# Seeing Eye Horses?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeing-eye-horses/68313
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [June 10, 2001, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeing-eye-horses/68313 "2001-06-10T15:48:41Z")
**Posts on this page:** 7
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@RoboDude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RoboDude)
#### Post date: [June 10, 2001, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeing-eye-horses/68313/1 "2001-06-10T15:48:41Z")
A while ago, I heard on the radio that someone is trying to train miniature horses to do the job of seeing eye dogs. What’s the point? What advantage would they have over dogs?
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### Author:  [@Rue\_DeDay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rue_DeDay)
#### Post date: [June 10, 2001, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeing-eye-horses/68313/2 "2001-06-10T16:46:25Z")
Seeing-eye horses would be a real boon to blind Amish who still like to get the buggy out and zip up to Wal-Mart.
A then there’s the plus of steaming piles of horse doots everywhere you go.
Seeing-eye weasles make much more sense.
Actually I hadn’t heard of this, but horses being not-quite-at-the-top of the food chain have their eyes on the sides of their heads. They have a wider view, but less depth perception. They could see the car coming, but wouldn’t know you’re already in the street. (Dogs also have a wider field of view than people, but not a wide as a horse and better depth perception.)
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### Author:  [@Morrison\_s\_Lament](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morrison_s_Lament)
#### Post date: [June 10, 2001, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeing-eye-horses/68313/3 "2001-06-10T17:07:54Z")
I’ve even seen one on CNN, funny as hell 😃
The only one I know of currently operating is in New York and has some cutie pie name I can’t quite remember, “Snuggles” or something similar.
I remember wanting one for myself as a pet 😃
CNN did list a number of things that made them highly skilled, for instance they seem to have a very evolved logistical memory capacity. They used him to relocate a car in a large parkinglot as a demonstration of how a horse never forgets where anything is. I’m not sure many blind people drive these days, but there are definitely huge advantages to this outside of shopping mall parking lots.
I’m sure you’ll find something if you do a search on CNN, sadly I can’t access it to find you a link.
— G. Raven
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### Author:  [@Morrison\_s\_Lament](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morrison_s_Lament)
#### Post date: [June 10, 2001, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeing-eye-horses/68313/4 "2001-06-10T17:09:52Z")
I just remembered, I’m pretty sure it was called “Cuddles” 😃
There is also an American Seeing Eye Horse Foundation, which trains these animals and is trying to raise awareness of how well suited they are to this line of work.
I also remember they said that horses lived much longer than dogs, meaning the time that gets put into the training goes a long way.
— G. Raven
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### Author:  [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)
#### Post date: [June 10, 2001, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeing-eye-horses/68313/5 "2001-06-10T17:13:37Z")
I herd (yes I meant that) something similar, but wasn’t paying close attention. I think one of the benefits was longevity. I believe a pooch’s useful lifespan is shorter than that of a pet. It isn’t feasible for a blind person to keep each dog on as a pet after its service, so there is some heartache involved, and some expense to train a new dog. IIR, they are using Shetland ponies, so the space is similar, and one pony can stay with the person much longer.
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### Author:  [@RoboDude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RoboDude)
#### Post date: [June 10, 2001, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeing-eye-horses/68313/6 "2001-06-10T17:30:21Z")
Don’t a lot of places have laws restricting where farm animals may be kept?
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### Author:  [@dqa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dqa)
#### Post date: [June 10, 2001, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeing-eye-horses/68313/7 "2001-06-10T18:57:09Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Morrison’s Lament \*
> **I just remembered, I’m pretty sure it was called “Cuddles” 😃
> There is also an American Seeing Eye Horse Foundation, which trains these animals and is trying to raise awareness of how well suited they are to this line of work.**
Wow, those horses are puny! Check out [this](http://www.guidehorse.org/faq_horses.htm) site, which includes answers to questions such as
> [@](#):
>
> **Can a Guide Horse be trained to assist deaf people?**
> Horses are not well suited for assisting the hearing impaired. Horses do not possess the “watch dog” instinct which is important for a hearing assistance animal.
>
> **Why don’t you call them seeing-eye horses?**
> The Seeing Eye is a registered trademark of The Seeing Eye, Inc. The Guide Horse Foundation is not affiliated with the Seeing Eye, but has great respect for their wonderful work with the visually impaired.
They don’t specifically address advantages over dogs The site also mentions that “all horses must measure less than 26 inches high at the withers,” and the first horse in the program, now retired, was named Twinkie.