“Why do horses wear blinders?”- Have you ever considered asking yourself this question? You may find those blinders quite weird for horses to wear, but there are some useful reasons behind this. Horses wearing blinkers is a common sight while racing, driving, and even in some forms of training. Those little yet important pieces of equipment are way more than just an aesthetic thing. They play a huge role in the horse’s focus, safety, and performance.
In this article, we’ll discuss the top 5 reasons for “Why do horses wear blinders?”, along with data on a few common sorts of horse blinders.
What Is Horse Blinders?
Horse blinders (also called blinders) are small pieces, usually made of leather or plastic, attached to a horse’s bridle and placed beside the horse’s eyes. Generally, blinders are frequently used in horse racing, driving, and training. This will help to prevent the horse from getting startled or distracted by surrounding scenes.
Learn About Horse Vision
Horses have a field of vision almost broader than any other land animal, nearly 350 degrees. It is much wider than the vision field of humans, just around 180 degrees. This is because their eyes are on two sides of their heads, enabling them to view nearly everything in their surroundings without turning their heads. On the downside, they have 2 blind spots: Right in front of their noses and right behind them. This means that if you stand right in front of or directly behind a horse, he won’t be able to see you. Therefore, it’s always best to approach horses from the side.
Wearing blinders for a horse is a way to limit the side vision of the horse, forcing him to see only in a forward direction. When steeds are wearing blinders, it can diminish vision from 180 degrees down to only 30 degrees, depending on the style of blinders.
Why Do Horses Wear Blinders? Top 5 Reasons Explained
Why do horses wear blinders? Horse blinders are primarily used to reduce the horses’ visual range. But there are 5 fascinating reasons about this that you may want to know:
Better Concentration
Horses, with a prey nature, will do things following their instincts. They will keep their eyes on their surroundings, and for example, sleep standing up or nod when being irritated by insects. Thus, blinders will block the horses’ peripheral vision, forcing them to concentrate on what is right in front of their eyes. This is particularly important in a racetrack or pulling carriages, where peripheral distractions may lead to loss of control or reduced speed.
In racing, blinders will keep horses focused on the racetrack and avoid distraction from other racehorses as well as the audience from the stage. Some trainers of racehorses also utilize blinders when they want the horses to run faster by making them feel they are leading.
Spook Prevention
Horses have a very wide field of vision. Any sudden movement or an unsighted object that may pop up in their peripheral vision can easily startle them. Why do horses wear blinders? Blinders reduce the chance of spooking in horse at something happening to the side or behind it. The truth is, that horses can get scared by very basic things, like plastic balloons, shopping bags, or even shadows.
Safety Improvement
For both the horse and the rider or driver, safety is of paramount consideration. Blinders prevent accidents because the horse’s eyes will be directly on the path ahead of him. Therefore, he will not react to any side movements which may spook him.
Even the most seasoned horse may spook. You can notice that when horses become frightened, they can do something very suddenly and hurt the riders and people around them. They may freeze, neigh, spin, buck, rear, change direction, or run away. Why do horses wear blinders? This is one of the key reasons that some working horses will wear blinders.
Carriage horse is one of the most common scenarios in which you can notice blinders. Tourist locations, parades, cities, streets, and amusement parks are popular places where you can find those beautiful carriage horses. Of course, there are so many visual stimuli in this situation, and blinders are necessary to prevent even the calmest carriage horse from panicking.
Training Assistance
Why do horses wear blinders? Wearing blinders can help horses, especially the inexperienced or young ones, to concentrate on the commands of the trainers. This will boost the learning as well as build more confidence for horses. Many equestrians have discovered that wearing blinders can calm nervous horses. This could be very useful during a horse’s first travel or familiarization with new surroundings.
Horses’ Eyes Protection
Horses may also be fitted with blinders, or even full blinders, to protect an injured eye. Injuries or sicknesses to the eyes of a horse are quite common. A blinder over an injured eye will keep it protected, clean, and pest-free while it heals.
Why do horses wear blinders? To further shield the horse’s eyes from the reins, blinders are also worn. Those reins could hit their eyes, especially on horse-drawn carriages that have 2 horses in the front and 2 horses behind.
FAQs
Some available sorts of horse blinders are utilized for distinctive purposes. Some typical types of blinders available on the market are carriage harness blinders, standard blinders, French cups, full cup blinders, winkers, and shadow rolls.
The history of blinders is thought to begin in ancient Greece, where chariot racers employed them to keep their horses focused and minimize distractions from the surrounding environment.
One of the earliest recorded blinder usages in modern horse racing occurred in the late 1800s in France when Henry Jennings, a horse trainer, started using them on his horses. This practice quickly gained popularity, with many other trainers adopting blinkers for their horses soon after.
Final Thoughts
“Why do horses wear blinders?” – To improve a horse’s performance, concentration, and safety for the owners, the horses, and the people around them, a blinder is surely necessary. The horse blinder is a small tool but continues to be essential in the equestrian world, especially when you possess new horses and attempt to train them.
