Re: equine cataracts

["Sarah McIntosh" <smcintos@rapidnet.net>]

Hi:
I don't have a lot of info, but I do know that my Appy mare was diagnosed
with a cataract in one eye only, about 4 years ago.  I did LD on her with no
problems,  but the cataract did get worse, which led to the occasional trip
over a log or something else on the ground.  She still has vision, from what
I can tell, but really close up stuff is difficult.  She seems to see things
that are far off.  I retired her to a pleasure horse for my friends, and she
gets along very well, just needs time to adjust to new surroundings.  One
thing I did do, is get her a top quality fly mask with the highest UV
blocking rating and make her wear whenever it's sunny.  UV is supposed to
accelerate cataract growth.

For riding, I taught my Appy the word 'step' which she learned very quickly
to step a little higher to get over logs and stuff.  Slow riding is fine,
fast riding is even better if the ground is very smooth.  This horse still
loves to run, so it doesn't really seem to affect her life much.

For ground handling, I made sure I always talked to her to let know where I
was when i was on her 'bad' side.  Horses don't like to be surprised, so a
sound or a touch keeps her comfortable with ground handling.

Best of luck.  If you learn some more things about the cataracts, I would
really appreciate you forwarding the info to me.

Regards,

Sarah