Any visually impaired in the industry?
 

I saw this on another board and wanted to ask it here. Does anybody know of someone working in any area of horse racing (you know breeding, consigning, racing, or really anything) but who is visually impaired?

Thanks

I think the Stewards in NY must be.:)

Red Pollard?

....and the colt Pollard's Vision :)

come to think of it very few trainers even wear glasses
Elliott Walden did, but doesn't train anymore
I'd imagine a jockeys vision would have to be close to perfect
almsot like that of a pilots

I'm sure some jocks and trainers wear contacts...
Most of the trainers wear sunglasses:cool:, but you're right. I haven't really ever seen a trainer wear glasses....

Well Woody Stephens wore them and he was, ahem, ok, so I would say that theory is just about the stupidest thing I ever heard.

yeah Woody~but still lotta trainers ride, have to have good eyesight to ride
wasn't Baffert a jockey?

...and the filly Ihavemyeyeonyou:)

The way he has been calling races lately and his inability to make an educated guess at many close photos my grandmother could call, I would say Tom Durkin needs to take an afternoon off and hit the optometrist.

Baffert a jockey?
You are kidding right?

nope the guy was a jockey in New Mexico
heard them talking about it on TVG

He was a quarter horse jockey and some of those wild west thoroughbred-quarter horse races...He may have won some thoroughbred races, but he gave it up right after High School...

Mott wears glasses doesn't he, I am blind as a bat, but I can see just fine with contacts, so I doubt it makes a difference either way with a trainer...

it was just an observation, not really a theory
never had any luck with contacts myself
but I guess some folks like them
but to Merlinsky's question;
I would think there would be some job at the track
for the blind, but why would a blind person want one?
just curious~as it seems like there would be better jobs out there
for a visually imparied individual, the only one I can think of is bugling

He was before my time (as a horse racing fan). Tom Smith also wore glasses, but he was before all of our times. You don't ever really see any trainers wearing glasses besides sunglasses nowadays because most of them probably wear contacts.

For the record, I ride horses, and I usually ride in perscription sunglasses when showing outdoors. When showing indoors, I wear contacts.

I think most the jockeys at Fairplex are in need of a vision test!:D

I'm not trying to be funny
but is the DRF available in brail?

The person I'm asking for has slight perception of shadow and light so she's been able to jump horses in huntseat and competed in a saddleseat show. I've ridden with her awhile back and she's what I would label advanced in huntseat.

Big difference in huntseat and racing. It would make it very difficult to judge a horse's position in a race with your sight hindered, but in huntseat, you really only have to worry about yourself. I could never be a jockey...

#1, I'm too tall and too fat. :eek:
#2, I'm blind as a bat without my contacts. :o

Yea thats true with racehorses they are much more on edge than the normal jumper or pony. I am just plain to fat to be a jockey and i am a foot taller mabey the clydesdales 4 me, getty up budweiser!!:D

Thanks for thinking it over everybody. Yeah I'm wondering where she could find something. There are a few educational programs she's looking at that I told her frankly she shouldn't attempt unless she actually had a position in mind because why spend a couple years in school and then not be able to use it? Are we thinking pedigree analyst then? Nothing hands on you could think of?

If we're talking not hands-on with horses on the track (which I don't think is a sticking point), what could there be? I'll break to her gently if we can't come up with anything that she should probably stick to it as a hobby but they do have devices people wear in rings where someone gives them warning if they're coming up on anybody. That's small stuff I know but it's something.

She's been to Australia and Nepal on her own and is quite the independent lil bugger. She's ridden some pretty crazy horses and big ones too and not just in the ring by herself. I've been in there with her. I'd love to have some options even if they're not the ones she would wish she had.