Why Race Horses Wear Blinkers

Horse trainers have numerous tools at their disposal that encourage race horses to run their fastest. One such tool is a set of blinkers, or blinders, worn by the horse as part of a cloth hood. The hood has eyeholes cut into it, which are shielded on either side by barriers that keep the horse from using its extensive peripheral vision. Blinkers can result in a more focused racehorse that produces faster running times.

  1. Blocking the Vision of a Nervous Horse

    • Thoroughbred race horses just beginning their racing careers are often distracted by the crowds, the noise and the other horses that they must encounter in preparation for and during the course of a horse race. These distractions can sometimes spook a horse, causing it to waste vital energy pre-race, resulting in the horse being "hot" or tired during the race itself. These horses often wear blinkers to keep them from seeing the things that make them nervous. Nervous horses sometimes become accustomed to the sights and sounds of a race and, as a result, may calm down and become less spooked, eventually eliminating the need for blinkers.

    Blocking the Vision of an Overly-Curious Horse

    • Some horses are very curious, reacting with interest to every new sight or sound. While intelligence and curiosity are valued attributes in a racehorse, ADD-like distract-ability is not. Often, overly-curious racehorses that wear blinkers are able to put their attention on the task and hand in a more focused way, potentially resulting in faster race times and more successful finishes. Blinkers are very often used on horses that are distracted by the other horses during the race, allowing the animal to simply run its race and not be thrown off by the other racers.

    Keeping the Horse Running Straight

    • One of the last things a trainer wants to see is a jockey that must fight with his horse to keep the animal running straight. Some horses have a tendency to veer to the outside, while others might veer away from running too close to other horses. Since the shortest trip around the track is the one closest to the rail, jockeys and trainers work to keep horses from running too far to the outside. The motion of a horse that tends to drift to the outside can often be corrected with blinkers. The horse sees only what is directly in front of it and tends to run straighter, allowing for less wasted energy and the potential for a faster running time.

    A Temporary Training Tool

    • Young horses and horses that develop sudden alterations in running style or personality sometimes wear blinkers as a temporary measure. Horses can be trained to load and break consistently from the starting gate by wearing blinkers for several races. Once the horse has learned to load quietly and gets off cleanly for a number of starts, the trainer might remove the blinkers. Some trainers employ blinkers for a single big, important race, as a horse wearing blinkers for the very first time might run a faster race than usual. Using blinkers to block a horse's vision due to skittishness, distraction or a wide running style might also be necessary only as a temporary measure.