On Monday we’re rolling out a new Web site, BlindAppaloosas.org, devoted to the problem of blindness in the Appaloosa horse breed. Appaloosas are much more likely to get uveitis, the leading cause of blindness in horses, and are more likely to go blind as a result.
What’s the increased risk? One study showed that Appaloosas are eight times more likely to get uveitis and four times more likely to go blind, compared to other horses.
This is why, of our 25 blind horses, 13 are Appaloosas. That’s no fluke. We used photos of several of our blind Appys to illustrate the new Web site.
So we decided to do what we could to focus attention on this very real problem in the breed. This is the first time all the veterinary research on the subject has been brought together in one place.
Our view is that the Appaloosa Horse Club, the official breed association, needs to publicly acknowledge the breed’s risk for uveitis and blindness — they never have — and begin funding research into the genetic links between this affliction and Appaloosas. While the research demonstrates the breed’s significantly increased risk, we don’t know why Appaloosas are so prone to this disability. And if we don’t know why the breed is at such risk, we can’t do anything about it. There is a lot of work that needs to be done.
Please let us know what you think!
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