signs of Cushings, though not testing as such. The other is a lease to be his companion. The two of them go out on pasture without issue but they are muzzled at all times when they are out. Being in the great white north, pasture is only really a factor May - November in normal years. (This winter has been a challenge. Seriously considered muzzles when we had an inch of snow on the ground.) They come in at night, partly to allow me to control their diets better and partly to keep the gnats away from the leased Fjord who has sweet itch.

Jacob is lucky to have you caring for him so well. You will find a solution even if it takes some trial and error.

[4horses]

I think i would turn him out with the paint horse at night and the fjord during the day. That way he always has a buddy and you can ride the paint. Assuming everyone gets along. And it will limit turnout time for the easy keepers. If that doesn’t work, i would get an old horse in it’s late 20s. Lots of rescues have old horses that need placement, even if you are only willing to foster until your blind horse passes. If the horses get along, it’s a win win for everyone.

[kris0227]

@fjordmom

If Jacob is currently in with the paint horse and the Fjord filly, would he be OK with the filly when the paint goes off for a ride. It may not be ideal, but would it work?

I hear you on the air fern Fjords. I have two. One is 25 with IR and signs of Cushings, though not testing as such. The other is a lease to be his companion. The two of them go out on pasture without issue but they are muzzled at all times when they are out. Being in the great white north, pasture is only really a factor May - November in normal years. (This winter has been a challenge. Seriously considered muzzles when we had an inch of snow on the ground.) They come in at night, partly to allow me to control their diets better and partly to keep the gnats away from the leased Fjord who has sweet itch.

Jacob is lucky to have you caring for him so well. You will find a solution even if it takes some trial and error.

wait wait wait… you can get a fjord to keep a muzzle on?!? My mare (in my avatar picture) gets violently angry at the muzzle, runs around with her head down swatting with her feet trying to get it off. So… she lives in a dry lot so I don’t have to worry about it. Lol.

And to answer your question… I really don’t know if it would work. That might have to be a trial and error type of deal. Jacob is a highly reactive horse on top of being blind. So his defense is to run… as you can imagine, a 1600 lb freight train of a blind friesian running around losing his marbles is rather intimidating. Honestly, I thought I’d have to put him down if I lost Trigger first, and the first morning without Trigger was seriously concerning, but he eventually did settle down (I had oral sedatives on hand from the vet in case, but I don’t think I would have been able to catch him to administer).

[kris0227]

@4horses

I think i would turn him out with the paint horse at night and the fjord during the day. That way he always has a buddy and you can ride the paint. Assuming everyone gets along. And it will limit turnout time for the easy keepers. If that doesn’t work, i would get an old horse in it’s late 20s. Lots of rescues have old horses that need placement, even if you are only willing to foster until your blind horse passes. If the horses get along, it’s a win win for everyone.

I do 24/7 turnout for Jacob and his buddy, I do try to really limit changes to his world as he is highly reactive and sensitive. I’m not sure how he will do with the fjord filly as a buddy, it might be something we try while he’s still in the small paddock so we can better control the situation. I’m still concerned a bit that he hasn’t really bonded with them, I mean… he’s interested in being their bestest friend ever, but they are really more into each other and don’t seem to assist him at all. This is what concerns me about going into the bigger field, if they don’t want to help him now in a small paddock, how will he get around the big pasture?

[Milocalwinnings]

I would see if there is a rescue you could foster for. It’s a win-win… you have a buddy for Jacob and could probably try out a couple if the first one doesn’t bond with him, but you have an “out” for when the buddy is no longer needed.

[hairystockings]

@kris0227

This has crossed my mind as well and is certainly an option on the table. It’s a little hard to consider so fresh off the loss of Trigger. Unfortunately, Jacob has cushings, is blind, and is a non-sweater… so summer is rough for him. I have to sedate him to be able to body clip him and I always said if his quality of life slips too much, then the decision will be made. I haven’t felt we’ve come to that point yet, but it is always in the back of my mind considering his health conditions.

That’s a tough combination. My 26 year old has cushings but none of the other issues, it’s still a lot to manage with meds and clipping and watching grass consumption. Jacob is clearly well loved by you, I’m sure whatever you choose to do will be in his best interests.

[kris0227]

@Milocalwinnings

I would see if there is a rescue you could foster for. It’s a win-win… you have a buddy for Jacob and could probably try out a couple if the first one doesn’t bond with him, but you have an “out” for when the buddy is no longer needed.

My only issue with this… ok, maybe I have a couple issues. Don’t fosters usually require additional care/medications/etc? I’m not in a position financially to take on another special needs horse. My other concern would be if the horse did bond with Jake and then got adopted by someone, I’d be right back in the same position. I’ve never fostered an animal, so I honestly don’t know if these are legit concerns or not.

[Twisting]

Not all fosters need medical care. Some just need a space to hang out in. I doubt you would have a hard time finding a horse if you told a rescue you had room for an unridable horse that didn’t require maintenance for a few years.

[kris0227]

@Twisting

Not all fosters need medical care. Some just need a space to hang out in. I doubt you would have a hard time finding a horse if you told a rescue you had room for an unridable horse that didn’t require maintenance for a few years.

Ahh… Ok, I’ll have to ask around.

[fjordmom]

@kris0227

wait wait wait… you can get a fjord to keep a muzzle on?!? My mare (in my avatar picture) gets violently angry at the muzzle, runs around with her head down swatting with her feet trying to get it off. So… she lives in a dry lot so I don’t have to worry about it. Lol

Maybe I’ve been lucky, but yes, my Fjords adjusted surprisingly well to the muzzles. I had expected that their chow hound nature would make it a battle. It took a little bit of trial and error to find the best adjustment for each of them. One likes his fairly tight and in contact with his lips, the other prefers looser. You might try a few different adjustments to see if your mare becomes more accepting. Maybe it tickles or pinches somewhere, making her fussy about it.

One other thing I do is that the muzzle “delivers” occasional random surprise treats — a bite of carrot or apple, some little nugget they like. It’s not often, but every once in a while they’ll find something in it as I put it on or when I pay a random visit in the field. Smart boys that they are, they seem to keep their hopes up.

The only time my one boy actually took his off gave my DD and I the biggest laugh of our lives. Late one afternoon, I had taken the muzzle off my OTTB who only wore it a few hours a day. When we came back out of the barn, there was the Fjord’s muzzle and halter sitting neatly on the mounting block just outside the paddock. (He could reach it by sticking his head through.) He stood there quietly with a look on his face that could only have said “here, I think you forgot this one. Glad to be of help in delivering it to you.” He has always had a sense of humor and we never laughed so hard in our lives. Yes, I did let him have a half hour of grass without the muzzle. He never took it off again. Worst he ever does is rub it on the gate if I bring the other Fjord in first at night. He knows the meaning of a stern verbal "quit. " That’s all it takes to put an end to that.

[kris0227]

A little update about this… the last two days have been pretty rough for Jacob. It is definitely clear that the paint and fjord filly have no interest in assisting him. He was wandering around aimlessly this morning looking for morning hay while they happily munched on the other end of the paddock. So, while they are both nice horses, seeing eye horse is not the job for them.

There is a horse I leased last year for my fiance to learn to ride on that was turned out with Jacob, he was a nice soul and him and Jacob became friends. I checked with the owner and she is amenable to him being Jacob’s seeing eye horse. We will have to wait until we are ready to open our back pasture again (several huge wind storms have sent our run in shelter packing like a sail!), but we are going to try him out. If he doesn’t work out, we’ll have to investigate some other options.