Horses eyesight?

Some of them should definitely wear glasses. Even it's just a designer pair to look

[img]http://images.onesite.com/community.betfair.com/user/guinness2dear/be40...

how would you test their eyesight ?

An eye chart of course......

Very good question. Many years back I owned a share in a decent horse called Jefferies who was a very good jumper until his final season when his jumping fell apart. I asked Carl Llewellyn who rode him most often if horses could get short sighted and his answer was "no idea" but I did wonder.

Mr Ed was longsighted...+1.5 right eye, +2.5 left

I agree sageform, joking aside there must be a difference in their eyesight and it must affect their ability to judge distances and ultimately hurdles or fences.

They could use an autorefractor, they calculate the vision correction a patient needs (refraction) by using sensors that detect the reflections from a cone of infrared light. These reflections are used to determine the size and shape of a ring at the back of the eye called the retina. By measuring this zone, the autorefractor can determine when a patient’s eye properly focuses an image. The instrument changes its magnification until the image comes into focus. The process is repeated in at least three meridians of the eye and the autorefractor calculates the refraction of the eye, sphere, cylinder and axis.
Then comes the problem of the horse caring for its contacts:-)

alternatively they could just get them to read the horse box number plate from 20 metres.

Soon Specsavers will be going round stables. I'm sure that vets must do some checks on horses eyes.

They are checked by the vet when vetted for purchase which would show the presence of any cataracts etc.  However as for how good ones sight is against another, who knows! One eyed horses seem to perform just as well as fully sighted performers so perhaps there is no variation.  A very good question next time the horse vet comes!

I remember seeing a horse once with very strange looking pale blue eyes that looked as if blind but he could see all right.

There are a few horses who are blind in one eye and race successfully.

I remember one where the socket was stitched over.
Then there was the late lamented Eyeballs Out.

As far as I know horses can't focus on anything...therefore they would not be able to judge distance. I think that's the rider's job! 

Horses can cope remarkably well with vision loss. Stories of blind horses traveling familiar paths at a full canter aren?t just urban legends. This ability?to adapt has a downside, however: It can make it difficult to detect changes in your horse's vision until they are fairly advanced. If your horse has uveitis or another condition that may affect his vision, check his eyesight regularly to catch developing problems early. These simple equine vision tests will help you safely assess just how much your horse can see.

Cover one of your horse's eyes with a fly mask or blinder, then toss cotton balls or gauze pads into the field of vision of the other eye. Watch to see whether he follows the objects with his uncovered eye.

Place a garden hose on the ground and walk your horse over it on a loose lead, then repeat with each eye covered. Most horses can see extremely thin?objects and will step over them.



Walk your horse over dark ground that abruptly changes to a light color, such as where black pavement meets light concrete. Visually impaired horses may be wary of stepping on terrain with sudden color changes.



Cover one of your horse's eyes with a fly mask, and wave your hand six inches from the other. Does he react immediately by blinking and/or flinching? Repeat the test on the other side. Do not get your hand too close to the eye, because air currents created by the movement may cause a false reaction.

If any of the results from your tests leave you concerned about your horse's vision,Get A.P.McCoy to ride.

The equine eye is the largest of any land mammal Its visual abilities are directly related to the animal's behavior and the fact that the horse is a flight animal. Both the strengths and weaknesses of the horse's visual abilities should be taken into consideration when training the animal, as an understanding of the horse's eye can help to discover why the animal behaves the way it does in various situations.
Full article.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equine_vision

I was again wondering about Buywise's eyesight yesterday - doesn't seem to see all the fences!