Run a chainsaw while mounted!! I would agree, he is
unflappable.
That's the sort of mind and disposition that is "typical"
Arab to me--the "crazy" ones are the aberations... <g>
I
might add that the 50 he did after becoming completely blind was quite near
the maximum allowed time. He could not consistently go safely with no
vision at the same rate of speed that he did with eyesight. (Slowing up
a bit was also a cue that the footing was becoming less smooth...)
And we also chose a trail that didn't have any REALLY dangerous
spots...
That certainly makes
sense.
One time, years ago when I
lived in Texas, I was shopping for a Tennessee Walker. I found a
really beautiful root beer colored chestnut gelding at a farm north of
Houston. When I went there to ride him, they had him all
saddled up and they had these blinder cup things over his eyes. I
didn't want to cause problems, but at the same time, I was concerned about
riding a horse that couldn't see where he was going. The man
told me the reason for the blinders was to make him listen to me
better. I got on and they told me to go ride him anywhere I wanted
on their land. In a very short time, I decided that the blinder
stuff was BS and I told them to take them off. They did, and we had
a nice ride. He listened to me just fine. I was
afraid he would stumble and fall on the uneven terrain, plus I felt sorry for
him to be blindfolded like that. Just another atrocity forced
on Tennessee Walkers by humans.
This story is not relative
to your horse at all. It is just the one and only time I rode a
horse that couldn't see. It was weird and
disturbing. I could immediately feel how he was intensely tuned
into me......trusting me, a stranger, not to let him get hurt. How
sad.
Like you said, your
stallion must have amazing trust in his humans. He knew you wouldn't
let him get hurt. And good for you for allowing him to live with his
disability. I suppose there are those that would have euthanized a
blind horse, rather than letting him learn to adjust to his
handicap.
