Riding with Low Vision

[Impractical_Horsewoman]

A friend of mine has low vision. A few months ago, because of some popular social media articles, I remember discussing with her riders with vision issues who had accomplished pretty incredible things in their respective disciplines (including a young girl eventing in Canada) and a young American who is trying to generate interest in para-dressage.

Obviously, the news being the news, there’s always the most intense focus on the top, talented athletes, but she expressed curiosity about what more introductory lessons were like for people with vision issues. She had ridden a bit at camp as a child, but I think those lessons were pretty nose-to-tail for all riders, and weren’t specifically designed for people with vision issues. I encouraged her to look into it when she had the time to do it, but I was just wondering if anyone had experience with riding with low vision themselves and what she would expect in a lesson?

[Natalie_A]

I do! I was born with a rare disorder that affects the cranial nerves controlling eye movement. I have somewhat fixed with surgery on one side but failed on the other strabismus, no depth perception, and can’t squint so filtering out light is impossible. For me, the main concerns are safety in the arena when there are other horse and rider combos - I can’t tell how far away they are. I ride with a trainer who encouraged me to be responsible for riding well (holding my line, keeping my head up even if I can’t see), but I also give other riders notice that I have a vision impairment and to not be afraid to call out or otherwise let me know if I’ve missed something.

For beginning the riding process those are the main things, I do dressage and that depth perception would be useful sometimes! My circles are forever wonky on the side I can’t really see out of, and a lot of time when I’m aligned right in my body I literally cannot see my horse so have to work off of feel only)

[Impractical_Horsewoman]

@Natalie A

I do! I was born with a rare disorder that affects the cranial nerves controlling eye movement. I have somewhat fixed with surgery on one side but failed on the other strabismus, no depth perception, and can’t squint so filtering out light is impossible. For me, the main concerns are safety in the arena when there are other horse and rider combos - I can’t tell how far away they are. I ride with a trainer who encouraged me to be responsible for riding well (holding my line, keeping my head up even if I can’t see), but I also give other riders notice that I have a vision impairment and to not be afraid to call out or otherwise let me know if I’ve missed something.

For beginning the riding process those are the main things, I do dressage and that depth perception would be useful sometimes! My circles are forever wonky on the side I can’t really see out of, and a lot of time when I’m aligned right in my body I literally cannot see my horse so have to work off of feel only)

Thank you so much for that explanation, that makes so much sense! And FWIW, even though I technically have normal vision with contacts, navigating a crowded arena and negotiating the perfect circle is something I struggle with too!

[Natalie_A]

You’re welcome! I’ll add that I struggle with alignment a lot - I basically walk around slightly crooked to minimize double vision, which can make my horse crooked if I ride aligned the way I operate in everyday life. I spent awhile (and still struggle) with realizing that my horse being straight will never “look” straight - but it can feel straight. If your friend has some vision she probably also does things to compensate, hopefully not making her as crooked as what I do. I accidentally got paired with a biomechanics influenced trainer and that trainer has been invaluable for developing feels and strategies.