Questions about Horse Eye Sight

[Catg]

Hi guys,

I've heard a number of you say that horses have better eye sight than us in the dark. I have a few questions to ask you on this:

Is it true that although they can see better in the dark than us they actually take longer to adjust to different lighting?

Also I used to know someone who had an Appy and she said they don't have very good eye sight in the dark. Is this true?

Thanks

Cat x

[vels mum]

Not sure about the Appy's not having such good eye sight? I know albino's are sometimes blind, dont know if this is connected???

Vel thunders through my field on the hillin the dark which has big boulders in it, im always concerned he will fall over one but he never does, may just be luck or perhaps he can see them, I certainly cant when its dark.

I know Turks eyesight isnt what it used to be and could be why he spooks at things more now, horse communicator told me his eyesight wasnt great, also he sometimes stares at puddles like he cant make out what it is, also he has trouble judging distances, he sometimes leaps out his stable as if there is a great big step to get onto the ground even though its just a tiny step.

[black crow]

Appaloosa horses are known to often have varying eye problems, which a common one is for them to actually lose their ability to see in the dark [night blindness] or reccurent uveitis, which i believe effects Appies more than other breeds. Although horses can also be born with the inability to see in the dark, although this is very uncommon these days.
However, not all blue eyed horses suffer with this problem.

It is difficult to compare horse to human eyesight as they see very differently to us. They can see far more detail than us, which is why small objects can cause them to spook with a large reaction. This means they have more light to take in when they need their night vision. In the half light, i.e day break or as the sun sets/has set, they can still see very well as their eyes are naturally adapted to making most of the light when it is there. When the light has gone, they do take longer to ajust to the dark [which is why some horses wont go into a dark space if it is quite light outside, but dont hesitate so much going into a stable at night]
Although their eyes take longer to ajust, the balance of their eyes is actually quite good, so they can see much better than we can in the dark, as they would need this ability in the wild when grazing at night.

Because their colour range isnt as good as ours, this will also effect what they see, making things more of a matter of telling between shades rather than colours. Think of any XC fence you've seen on TV where horses are having trouble, a famous one is the sport horse fence at Badminton - horses struggle coming into the shade from the light


Hope that helps??

[CityLights]

the Appy thing i think is ******** mine is totally fine in the dark but apaprently the few spot types have some kind of night blindness (mine is a non characteristic so might be why she is fine) but doing a lot with appaloosas some people hugely disagree and discredit it so im not sure

I think they have problems adjusting to different light and distingusing shadows and also colours they apparently only see black white and shades of yellow, whcih always made sense to me as my horse will always stop at the yellow fence the white fence and fecnes going into woods,

[black crow]

Horses can actually see several colours, including red and blues - it's yellow and green that they struggle to tell the difference between :)

Few spot horses unless carrying the significant genes are the same at risk as most other horses to suffer from night blindness or uveitis, it is the actual appaloosa type/breed that is known to be more likely to get this problem compared to other horse breeds. It totally depends on the gene frame as to exactly what it is - it isnt always linked to eye colour.

[JJJ]

They can see well enough when cantering down the gallop at half six on a winter morning in the pitch black lol! Great fun!!

[eeek]

I would say they have much better night vision than we do, and have never noticed them taking a long time to adjust to changing light. I often take Vinny out of his stable (which is lit) and walk him 2 minutes to his field in pitch black and he is absolutely fine. He strides ahead of me (sometimes I don't lead him) and waits at the gate. I'm sure he sees better than me, even seconds after leaving a lit stable.

[XenaWarriorPrincess]

Horses have both monocular and binocular vision. Monocular is where a different image is seen with each eye and is a clearer image. Binocular is where both eyes see the same image straight ahead, this is impeded by the muzzle when the head is up.
only one field of vision can be used at a time which is often the cause of spooking as often when the image flips from one to the other the object can seem closer than it actually is and seems to 'jump' into their vision!!
The optimum distance away from something to get a clear image for a horse is 4ft, which is often why they will sometimes step back to look at something.

The light/dark thing comes from horses being used to sunrise and sunset. It takes them longer to respond to immediate light than it does for us. For example their eyes will take longer to adjust to a light being switched on in their stable than we do.

x

[Catg]

Horses have both monocular and binocular vision. Monocular is where a different image is seen with each eye and is a clearer image. Binocular is where both eyes see the same image straight ahead, this is impeded by the muzzle when the head is up.
only one field of vision can be used at a time which is often the cause of spooking as often when the image flips from one to the other the object can seem closer than it actually is and seems to 'jump' into their vision!!
The optimum distance away from something to get a clear image for a horse is 4ft, which is often why they will sometimes step back to look at something.

The light/dark thing comes from horses being used to sunrise and sunset. It takes them longer to respond to immediate light than it does for us. For example their eyes will take longer to adjust to a light being switched on in their stable than we do.

x

Xena your last sentence is exactly what I had in mind when posting this but obviously I was interested in how easily they adjust from light to dark too.

When I go to the yard at night and turn the barn light on Zeb stands there blinking at me all blurry eyed, it's quite cute really and I just wondered how long it takes him to adjust.

[XenaWarriorPrincess]

:) Glad those 8.30 equine science lectures could be of some use :lol:
xx