So much to know - equine facts - Vermont Horse Council

Want to dazzle your friends and acquaintances? Here is a fun fact about equines:

Horses Use Their Eyes Independently

Horses can use their eyes together in a form of binocular vision, but they can also use their eyes independently in monocular vision.Essentially, a horse can look at an object using their right eye while also looking behind themselves with their left eye. Each eye delivers information to a different half of the horse’s brain, and those brain halves work independently.That capability means horses can process large amounts of information, but it also means that the horse’s brain halves don’t always process the same information at the same time.

For example, let’s say a horse sees a frightening object on its left. With a little time, the horse realizes the object is not a threat and calms down. When the horse turns around and the object is on its right, they may spook again. This is because the right eye and corresponding half of the brain still must see, register, and process that object—even though the left eye and half of the brain has already seen it.

So much to know – equine facts

Horses Use Their Eyes Independently

Photo by Mandy Naleli on Unsplash; article from https://www.chewy.com

Hands on Grazing Symposium – June 4

The Vermont Horse Council has been an advocate for the equine industry in Vermont since 1975

Sign up for our email newsletter

Logout of your account

So much to know – equine facts

Horses Use Their Eyes Independently

Photo by Mandy Naleli on Unsplash; article from https://www.chewy.com

Hands on Grazing Symposium – June 4

You May Also Like

Equestrians Let Your Voice Be Heard – ANR Public Meetings

GMHA – Coming events

NEK Equine Expo Line Up