A blind horse who lost his eyes to a chronic disease has risen above his limitations and earned three world records, thanks to the love, support, and persistence of his owner.
Endo, a 22-year-old blind Appaloosa horse who lives in Corvallis, Oregon, with his owner, Morgan Wagner, is the proud holder of three Guinness World Records: highest free jump by a blind horse (106 cm), the fastest time for a blind horse to weave five poles (6.93 seconds), and most “flying changes” by a horse in one minute (39)—meaning changing the direction of his front and hind legs simultaneously.
Endo’s successful adaptation to blindness owes to the trust he built with Wagner over the two decades that he’s been with her. At the age of 13, Wagner chose Endo from among the foals at her grandmother’s farm and the pair bonded quickly.
“Endo has a big personality ... he thinks he’s the greatest horse in the world and he wants everybody to know that,” said Wagner, who didn’t even know how to put a halter on him at first.
However, as they spent time together the pair taught each other everything there is to know about horseback riding.
They progressed through basic riding commands onto dressage and obstacle courses, mastering every new challenge before moving on to the next. But when Endo turned 8 years old, Morgan noticed he was having trouble with his eyes, he was tearing up and squinting often.
A veterinarian diagnosed equine recurrent uveitis, the most common eye disorder and the leading cause of blindness among horses worldwide.
With each painful flareup, Endo’s eyes worsened. Despite Wagner and the veterinarian’s efforts to ease his pain with ointments, dimly-lit night rides, and even removing dust from his environment, Endo’s right eye ruptured. Wagner knew the best thing for Endo was to have his eye removed.
Within months, Endo’s left eye also began to show problems and thus had to be removed too. Wagner’s hopes for her newly-blind horse were modest at first.
“I just hoped he would be happy eating in his stall without pain, so we started there,” she said. “He was very scared in the beginning, so I took him for walks around the barn and then moved on to walks around the property. Everything in small steps.”
Yet, leaning on his remaining senses and years of training with Wagner, Endo reclaimed his confidence. His limitation became his proud moniker, “Endo the Blind,” augmenting his talent from impressive to extraordinary.
That’s when Wagner knew her beloved horse had the potential to break records.
“Each record was something Endo already knew. We just had to practice and fine tune it,” she said. “I love watching Endo navigate around obstacles on his own. He knows exactly where everything is, even in new environments.”
“He learned to jump again after going blind because he competed in a discipline that required upper-level riding and obstacle work, and in that discipline, he became national champion at the highest level,” Wagner said.
In early December, Endo was honored with three certificates from Guinness World Records for his amazing abilities.
Besides his record-breaking titles, Endo is also a fan of creature comforts and food in particular. “That’s one thing I spoil him with; he has four different types of hay in his feeder every day and a couple different types of grain,” Wagner said. “His buffet is always fully stocked!”
Endo also has a pint-sized playmate—with whom he shares a stall—a rescued miniature mare named Cinnamon. Wagner made sure to introduce the two horses before Endo went fully blind, adding, “that way he would already have the bond with her.”
Proud Wagner hopes that Endo’s success story, and his trio of world record titles, will motivate other equestrians to give more attention to disabled horses.
