| Seeing the world through your horse's eyes can help | | | | instantly and react accordingly, often to the dismay of |
| you understand why your horse reacts to his | | | | inexperienced riders! An inexperienced horse may shy |
| environment the way he does. Some horse problems | | | | violently at any sudden movement, especially when in |
| stem from the fact that we don't understand how the | | | | an unfamiliar situation. A horse will also shy or bolt if an |
| horse perceives certain situations. Understanding how | | | | object moves suddenly into their peripheral field of |
| horses perceives their environment can go a long way | | | | vision. |
| into understanding why horses behave the way they | | | | Horses have a very wide visual field, their only blind |
| do. | | | | spots being that which is immediately in front of them |
| There is some controversy surrounding the eyes | | | | and their rear which is why you should never |
| structure of horses. It was until recently believed that | | | | approach a horse directly from the rear as you may |
| horses had ramped retinas - that their eyes don't form | | | | startle him. When tackling difficult terrain it's a good |
| a true and that the retina is flattened to the lens but | | | | idea to allow your horse free rein to enable him to find |
| this has now been refuted. A horse's eyesight is | | | | his footing easily. |
| optimised for grazing and watching for predators at | | | | Your horse's eyes are very sensitive to light and this is |
| the same time, but as such, it becomes a handicap | | | | why young or inexperienced horses seem nervous |
| when judging distance and height and this is why you'll | | | | when you are trying to load them into a horsebox. |
| notice that horses lower their heads when approaching | | | | Their eyes need to adjust to the darker environment |
| a jump. On approaching a jump, you may notice that | | | | of the horsebox so they can see properly. Entering a |
| horses lower their heads then raise them in an effort | | | | horsebox is akin to entering a dark cave and your |
| to appraise the height of the obstacle. When | | | | horse's reluctance to do so is what saved its |
| approaching an obstacle, the horse will lose sight of the | | | | ancestors - caves housed dangerous predators! |
| jump right before takeoff; experienced riders take this | | | | Understanding your horse's vision can help you |
| into account and allow their horses to raise their heads | | | | understand why your horse reacts in various situations; |
| before jumping. | | | | a lot of the time inexperienced horse owners |
| Horses are also colour blind, they don't see colours like | | | | mistakenly believe their horse is intentionally acting up |
| we do and they perceive the world as a mosaic of | | | | when the real reason for their horse's behaviour is |
| different light reflections. Horses can detect movement | | | | related to the his vision and way of seeing the world. |