How Horses See: Part One

Have you ever wondered how horses see their world?  I attended the first session of the Trainer Series at the University of Minnesota Leatherdale Equine Center class on equine vision*. Here's what I learned:

Part One: Normal Equine Vision

Kaleidoscope - photo by Molly Goossens Photography

COLOR

Research into equine vision tells us that horses see some colors but not all the range we do. They have what we call dichromatic vision. Essentially, horses are red-green color blind, so they cannot distinguish between red and green and do not see red, purple, or orange.  Mostly they see the world in muted shades of yellow, green, blue, and gray.  Because horses have difficulty differentiating solid colors, many jumps designed for horses are striped. 

Also, horses with blue eyes like Kaleidoscope pictured above, do not have any eye issues more than horses with brown eyes except they are prone to skin cancer with all of that pale skin.  Wearing fly masks year-round and sunscreen in the summer can help prevent painful sunburn and risk of cancer for horses with pale skin.

FIELD OF VISION

As prey animals, horses have excellent peripheral vision and are adept at detecting motion.  With an eye on each side of their head, horses have almost a full 360 degree field of vision.  They do have a blind spot directly in front of their noses up to 3-4 feet and directly behind them.  Most of their vision is monocular, i.e. input is from one eye only.  However, in front their eyes’ fields of vision overlap and they have binocular vision and depth perception. When a horse is ridden with a lower headset and in a round frame, they see the ground not far in front of them.  Imagine the trust they must have in their rider to not be looking out for possible threats while in this frame!  Ever wondered why horses have such long noses?  One reason is that their eyes are designed to be high enough up on their heads that they can see over tall grass when grazing.

CLARITY

Although horses only have approximately half the ability humans have to see details, horses have better detailed vision than cats or dogs. One reason for this might be that horses have unusually large eyes which allow more light to enter in. Their ability to focus on something very close to them in proximity is limited.  For this reason, horses often prefer to halt while far away from an object of interest, lift their head and use both eyes to observe.

LIGHT & DARK

Horses are gifted with extraordinary night vision for a non-nocturnal animal.  They can see quite well in the darkness once their eyes have adjusted to it.  However, their eyes take significantly longer to adjust to changes in lighting than human eyes do.  When leading a horse from bright daylight into a dim barn, allow time for their eyes to transition.

Horses are certainly well-adapted to being grazing prey animals but not necessarily so well suited to being domesticated animals used for riding and driving.  Keep this information in mind when you are handling and riding them, for your safety and for their comfort!

Elena - photo by Molly Goossens Photography

*Information shared with permission from "Equine Vision: What they See and What You Don't!" presentation by Kerry J. Kuhle, DVM

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