This behavior was in sharp contrast to the normal behavior town by a frightened horse. My assistant, Mark Deesing, has had two unusual experiences with highly depigmented Paint Horses. In separate situations involving unrelated horses, when he picked up a back foot the horses leaned away from him and fell to the ground. Horses usually lean on the person picking up their feet, not away from them. Defects in the inner ear are linked to problems with balance.
Blue eyes can also signal neurological defects.
It is well known that white cats with blue eyes are deaf. But, white cats with dark eyes, or small areas of pigmented hair, are less likely to be deaf. Although blue eyes in themselves may not always signal neurological defects, breeding two blue-eyed Australian Shepherd dogs together results in pups that have eye, ear. and brain abnormalities. Blue eyes are a warning sign because they are associated with a reduced pigmentation throughout the body. Blue eyes are also becoming more common in commercial pigs.