He’s on outdoor turnout when weather allows . Indoor when not . Much better obviously in the outdoor but I live where it does snow so outdoor riding year round isn’t an option for us …
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I’m struggling to find a trainer that seems to be able to “help”. I understand being ready for the spook and I am for sure but I am not getting help … in trainers … helping keeping the mind busy or even help … “prep” for the spook for lack of a better word and it doesn’t always happen, in the indoor the one wall is the back wall of stalls on the oppose side and there is one horse who just loves to kick the walk … but you never know if she’s going to or not . He will react to the kicking in either direction though . He is just reactive . In the outdoor he’s a different animal … but coming into the indoor is another story, but the indoor is important because … I live where it snows so the outdoor isn’t available year round.
@findeight good to know that I’m not on the wrong track and that he’s not “being bad” … I’ve always thought he just needs more time and more work. It’s a process.
Heck no, horses don’t plan to “ be bad”, they just react. Almost everything we think of as calculated, bad behavior is simply a defensive action caused by fear or pain. Sometimes it continues to be repeated for so long it becomes a learned habit so even if the fear/pain is removed, the habit continues.
So you need to get ahead of this.
Perhaps a barn with better lighting overall, a brighter indoor and better management is a possibility? Maybe they’d even have somebody who could help you with him? Just sounds like this barn creates problems. More professionally operated barn and with better lighting would alleviate much of your strife? Yeah, trainer would be helpful too but they don’t need to be a show oriented genius, just well grounded common sense basics. Doesn’t even need to be in your discipline, what you and horse need is basics.
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I do not know if this would work with a horse with a new case of really bad vision in one eye.
My riding teacher rescued an Arabian gelding literally from the jaws of death from animal control (the horse was biting the people there.) He is a SUPER alert horse all the time under saddle. First I got him the D’yon blinkers which helped some.
Then I bought him the Fenwick Face Mask with ears. He now settles down, listens to his rider more than his fears, and other people other than my riding teacher can now ride him safely because he stopped his sudden, for no apparent reason, shying behavior, and he no longer acts like he is on the highest alert level the whole ride even on strange trails.
If nothing else is working this piece of gear may help you.
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Theres a thought. Have you stuffed his ears? It does not block all sound but muffles it, many horses show and even race with them. I found them invaluable in spring when ice slides off indoor arena roof.
Thinking it might be something you can try without spending anything. Might make him more comfortable and less reactive. He can still hear enough to avoid being surprised.
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OP mentioned in the first post that he wears ear plugs and an Equifit noise muffling bonnet.
My riding teacher’s horse had problems with stuff he saw behind him out of the corner of his eye. The D’yon blinkers stopped him bolting without any warning.
The mask helps with all the other stuff this super sensitive horse suspicious horse was scared of, especially off to the side on trails.
I could tell at first that my riding teacher really did not think that the mask would work. I had no idea if the mask would work, but it was the only non-medical thing that sounded that it might work.
Sometimes my riding teacher forgets to put the face mask on. She regrets forgetting it after a super “exciting” ride.
I don’t have a ton of input but wanted to offer some encouragement. Your horse is still learning how to deal with his new reality, and honestly ‘low’ vision in an eye is often worse than ‘no’ vision in it, IME.
A lesson pony I grew up with lost her eye for one reason or another, but went on to pack kids around the 2’ and under job for over a decade. She managed just fine, no special riding required to get around simple hunter courses. Ironically, she was about as much of a seeing eye dog as they get 
.
There have been several other horses in my time that have lost eyes and gone back to riding and showing, and I believe there’s one going around Eventing or SJ right now that wears a pirate eyepatch! The horses I know personally eventually didn’t require anything special to handle except for more space rolling back to jumps on the blind side.
Every horse is an individual, and they often need more time than we think to adapt, but plenty of horses have lost vision and become rideable and manageable on the ground. I don’t think special masks and supplements and a stack of equipment are what this horse needs as much as TIME and PATIENCE and good groundwork to learn how to manage himself in space with confidence. OP you sound like you want the best for him, and I think he can certainly become a willing partner if you take some huge steps back and give him time.
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My mare is sound reactive, it’s gotten much better as she’s gotten older. Her 4yo year was maddening!
Anyways, what really helped us, was playing music on my cell during the ride. I found that the music would always follow us around the arena (phone being on my person) so there was a constant noise. Versus a radio in one corner. I also played music I could sing to, that would help with my stress by keeping me breathing & something other than a spook to focus on. It’s been great, over the past year we’ve graduated from ear plugs & sound bonnet to just the music. Good luck!
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