62 How TO Detect Inferior Eyes 



EXAMINATION OF THE HORSES EYES 



Eyes are almost as essential to the maflce up of a good horse as a 

 pair of legs and yet scores of people are deceived every year in the eyes 

 of horses. To test a horses eyes do not throw the hand towa(rds the 

 horse's eye as if you were g'oing to slap them in the eye with the palm 

 of the hand. Such a process causes a breeze and a horse entirely blind 

 is usually sensitive to such warnings and might respond by blinking the 

 eye. The propar way is to turn the palm of the hand toward the earth 

 an4 with the thumb and index finger drawn gently towards the eye no 

 breeze does not fan the horse and one can determine whether or not the 

 horse is able to see. 



However the above is not an infallible test of the eye. The horse 

 may be able to see the movement of the hand and still have very de- 

 fective eye sight. Cloudiness may be sufficient that an observer can 

 detect it in bright sunlight, however I have know of horses that were 

 completely blind, being sold to long experienced hoxse buyers when the 

 eyes were examined in bright sunlight. To make a thorough examination 

 take the horse to a stable where the sunlight is shut off from above 

 and the sides. Then by having a door open in front of the horse (pre- 

 ferably one that does not admit sunlight) the observer is able to detect 

 blue cloudiness if there is any. If the stable is too dark an artifical 

 light may be used. All portions of a horses eye should be clear, free 

 from cloudiness and not indefinite or blue in outline. 



THE HAW OF THE EYE (Membrane Nictitaus) 

 This membrane is not always noticed by an observer and when 

 first noticed by some people they believe an abnormal growth is coming 

 over the eye. One may be prone to take the advice of an uninformed 

 person and resort to the cruel measures of pulling it out or otherwise 

 disposing of it. This membrane can be seen on any normal horse with 

 good eyes by pressing in on both the upper and lower eyelids and at 

 the same time hold them apart. 



Anything causing the eyeball to sink into the head will cause the 

 membrane to become more distinct. It is situated when at rest in the 

 corner of the eye closest to the horses nose. When in use it is to remove 

 foreign particles from the eye it sweeps back from this corner over the 

 eyeball. In lock jaw, (tetanus) the cartlidge covers a large portion of 

 the eye continuously, probably due to the sinking of the eyeballs into the 

 head. 



