It is an accepted fact that a bright and shining eye indicates good health in all mammals, and that a dull, listless eye indicates the presence of physiological problems.

But that is not all that the eye can tell us. The science of Iridology, which dates back for centuries and was practised by the ancient Egyptians, can help us to learn far more from the eyes. By looking into the iris of the eye, an experienced practitioner can determine the integrity of tissue in the various organs of the body. Professional iridologists agree that acute, sub-acute, chronic and degenerative conditions of the body are all reflected in the iris, frequently before they become apparent in other ways. Needless to say, this "early warning system", if acted upon, can prevent a condition worsening or even trigger a cure before a major problem occurs.

Most people now know about or have even experienced the art of Reflexology and know that most body organs can actually be 'worked' by massaging the feet. Just as the main circuits to every organ, gland and nerve in the body have endings in the feet and hands, they also have nerve endings in the eye. The iris has hundred of thousands of nerve endings that are connected to the brain and to every part of the body.

Iridology is now a recognised tool of diagnosis in humans. Models of heads with colourings and markings on the iris pointing to liver and kidney problems have been unearthed by archaeologists in Egypt, and iridology was also used by the ancient Chaldeans. It was latterly more scientifically chronicled in the late 19th century by Dr. Ignats von Peczeley, a German doctor.

When he was a boy he caught an owl and during the scuffle he accidentally broke the bird's leg. He and the owl stared at each other and he noticed that a black mark appeared in the bird's eye. As the broken leg healed, von Peczeley also noticed that the mark changed colour until it faded to a small white mark with a few dots around it. He was fascinated and when he grew up and became a doctor of medicine, he remembered the instance and decided to research this further.

By observing all his patients' irises and also taking note of their symptoms, he was eventually able to map the iris and his Iris Charts, although now updated, have remained the basis for iridology the world over.

Ellen Collinson first qualified as a human iridologist and then did a lot of research into Horses. She attended post mortems and went to knackers' yards where she could see horses stripped down organ by organ, muscle by muscle and bone by bone. By matching any disease, malfunction or injury to the marks in the animals' eyes, she was able to gather the information she needed.

She now says that her work is very rewarding, especially when she has discovered a problem and sees a horse that has been written off as useless or just a nappy rogue coming back as a true professional and doing his work, whatever it is, with pleasure.

Although iridology is a recognised tool of diagnosis on humans, it is not as widely known or practised on horses. However, there was a man called Syd Mercer who lived in England and used to diagnose through the eye. He worked in the cavalry in the remount service on the south coast of England during the Great War and handled a large number of injured, dying and dead horses. He noticed different markings in their irises and, like von Peczeley before him, noted the connection to the organs of the body.

Mercer helped a lot of horses to win races, including Barona to collect two Scottish Nationals and Rheingold to win the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.

Using iridology as a diagnostic tool is a very accurate way of assessing constitutional strengths and weaknesses as it shows whether the subject has a strong or weak constitution, inherited weakness or genetic problems. It also shows up accurately any organs which are under stress or malfunctioning, digestive disturbances and it can reveal whether the colon is eliminating well or if it is blocked up with waste matter or constricted in any wa. A dirty or 'toxic' colon can be the beginning of many diseases.

In humans, conventional X-rays or blood tests only show up a break/fracture, disease/virus; they will not show up an organ that is merely weak, under stress or malfunctioning. This also applies to the use of iridology on horses.

Iridology can be of assistance in the training of high performance horses, i.e. racing, eventing or endurance performers, as horses who have an inherited or genetic weakness will need a very different training schedule and diet from others to get the best from them. Horses with a stronger constitution will take hard training or the 'wrong' diet for a much longer period of time before it catches up with them. However these are the horses that show ability and then mysteriously 'lose their form'.

Inherited kidney weakness is one of the main things that will show up clearly in the eye and horses who have this weakness are prone to tying up or fading at the end of their races. They come to the final furlong on the bridle and suddenly have nothing left. Also a 'sore back' or 'cold back' can be a side effect of kidney weakness. This particular complaint is very much accentuated by diet, food intolerance, protein levels and source of protein.

Another area where this can be useful to know is in breeding, as a mare with a kidney weakness might have managed to win races and so might her proposed mate, but if they both have an inherited or genetic weakness the resulting foal is 99% certain to be affected. If only one parent has the problem, it can be counteracted by the other.

The digestive ring in the eye will indicate whether the system is toxic, acidic, extended or whether there are ulcers present and will also show up diverticulitis. It has been demonstrated that there is a direct relationship between parts of the colon and a corresponding reflex area of the body: in other words if the nerve wreath in the eye is pointing to a particular area, i.e., the liver, it will indicate the first signs that the liver is starting to come under stress. Any horse showing this problem in the iris will be unable to compete at his best no matter how genuine he/she is, or how hard he/she tries.

Temperament usually shows up in two ways. First are what are called Radii Solaris, which usually indicate a thinker or worrier, not necessarily a hyper horse or hot ride, but one that will overreact to situations or have temper tantrums.

Secondly any damage to the central nervous system (CNS), which can be caused during foaling or at any time by a head injury or other trauma and can lead to difficulties in training. This injury will make the horse appear 'hot' but it is usually due to pain or discomfort from a nipped or damaged nerve rather than to the horse's actual temperament.

Inherited stress, which shows up through the head area does not necessarily mean a hot horse, but its future will depend on how it is handled from the start.

Most problems show up first as a few changes to the iris fibres, then as a change of colour, spots of toxicity or old injuries.

Iridology is a fascinating subject and there is still a lot to learn. As Dr. Bernard Jensen said: "Many people are very sceptical about the authenticity of iridology, but all 'new' therapies that are given to us are treated with scepticism by those who seem grounded in a system that is satisfactory for the moment. However, all systems are changing today and there is no reason why we should all be bound to any one train of thought without investigating something new or without realising that possibly there is more to be known than that which we learned even in the finest colleges in the land".

If trainers had their horses checked at the beginning of the season, especially two-year-olds coming into training for the first time, they would then have an accurate assessment of any inherited weaknesses or deficiency which could lead to sore shins, fractures, bursting, lack of stamina, etc. They could then store the information, train the horse accordingly and, if any problems arise, they would know at least where to start looking.

The other time that Iridology would be most beneficial would be before a horse was bought. Everyone gets their prospective purchases vetted before they buy, to check if the horse is sound in heart, wind and limb, which is good, but it does not tell you about inherited, genetic or constitutional strengths or weakness, temperament, old invisible injuries or deficiencies. Iridology can. The prospective buyer can then at least be aware of what problems might occur in the future.