Managing Sightless Senior Donkeys

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Blindness certainly isn’t unique to aging equids, but it is a condition that many older horses and their owners deal with on a daily basis. And after owing an Appaloosa with recurrent uveitis and dwindling vision, I have a lot of respect for owners who successfully manage horses with vision lossÑit’s not an easy task!

Still, it’s something I think all owners should at least have a little knowledge about, because you never know what might happen in the future. And on a recent visit to The Donkey Sanctuary, in Sidmouth, Devon, England, I got the opportunity to visit with their herd of blind and partially sighted donkeys and their sighted companions, and learn about how the sanctuary manages them.

Sighted donkey Lucky acts as a “seeing-eye donkey” for his blind companion, Teddy

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Erica Larson, former news editor for The Horse, holds a degree in journalism with an external specialty in equine science from Michigan State University in East Lansing. A Massachusetts native, she grew up in the saddle and has dabbled in a variety of disciplines including foxhunting, saddle seat, and mounted games. Currently, Erica competes in eventing with her OTTB, Dorado.

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