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Hunter's Pony Farm Breeds Sport Ponies. Thank you for visiting us! Please sign the Guestbook!

Shadow

Black Bay Shetland Pony Gelding

Shadow live in the small paddock with Faoxy and our llama, Annie. He is doing well and seems to have adapted to his life with one eye.

Shadow and Valentine have been buddies for some time now. She seems to keep him from getting in harms way, and he keeps her company. She is kind of a grouch, so it is good she has Shadow.

He is getting along we with his one eye, it doesn't seem to get in his way much. I tried to get a good picture of the right site showing how it has healed, but I didn't have a halter and he would turn to see me each time I lined up a shot.

Oh, well, just take m word for it, he is doing fabulous!

Warning.... there is a rather graphic picture of Shadow's injured eye before his surgery... fortunately it isn't a very good picture, but you can easily see the damage. If you don't like that sort of thing, then don't continue. Sorry, please don't email me about how evil I am for showing it like one young lady did.... It is all a matter of opinion, some people wanted to see it and for those of you who don't, well, don't look!

UPDATE: October 19, 2000 - We have arrived in Washington State and all the horses are doing fantastic. I was surprised how well they handled the long trip from Oklahoma. I am sure the 3 day layover at Granite Peaks Ranch in Colorado helped! Thanks Leslie!

Shadow has changed a lot since leaving Oklahoma. We have found him to be much more relaxed and he has buddied up with Valentine ( I still can't believe it because she doesn't get along with anyone!) My daughter, Nikki, and I took Shadow and Val out for a ride in the nearby fields. I was riding Shadow, and he did fine. It was the first time since his injury that he has been ridden. The only thing different was he tended to brush up against things on his blind side. The other new thing is his way of placing his front feet.... he puts them one in front of the other, even crossing over at times like he is walking a tight rope. My theory is that he has no depth perception and is making sure he is "on track". If he puts the foot from his blind side in the same place as his sighted side he is sure to NOT fall into a hole. The drawback is it tends to make him a bit more unstable. All in all he is a wonderful little man who has adapted quite well. He was amazed at the top of the hill to see all the green grass that went on for miles! He whinnied with delight at the sight of it!

July 23, 2000 - Shadow is doing great! He is sharing the pasture with 2 mares, Valentine and Foxy, and they are all getting along fine. He doesn't seem to be too hindered by having only 1 eye! He runs and bucks and plays just like he always did. He tries to keep us in view at all times, however, and turns his head or body to be able to see us when we are on his "blind" side. He is the cutest little guy!

At the end of September 2000 we left Oklahoma and moved back to the Great Northwest... Washington State to be exact! It am so exciting to be return to the "country of my birth" and back to reasonable weather.... well, rain is rain, but rain with lightening, that is something else. In the NW you get rain, you walk in the rain, ride in the rain and do everything in the rain. In Oklahoma, if it is raining, you dang well better be under shelter cause thunder and lightening is usually nearby!

Shadow is our 8year old shetland gelding. He was one of the first ponies we bought. The people who had him beat him. He was so frightened when we got him home. It took us a couple of weeks just to get him to let us touch him. But, after that he began to trust and love us back.

Shadow pulling us down our street

Shadow was injured by a couple of our other horses. He was kicked in the face which fractured his eye socket and cracked his sinus. His eye was burst by the impact of the kick. Shadow lost his eye. The vet removed it and stitched him up. He is recovering nicely in his own secure pen.

After the stitches were out he healed on the outside, but he wasforever changed on the inside. Shadow regressed to his old, frightened self. He will only let me catch and brush him.

I want to thank our vet, Dr. Paulette Lee of Town and Country in Choctaw, Oklahoma, for all her help with Shadow and for doing such a wonderful job with a terrible injury. Please visit the Town and Country website for pet supplies and more. Town And Country

POLL RESULTS - Posted July 23, 2000

When Shadow was injured I took a poll to see what others have experienced with their horses. Here is the result of the poll.

POLL QUESTION: How many one eyed horses do you know? I am asking due to our pony's injury and loss of his eye. Please answer the survey and feel free to email our little Shadow at huntersponyfarm@yahoo.com Emails will be posted on our site and on this list. Select as many answers as you feel are appropriate. Thanks, Pam Hunter

CHOICES AND RESULTS

- I don't know any., 1 votes, 7.69%

- I've seen one., 2 votes, 15.38%

- My friend has one., 0 votes, 0.00%

- I own a one-eyed horse., 0 votes, 0.00%

- I've seen a few and they were ridden and used normally., 3 votes, 23.08%

- It is difficult for the horse to get along., 0 votes, 0.00%

- It is easy for the horse I know to function., 2 votes, 15.38%

- Doesn't matter, I LOVE my one-eyed horse., 1 votes, 7.69%

- I know of a horse put to sleep for losing an eye., 0 votes, 0.00%

- I want to see pictures of Shadow... post them., 4 votes, 30.77%

June 3, 2005  Letter from a Visitor - We had a 31 year old Shetland with only one eye for 2 years, which she lost shorly before coming to us. She was a gem all her life and a gem the two year we had the pleasure of knowing her.

Yes it put her at a disadvanantage and would sometimes be blindsided by the other horses on her blind side, once I even saw my gelding knock her over - it was pathetic and enraging but I knew it was not fair to ascribe my human sensibilities to their horse order. Despite these occasional indignaties, she did just fine and was an outstanding teacher for my kids. They initially were quite horrified at her missing eye, but I saw it as a teachable moment for them to learn to accept the capabilities of those who may on the outset appear less able. They of course, learned to love her and completely forgot about the missing eye and we were all deeply saddened to loose her last month to liver failure. I have learned much from animals, but one of the most important lessons is that it is humans who are the most rediculously judgemental including things of no consequence. Whether it is 3 legged dogs or one eyed horses, people in wheel chairs, or republicans or democrats, the only thing that matters is what they have on the inside. - Jim P.

Dec. 26, 1999 - New Pictures! Shadow got his stitches out on the 20th of December, 1999. His eye socket is very misshapen now. He lost a lot of bone around the eye and his sinus is still draining from the injury. Poor, boy, he is so sweet and it hurts so much to see him like this. Something else we found out - we didn't notice that his tail had been injured and he can no longer raise it. I have no idea how this happened, but it means another visit to the vet. It has not affected his movement, so there is no spinal cord injury. Shadow is very lucky that he wasn't killed in the confrontation with the two big horses. I don't know what possessed them to break down the fence that day, why they attacked Shadow, anything. I do know that there is no way any of our big horses will be near another little pony in the future without supervisor, accident or not. Please do NOT purchase ponies as companions for big horses. While many go through life with no incidents, it only takes one kick to do irreparable damage. I have had people come by wanting to buy a pony for a companion for a Thoroughbred or other large horse and I always refuse. It is not safe. Buy a big horse or a goat or something, not a pony. Ponies are for children and make wonderful pets. Please respect them.

Some of Shadow's Mail

We occassionally get email from visitors about Shadow... Here is one asking for advice:

December 12, 2003

Dear Pam,

Can I just tell you how beautiful Shadow looks. I am so sorry to hear about what those bully horses did to him. I think it is good that you've shown on your website how well his eye has improved. It's amazing!

We are getting a Welsh Cob on Saturday that only has one eye. I was wondering if you could tell me if there is anything I should know to help him (eg. always talk to him and touch him when I approach him).

Also, is the area where Shadows' missing his eye sensative when you touch it or anything?

Cheers! Fi

Hi! Thanks for asking about Shadow. He is doing very well. As for how to handle a pony with only one eye, you are right, always talk to them when approaching, especially from the blind side. Also, try not to approach from the blind side, if your pony is like Shadow, it will just turn to look at you from the side that can see. This can be troublesome depending on where the pony is. Shadow has some problems on trails because he can't see what is next to him. This goes for anywhere he is, but narrow spaces are especially difficult. He tends to veer off to one side. Remember, horses see behind them, to the sides, and in front of them about a foot or so from their heads. The side that is blind doesn't have this capacity, so you have to be the eye on the blind side. Since he has been hurt, Shadow is more difficult to catch. He doesn't come up to me as easily as he once did. I don't know if you will have this problem with your pony. Also, we have him in with Foxy, our retired mare, and a llama. Foxy is a friend, and the llama lets him know if anything strange is in the pasture or nearby. Llamas don't like to have their territory invaded by odd creatures!

The eye that was injured on Shadow is very itchy. He can't get it scratched by himself inside the socket. It is indented. So, he likes to have it gently wiped out. I use a babywipe with fly spray on it to keep the bugs off it. It is completely healed over, but, the skin is a bit flakey.

Just be sure that your pony is safe and there are no nails, boards, or other obstacles that it could get hurt on. Be sensitive to its handicap, and loving. Be its eye when you ride, and when you lead it.

I am sure you both will be fine, since you probably had to do some research to find our article about Shadow, you show that you are a concerned owner!

Pam Hunter

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[12/7/99] Hi, I got your email about a one eyed horse survey and tried to go to the page but could not get in. I do know a one eyed horse (pony), and she is blind in her other eye. Honey is a resident at Wind Ridge Farm Equine Sanctuary and she is almost 30 yrs. old. She has a stable buddy that helps her get around and she has no problems. She is very sweet and even though she is missing one eye and blind in the other she never misses anything. Her sense of smell and hearing seem to make up for the loss of her sight.

Honey is not considered handicapped because of her eyes.....she ishandi-capable! She hears people when they approach, and if we speak to her she seems to know who is who. She knows her stall and paddock by heart and never bumps into anything.

I would like to see pictures of Shadow, and if you would like to see a picture of Honey you can see her at: http://www.geocities.com/Petsburgh/Fair/9441/honey.html

Sharon,

Webmistress for Wind Ridge Farm Equine Sanctuary http://www.geocities.com/Petsburgh/Fair/9441/

---

[12/7/99] Hi! This is Jamie M.! A member from your Mailing List! I tried to get to the survey for the Eyeless horse, but I forgot my password! Anyway, I just wanted to tell you that I know a horse that has no eye, he is a very beautiful and large paint gelding. I do not know him well or his owner but I have seen him show and he is incredible!! He seems to be a very sweet and gentle horse! I do not think you will have any problems with your horse! I was also wondering how your horse lost his eye?

Good Luck,

Jamie M.

[12/7/99] Dear Jamie, Thank you for your letter... Shadow and I appreciate it very much. Shadow lost his eye because 2 big horses broke the fence and trapped him in a corner of his paddock. One of them kicked him in the face. It broke the bones around his eye socket, cracked his sinus and burst his eye. But, the vet did a wonderful job of repairing the damage, and Shadow has a very, very long mane and forelock that will hide his scars. He is a wonderful little guy and we love him very much.

Pam Hunter

Hunter's Pony Farm huntersponyfarm@yahoo.com

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