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 Serious Snap Trapper
Posts: 4275
  
Location: In The Snow, AZ | I am trying out and OTTB for a few weeks and so far I really like him. He hadn't been ridden in close to two years. I rode him on day three of his stay here, and he did wonderfully. He's super athletic, has a decent handle on him. He's great walk/trot/lope/stop/back. Ground manners need some improvement. He ties, but not quietly. He has plenty that we need to work on. But overall, he's a nice gelding.
NOW, my husband was looking in an old Western Horseman magazine at an article about horse eyes having a significant affect on their Personailty. I understand that wide set eyes are supposed to mean they have a bigger brain. But this article is saying that the shape and wrinkles around the eye can dictate whether they will be flighty, testy, etc. I can see how a wild eyed horse would seem flighty. And this gelding has the "worried" eye that they write about. However, as an OTTB, I guess I kinda assumed it was related to his past life.
Any thoughts?
http://www.westernhorseman.com/archive/horsemanship/2526-look-him-in-the-eye
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  Northern Chocolate Queen
Posts: 16576
  
Location: ND | When they have the worried wrinkled look around their eye is can also mean they are in pain somewhere....find & fix the problem and the worried look goes away. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 672
| I think this goes a long with the swirls...there is some truth in them, but also exceptions! I had a gelding that had a small, tight eye that you could always see the white in, he was very spooky and a one person horse, but was very sweet & loving to me. I also knew a horse that had a huge, soft, doe eye that was pig.  |
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Serious Snap Trapper
Posts: 4275
Location: In The Snow, AZ | SaraJean - 2015-11-03 7:23 AM When they have the worried wrinkled look around their eye is can also mean they are in pain somewhere....find & fix the problem and the worried look goes away.
I didn't even think about that! I have about a week and a half left to my two week "trial run" with him. I know his feet are sore and they look awful. I have the farrier set to come out before the end of the week and get those feeling better. If we decide to keep him, I'll be treating for ulcers. |
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I just read the headlines
Posts: 4483
| I had a son of BA75 who had white around his eye, thus people told me he was going to be wild. He also had small eyes. I have never owned a more generous, kind, sensitive horse in over 40 years of owning horses. He gave me everything he had and would work through pain. He tried so hard to please me. He was very looky, but if he did spook, he just jumped in place. I miss him to this day. |
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 349
Location: texas | I have always heard that too, "big soft puppy dog" eye...
when I got my mare Porsche when she was 4yo, oh lordy she was bat crap crazy, I was scared of her, she had that wild eye to her, but she had a terrible back story and I never got the whole truth, ANYWHO after working with her thru trial and error, she became trusting, we did MONTHS AND MONTHS AND MONTHS of Clinton Anderson groundwork with hardly no riding....
we formed a bond, to where I could take her all thru the neighborhood jogging w me as if she was a 1000lb dog....
I agree w another poster, PAIN, if they are in pain they will act out of the ordinary, and in only a few weeks it will be hard for you to tell, but I would start from the ground up.....my horses are barefoot and I know almost immediately if/where they are out bc they wear their feet abnormally.. barefoot can tell u so much on how they travel....
I believe once u have that bond, that horse will do anything u ask it, like my mare, I can ask her to do anything and she will bc she trusts me, now if somebody else was riding her and asked her to walk thru the same fire I had she aint gonna do it......
good luck.... |
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Serious Snap Trapper
Posts: 4275
Location: In The Snow, AZ | The eye in question...
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BHW's Simon Cowell
Location: The Saudia Arabia of Wind Energy, Western Oklahoma | IMO that is not a bad eyed horse. |
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 Twin Sister to Queen Boobie
Posts: 13315
Location: East Tennessee but who knows?! | Linda Tellington Jone's book talks about how you can tell a horse's personality and trainability by the shape of their mouth, their ears as well as the swirls, and eye shape. I have always found her observations to be spot on.
As far as your eye, yes I would say he is a worrier that is probably not confident that will take a confident rider. Will that change with training? I think it can somewhat, but I think that type always needs a confident rider they can depends on. I don't think those types are ever baby sitters. |
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Serious Snap Trapper
Posts: 4275
Location: In The Snow, AZ | LUCKILY I'm not in need of a babysitter horse. I'm hopeful that *if* he stays, once I get him feeling right, ulcers, chiro and what not, and with some time and working with him, that he will settle. He doesn't seem to have ever had any love. hes starting to warm up to me scratching on him and soft brushing. Doesn't seem to understand what treats are either. |
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 Neat Freak
Posts: 11216
Location: Wonderful Wyoming | ~BINGO~ - 2015-11-03 1:22 PM LUCKILY I'm not in need of a babysitter horse. I'm hopeful that *if* he stays, once I get him feeling right, ulcers, chiro and what not, and with some time and working with him, that he will settle. He doesn't seem to have ever had any love. hes starting to warm up to me scratching on him and soft brushing. Doesn't seem to understand what treats are either.
I think treating ulcers and a chiro would be a great start as you mentioned. |
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 Money Eating Baggage Owner
Posts: 9586
Location: Phoenix | SaraJean - 2015-11-03 7:23 AM
When they have the worried wrinkled look around their eye is can also mean they are in pain somewhere....find & fix the problem and the worried look goes away.
Ditto this. Tummy, feet, hocks..... |
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 Expert
Posts: 4121
Location: SE Louisiana | hammer_time - 2015-11-03 8:53 PM
SaraJean - 2015-11-03 7:23 AM
When they have the worried wrinkled look around their eye is can also mean they are in pain somewhere....find & fix the problem and the worried look goes away.
Ditto this. Tummy, feet, hocks.....
Those wrinkles come and go with stress.... and a horse can have wrinkles and still have a soft/kind eye. |
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 Expert
Posts: 1482
Location: on my horse | he looks kind but a bit worried about the picture, I think he's worth a shot! |
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 Shelter Dog Lover
Posts: 10277
| ~BINGO~ - 2015-11-03 9:13 AM I am trying out and OTTB for a few weeks and so far I really like him. He hadn't been ridden in close to two years. I rode him on day three of his stay here, and he did wonderfully. He's super athletic, has a decent handle on him. He's great walk/trot/lope/stop/back. Ground manners need some improvement. He ties, but not quietly. He has plenty that we need to work on. But overall, he's a nice gelding.
NOW, my husband was looking in an old Western Horseman magazine at an article about horse eyes having a significant affect on their Personailty. I understand that wide set eyes are supposed to mean they have a bigger brain. But this article is saying that the shape and wrinkles around the eye can dictate whether they will be flighty, testy, etc. I can see how a wild eyed horse would seem flighty. And this gelding has the "worried" eye that they write about. However, as an OTTB, I guess I kinda assumed it was related to his past life.
Any thoughts?
http://www.westernhorseman.com/archive/horsemanship/2526-look-him-in-the-eye
Edited by rodeomom3 2015-11-04 6:02 AM
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 I Chore in Chucks
Posts: 2882
Location: MD | I'll be honest that I just recently sent my horse to the vet (couple months ago) because he was carrying this "worry look" and I had something in my gut saying he's not right and he's trying to tell me, my vet humored me though. He got scoped, had ulcers, we treated and now he's got the soft eyes again. There are exceptions obviously and this particular horse is spooky on occasion but also the biggest puppy dog. All he wants in life is a full hay feeder and someone to scratch his fuzzy ears. I feel like this horse is pretty emotional and cannot handle being in trouble.
The other horse that is a total brute has a very stern appearance with his eyes. You never can see the whites, he is tough, not afraid of anything, and is very stoic when it comes to anything pain related. I'm glad someone else brought this up so maybe there is a theory that hit the nail on the head here! |
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Serious Snap Trapper
Posts: 4275
Location: In The Snow, AZ | I appreciate all the opinions and info. I never really put too much confidence in that sort of stuff. But my hubs brought it up that his eye kind of looks like the bucker that I sold. However, he has gone from a crazy man on day one, to a sweetheart on day 5. I think a lot of it is just worry for him. Hopefully that will go away with some love. |
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Red Bull Agressive
Posts: 5981
Location: North Dakota | That little article was pretty cool. I've always heard the saying about "soft eye'd horses" but I guess I never looked that closely. My sister has mentioned several times how differen't Cash's eyes are. Like every time she comes to the barn with me she mentions how sweet and expressive and almost cartoon-like they are. It makes sense. Cash is the best darn horse I've ever known. He seems most like the work horse in the article. He's easy going and not spooky, but you have to be gentle with him or else he gets insecure. |
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Veteran
Posts: 180
| I love posts like these; they make me feel less crazy!! Haha. I don’t believe the eyes always indicate personality but they can definitely show emotion. My good mare would probably fit in the flight risk category. She has very large kind eyes that can be worrried or tense in a stressful situation but she is also prone to ulcers. My older gelding fits in the work horse category and tends to be worried looking but I feel his worry stems from being neglected and abused in the past. I also believe you can tell intelligence by looking at their eyes, but maybe I am crazy!
Edited by gypsykalgirl 2015-11-04 1:54 PM
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