Seashells
Well-Known Member
.....Your opinion/ experience/ knowledge on this appreciated becuase I've been told a blue eyed horses are jumpier than dark eyed. At times, I wonder if it's fact.
Do you believe blue eyed horses spook easier?
- Thread starter Seashells
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OhHorsePee
Well-Known Member
I have blue eyes here and to my experience they are not. WOuld Ibuy more blue eyed horses/ponies? Absolutely!
Fran
Fran
Leeana
Well-Known Member
I do not think there is much fact being that fiction
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Jill
Aspiring Cowgirl
I think the ones with pink around their eyes may not see as well in bright sun. I have three double dilutes, of course blue eyed. I'm not sure they see absolutely as well as my other horses in bright sun (but our paddocks are mostly shady). I have a blue eyed colt with eyeliner but have not met him yet... another blue eyed horse I owned, who also sported eyeliner, didn't seem to see any differently (nor be spookier) than my other horses.
PS I myself have blue eyes and I'm brave as they come
PS I myself have blue eyes and I'm brave as they come
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Minimor
Well-Known Member
I haven't had many blue eyed horses, but the few we have had here were no more spooky than any other horse...in fact, less so than some.
minimoesmom
Active Member
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minimoesmom
Active Member
I have a Paint mare that has 2 blue eyes, and she isn't spookier than my other horses, but she doesn't have issues in the summer with her blue eye thats surrounded by pink skin. She sunburns her eyelid very easy and it also seems more sensative to the sun. We try to always keep a fly mask on her, which helps. It seems to water alot, too. Her other eye is blue but surrounded by black skin so it doesn't sunburn. She's a medicine hat so she has an almost completely white face. Her eyes are very pretty and seem to "pop out of her head" when she's startled, sometimes I call them her "creepy eyes". Every-one always remarks on her beautiful blue eyes......Your opinion/ experience/ knowledge on this appreciated becuase I've been told a blue eyed horses are jumpier than dark eyed. At times, I wonder if it's fact.
Becky
love_casper
Well-Known Member
Blue eyes effecting personality is one of those old wives' tales that cowboys go by. There's an older cowboy at my boarding barn who says that. He watched his cowboy buddy try to break a pony filly that had one blue eye...... he was pretty rough so the filly was being difficult...... anyways he says "Man, those blue eyed horses, they're crazy! See she got that one blue eye, they're just not right in the head man. I'd never have a blue eyed horse."
He's had 2 and they didn't work out for him.
My opinion it's got nothing to do with eye color. The calmest, sweetest, gentlest horse I own (my mini Ghost), has blue eyes. Even my stallion has a WONDERFUL disposition and he's got 2 blues.
I think part of it is when they have 1 blue eye and 1 regular, it kind of gives them that "wild" look. So will 2 blues with eyeliner. But like I said I've never seen eye color actually play a part in the way the horse acts. Just one of them crazy things cowboys say.
(another thing on that "wild look" ... check out just the names of blue eyed horses I know: Ghost, Phantom, Mystic, Voodoo ... etc. LOL it's all in our heads)
He's had 2 and they didn't work out for him.
I think part of it is when they have 1 blue eye and 1 regular, it kind of gives them that "wild" look. So will 2 blues with eyeliner. But like I said I've never seen eye color actually play a part in the way the horse acts. Just one of them crazy things cowboys say.
(another thing on that "wild look" ... check out just the names of blue eyed horses I know: Ghost, Phantom, Mystic, Voodoo ... etc. LOL it's all in our heads)
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Carolyn R
Well-Known Member
Not at all. Half of my horses have blue eyes, it is actually one of the things I look for in a horse, just preference, but they do not spook any easier. The only thing I have noticed is like Jill said, they are a little more sensitive to light. Their eyes may tear a little because of that, and actually, they are quite pathetic, they rest their heads on my chest when I clean their eyes. I typically either get the "are blue eyed horses blind?" comment or I get the "that horse looks stoned" comment. I assure these people that they are not blind nor do they partake in any type of illegal activities.
Carolyn
Carolyn
targetsmom
Well-Known Member
OK, my horses are the exception - the two blue eyed ones (Cowboy and Mira) are definitely spookier than the others. But they both got their blue eyes from Rowdy, and I always say I think I know how Rowdy got his name. So I think it has less to do with the color of the eyes and more to do with inherited temperament. On the other hand, the other 3 Rowdy bred horses in the herd are not especially spooky, so maybe there IS something to this blue eye theory.....
REO
Well-Known Member
We have 12 horses with blue eyes and two with 1 blue eye. They're not spooky at all.
What I have found though, is the horses with really "huge-out there" eyes can be spooky some times. I used to have a mare that was the quietest thing but she was always shying from things she thought she saw. She had those big eyes (don't want to call them pop eyes LOL)
What I have found though, is the horses with really "huge-out there" eyes can be spooky some times. I used to have a mare that was the quietest thing but she was always shying from things she thought she saw. She had those big eyes (don't want to call them pop eyes LOL)
my grandpa used to call the 1 blue eyed horses "devils eye" never got him started on that subject he would blow (grandpa)
dont know if its true but dad said that when they still used horses to farm one of the mares had a colt that had one blue eye and dad said he dont know what happened to it but it disappeared one morning.
Dads policy was "Dont ask dont tell"
dawn
dont know if its true but dad said that when they still used horses to farm one of the mares had a colt that had one blue eye and dad said he dont know what happened to it but it disappeared one morning.
Dads policy was "Dont ask dont tell"
dawn
LOL, Carolyn, I about fell out of my chair over your reply!!!! Too funny! You wouldnt know if they WERE doing any illegal activities cause they wait til you are in the house anyway! LOL
It's just the pigment of the iris... has nothing to do with vision. The light actually passes through the cornea, and the iris merely changes shape to allow more or less light into the cornea, depending on what is needed. The lens then changes shape to allow the focusing of light to the retina which eventually gets processed through nerve signals to the brain, etc... The leg bone is connected to the hip bone.... etc....
The iris is actually fiberous tissue connected to muscles that allow it to contract or dilate the pupil area. The pigment of the tissue- the blue, brown or whatever color the eyes are, actually blocks the light from coming in and restricts it to the pupil area.
The iris is pretty much all the same in mammals, but what makes the different colors is the combined effects of the tissue, blood vessels and other things that make up the iris.... that will determine what color it is. The reason most baby mammals are born with bluish eyes is that the iris does not have enough concentrated melanin in the tissue yet.... there are many things related to chromosomes and heredity too that decide what color eyes something will have.... but you have all had your science lesson for the day, LOL
I have white cats, several of which have heterochromia eyes- each one is a different color.. one bright blue, one usually green. This is rare in people, but obviously not in horses, as many have one brown and one blue.....
Below is Bullwinkle and Hook... their mother was white with two green eyes, but the grandfather was odd-eyed like these two are.
It's just the pigment of the iris... has nothing to do with vision. The light actually passes through the cornea, and the iris merely changes shape to allow more or less light into the cornea, depending on what is needed. The lens then changes shape to allow the focusing of light to the retina which eventually gets processed through nerve signals to the brain, etc... The leg bone is connected to the hip bone.... etc....
The iris is actually fiberous tissue connected to muscles that allow it to contract or dilate the pupil area. The pigment of the tissue- the blue, brown or whatever color the eyes are, actually blocks the light from coming in and restricts it to the pupil area.
The iris is pretty much all the same in mammals, but what makes the different colors is the combined effects of the tissue, blood vessels and other things that make up the iris.... that will determine what color it is. The reason most baby mammals are born with bluish eyes is that the iris does not have enough concentrated melanin in the tissue yet.... there are many things related to chromosomes and heredity too that decide what color eyes something will have.... but you have all had your science lesson for the day, LOL
I have white cats, several of which have heterochromia eyes- each one is a different color.. one bright blue, one usually green. This is rare in people, but obviously not in horses, as many have one brown and one blue.....
Below is Bullwinkle and Hook... their mother was white with two green eyes, but the grandfather was odd-eyed like these two are.
RobinRTrueJoy
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I adore blue eyes, half of my herd has them. Its not true that they are any spookier than any other horse. ALL of my horses are very calm ,nothing bothers them.
Robin
Robin
JMS Miniatures
Well-Known Member
I got a mare cheaper because it had one blue eye and they thought it was bad that anything had blue eyes. She was my best broodmare, now she is the best kids horse to their new owners.
Like several has mentioned like my perlino filly I do think she has a harder time seeing because of the bright sun, so we plan on getting her a fly mask.
Like several has mentioned like my perlino filly I do think she has a harder time seeing because of the bright sun, so we plan on getting her a fly mask.
I heard if they have have one blue eye they see you as being bigger then what you are and the browm eye sees you for your true self. So when they look at you with thier blue eye you are much bigger and might be more scarier to them. I am sure it is a just a myth. Something for myth busters!!
