If you look at any race card you will see if a horse is wearing any type of headgear. The more common types of headgear worn by race horses are Blinkers, Visor and Cheek Pieces. Another addition to a horses headgear is a tongue strap.
Blinkers. These are fitted to a horse to aid its concentration during the race. The blinkers are in fact cowls fitted to a head cloth and they can be either full or half cup. The overall effect is to reduce a horses vision from 180 degrees down to a around 30 degrees.
Visors. These are similar to blinkers except that the cowl has a hole or slit in the side to allow the horse to see other horses at its side.
Some people question how genuine a horse is that needs blinkers but there is no doubt that in some cases they can bring about a much improved performance. It is not uncommon that the first time a horse races in blinkers it has the desired effect but in subsequent races they seem to have no effect.
There are three reasons why a trainer may decide to fit blinkers to a horse. The first is to help the horse to concentrate and focus on the job in hand. They can also help a horse to stay calm and be less inclined to pull in the early stages of a race and thus conserve its energy for the finish. Finally they can sometimes encourage a horse that is reluctant to race.
Cheek Pieces. In recent seasons the cheek piece, also known as French Blinkers, have become a popular form of racing headgear. The cheek piece consists of two sheepskin bands attached to the side of the horse bridle. Again the purpose is to restrict the horse side vision and to help to concentrate on the race.
The Tongue Strap. A tongue strap ids fitted over the horses tongue and this stops the tongue lifting and restricting the air flow. A trainers will normally fit this to a horse if they suspect that this has been a problem in its previous races. Although tongue straps have been used for a long time in horse racing it is only on the last ten years or so that it has been necessary to declare that a horse is wearing one.
Other headgear sometimes worn by horse include:
- Hoods are designed to cover the ears and are worn by horses that are affected by noise.
- Eye shields can be worn to give full vision but protect the horses eyes.
- Eye cover can be worn by a horse which is blind in one eye or has an eye missing.
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