Through The Horse's Eye: Understanding Equine Vision and How They See The World

 The more we study and understand how the horse's body and mind work, the more we will be able to communicate and harmonize with them. Today, let's zero in on the equine eye - taking a quick dive into how it works and how it affects the way we work with our horses.

A Closer Look At The Eye

Did you know that the horse's eyes are some of the largest in the world? They are bigger than even those of a whale or an elephant! At twice the size of our eyes, it's clear that their vision is very different than ours. As humans, we have only binocular vision. Horses have both monocular and binocular vision, meaning they can see one field of vision like us and can also see out each eye separately. To use their binocular vision, a horse needs to be able to move its head and neck freely. And their monocular vision gives them 260 to 280 degrees of vision on each side. Through both, a horse has about a 350-degree field of vision! It's still debated whether or not horses can see color (though I like to think they can!), but we do know that horses actually have poor depth perception. This is because of their limited use of binocular vision.

They also adjust to changes of light and darkness more slowly than we do, such as walking into a dark stable from a bright arena. But don't let those extra moments they need to adjust fool you! Their actual range of adaptation is so much better than ours. Horses basically have built-in sunglasses; their pupils narrow horizontally in such a way that it keeps the light from directly hitting the eyes from both above and below. They also have great night vision, thanks to an enhanced, mirror-like layer that practically doubles the amount of light around them in their vision. This kind of vision is as good as owls and cats! Another fun fact: horses have a third eyelid, hidden between the lower lid and the actual eye. It acts as a cleanser to protect and wipe the cornea from irritants and lubricates the eye.

Finding The Blind Spots

In spite of their incredible range of vision, horses have several blind spots, especially when their heads are up. These spots are also some of their more vulnerable places to predators, so it makes them all the more nervous. These spots are:

Directly behind the horse

Directly under the horse’s head and nose

On the horse’s back

Directly in front of the horse’s forehead

Knowing these spots makes it even more amazing that horses allow us to work with them and ride them. It requires an extreme amount of trust on the horse’s part to let us into the ‘scary’ areas. It also explains some behaviors and some of the precautions we need to take around horses. Like why a horse might swing away if you quickly reach to rub their face, or why we need to keep our hands flat when we offer treats (they can smell it, but can’t see it). Horses tend to be farsighted, so when something they perceive as dangerous enters these blind spots, it can lead to spooking. The object becomes blurry to them if they aren’t given enough time to process what’s worrying them. These blind spots don’t trouble horses as much when their grazing. When their heads are down and constantly moving, their vision can encompass most of their usual blind spots. This is one of the reasons I love to see a horse so relaxed while being ridden that they carry their head in a low, natural position.

Moving With Understanding

 Horses notice the little things, the small details. So let’s make the effort: pausing for their eyes to adjust, being sensitive to their blind spots, allowing them the time they need to see objects that appear dangerous to them. After all, horses give us so much, constantly stepping outside their comfort zones and supporting us. And as we both take steps to connect and understand each other in every ride, every interaction we have, our foundation and our bond will grow stronger and stronger.

Truly, a horse and a human can be an amazing combination. Both of our strengths and weaknesses align perfectly. Their natural ‘sunglasses and night vision, and our depth perception. Their caution, our confidence. Their awareness of their surroundings, our ability to know what dangers are and aren’t there. The list could go on and on. But we only blend in this beautiful way when we really desire to do what it takes to understand our horses. Seeing things through our horses’ eyes is one of the best goals we can have while working with horses. It paves the way for us to create the right environment - both physically and mentally - where our horses can feel safe while also helping them build their confidence.

Next time you are with horses, take a few minutes to really look at the world as a horse does. Imagine those blind spots, the reactions there might be, and the range of vision they have, and where things might be blurry for them. The more we do this, the more we will transform into the equestrians we want to be.