The first time I saw a pair of “mini blinkers” was in the show jump warm up, when a few horses had these sleek, form-fitting plates running along the side of their bridle cheek pieces. I’d only seen “blinders” before in their more traditional forms – on carriage horses and on the racetrack. So when I recently bought a Thoroughbred off the track, I was reminded of these removable blinders, which restrict a horse’s field of vision and help keep their concentration.
The gelding I bought is a war horse – he retired from racing after 8 years on the track. In almost all of his races (which I looked up and watched online) he wore blinders. This made sense after I met him, and he showed some anxiety and tension at the mounting block and about a rider getting on in general. The first thing I did was turn this horse out – he lives in a pasture 24/7 with other horses and is enjoying a well-deserved “let down” period of just being a horse, after a long turf career. But the next thing I did was buy a pair of Dy’on mini blinkers, hoping these much smaller and thinner “blinders” would give him a sense of familiarity that he was used to from his track training.
They easily fit on any bridle with small, soft velcro straps that go around the leather cheek pieces. They are easily removable and adjustable. The blinkers are part of Dy’on’s “working collection” and are meant for daily training. They come in black or brown buffalo leather and seamlessly fit to the look of any proper leather bridle. The 3-centimeter-wide pieces are FEI approved (according to Dy’on).
The goal of using a training aid like this is to help a horse focus. That was of course in the case of my racing fit OTTB. We worked on the ground for weeks before I put a saddle on his back, or a bridle. But when the bridle came on, I made sure the mini blinkers were attached. The longterm goal is of course not to rely on blinkers to have a happy, calm and comfortable horse while working under tack. But these well-made and relatively inexpensive blinkers are a great training tool for now, as I’m getting to know my new horse and helping him adjust to a new life as a sport horse (and well-loved adult ammy lady’s pet).
This product review originally published in the Heels Down Spark. Get more conversation starters in your inbox every weekday morning by subscribing to the Spark now.