It is common for trainers to put horses in blinders while they are working horses to help them stay focused and prevent them from getting distracted. Driving horses have blinkers attached to their bridles. This helps prevent them from getting sidetracked from any people, vehicles, animals or other distractions they may come across while driving.
Not only is this safer for the horse, but also the driver, as it can prevent the horse from getting spooked, which could lead to an accident. Blind cup blinders are commonly used to help heal eye injuries.
Some eye injuries cannot be exposed to direct light, so blind cup blinkers can help in the healing process. Blind cup blinders can also be used by experienced trainers while riding in some circumstances when training. This allows the horse to only pay attention to what the trainer is doing. When some people see fly masks or blinkers, they often assume that the horse cannot see out of them and that they are cruel to the horse.
However, it is quite the opposite. Fly masks can protect a horse from annoying bugs and a blinker hood can help them from getting distracted. Though it may look weird to non-equestrians, fly masks and blinkers provide many benefits to a horse. They do not blind the horse or hurt them in any way. Horses may look goofy wearing them, but there is no need to worry. Please comment if you enjoyed this article or have any remarks regarding this post! Table of Contents. One of the best tools a horse has to sense danger is its eyes.
Their wide viewing range allows them to see predators approaching from all sides. But having great peripheral vision has a trade-off; their visual perception is unclear. But these instinctive traits of always looking and listening to everything around them are why horses are nervous and have difficulty maintaining their focus. These blinders are rated 4.
Here is the link to the Amazon customer review page so that you read for yourself what other customers have to say:. Blinders and blinkers are terms used interchangeably in the horse racing community. Some horses lose speed when running from looking around. In a race, a horse gets distracted by other horses, people, and even birds.
The cups come in a variety of shapes and sizes and are often customized for each horse. Some common styles are:. European horse racing has historically shied away from using blinkers. However, in the last decade, a specialized blinker called a cheek-piece has gained in popularity.
Trainers attach a sheepskin to the bridle to prevent horses from seeing its jockey and rear distractions. In the United States, horses race with blinkers more frequently than horses in Europe, and quarter horses use blinders more often than thoroughbred racehorses.
Some estimates are as high as ninety percent of quarter horses race with blinders. Before the advent of the combustible engine, draft horses were prevalent. They were used to pull carriages, plow fields, and transport goods, among other duties.
And horses instinctively know predators attack from the rear. A horse's eyes are located on the sides of his head, allowing him to see a panoramic view of the world.
In fact, horses can see a nearly full circle around themselves except for a small blind spot in front of their noses and behind their tails. Blinders cover the rear and side vision of the horse, forcing him to focus only in a forward direction. The reduction in vision for horses wearing blinders is significant and can reduce a horse's vision from degrees to as little as 30 degrees, depending on the size and depth of the blinders.
When harness horses are first trained to pull wagons and carriages, they wear blinders to keep them from being distracted by the vehicle they are pulling. After they are trained to pull a wagon, cart or carriage, some horses continue to wear blinkers to prevent distraction from traffic or crowds.
Some horse trainers also insist on using blinkers to dissuade horses from backing up while in harness -- which can be dangerous for the horse and passersby. Similar to harness horses, racehorses often wear hoods with blinders to keep them focused on the racetrack and avoid distraction at the starting gate and from other racehorses.
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