GALLOPPOLL: YOUR VIEW ON BLUE

Frank Sinatra had ’em, and some horses do, too. We’re talking about blue eyes. Some folks love a blue-eyed horse, others have different ways of (pardon the pun) looking at one. We want to know what you think. Choose the answer that comes closest to your opinion. This poll also appears in the October '09 issue of Horse & Rider. We'll print the results in a future issue.

--The H&R Editors

Which reply matches yours the closest? 

1.RHAPSODY IN BLUE. I LOVE blue eyes on horses. That eye color really makes a horse stand out.

2. BLUES: CAN USE. Eye color makes no difference to me as long as the horse itself fits my needs.

3. GOT THEBLUE BLUES. I had a bad experience with a blue-eyed horse that now makes me avoid them.

4. TWO BLUES ONLY. I like horses with two blue eyes, but not ones with one blue eye and one brown.

Love my blue eyed girl!

 1.RHAPSODY IN BLUE. I LOVE blue eyes on horses. That eye color really makes a horse stand out.

#2 Blues can use...I just bought a yearling paint gelding with a blue eye and a brown eye.  Generally would try to avoid blue eyes, as I have heard they are prone to more problems, however, this is a very nice WP gelding and he has a kind and easy going disposition, just a joy to be around.   So, I bought him and I'm not worried about his blue eye at all, it's very pretty, with black 'eyeliner' all around, and he is just a jewel. 

Holly in WA.

I love blue eyes...but only when they are outlined in BLACK. Then they are striking! I have a purebred (race winning)Arabian mare with one black-outlined blue eye and loved her for years. The eye always suited her mischevious nature. She was not bred until 10 years of age. Imagine my shock, surprise and absolute delight when she gave birth to a magnicicent purebred colt with TWO sky blue eyes. RFR The Iceman (now three years old) is triple registered as an Arabian, a PtHa and as a Sabino and has become an ambassador of sorts for blue-eyed horses. He is winning in shows and was voted one of the favorite stallions at the 2009 Midwest Horse Fair. He is race bred and has just been broken to saddle and was introduced to the track this fall although he will not be raced until next year, and then, only lightly.  His photo is to be found at Midwestarabianbreedersclub.com under the "stallions" heading along with that of his sire, RFR Polar Star, a regional sport horse champion, a class we expect RFR The Iceman to excell in given his great conformation and huge balanced trot.

Unfortunately, I am not as fond of pink-rimmed blue eyes, I had a Connemara mare with pink rimmed blue eyes and she, although a wonderful hunter with great heart, seemed to have a certain sensitivity to bright sunlight and sudden changes from light to dark shadow, and vice versa, which caused her to hesitate at inopportune moments, ocassionally misjudging a step and once, a jump. Ouch! PJ

I have a 4 yearold Tovero paint with one blue eye and one brown eye, everyone tells me the blue eye is the devil eye and I tell them that I dont agree, his brown eye is soft looking so you cant trust that side.I tell people the  eye color has nothing to do with his personality. I get a lot of attention from people when they see two different eye colors. He is a joy to own. I wouldnt let  blue eyes on a horse stop me from buying it, I look at if he can do the job for me  that I am asking of him. Jerri

I'm a number 2.

Rhapsody in Blue. I think blue eyes are beautiful! I have a mare with one blue eye and she is gorgeous!

#2.

Juli Thorson:

2. BLUES: CAN USE. Eye color makes no difference to me as long as the horse itself fits my needs.

Scout has one blue and one brown eye with a touch of blue in it. I've had a couple horses with 1 blue eye and I've never had any problems associated with it.

4. TWO BLUES ONLY. I like horses with two blue eyes, but not ones with one blue eye and one brown.

 I'm closest to #2. I don't actually like the look at all - but if I really liked the horse otherwise, I'd get over it. I did know one blue-eyed horse that I absolutely adored and would have bought in a minute if he'd been anywhere close to my budget. I actually called him Frankie Blue Eyes, though that wasn't his name and nobody else would go along with me.

1.RHAPSODY IN BLUE. I LOVE blue eyes on horses. That eye color really makes a horse stand out.

I love blue eyed horses. My paint has 2 blue eyes with surrounding eyeliner.