I know two things about horses: 1) they’re beautiful animals; 2) the ones I bet on rarely win.
So I’m curious about the horses I occasionally see in pastures wearing a covering over their eyes. Why? And, what is it called?
While I’m at it, how does one decide wheather to put a blanket on a horse. It’ll be hot - in the 90’s - and in a pasture full of horses, one or two will have blankets. Why?
Those are called blinders, and they don’t completely cover the eyes. They allow just enough to see straight ahead. This keeps work horses concentrated on their task, which is usually pulling something (plow, wagon) straight ahead.
I know you put on a blanket under a saddle, because the leather will give them sores. Dunno about just blankets, though.
The eye coverings are called blinders or blinkers and are to calm skittish horses who would otherwise take fright at moving objects in their peripheral vision. Blankets can serve a number of purposes on a hot day like keeping insects from biting the unprotected flanks of a horse his tail can’t reach or even cooling him if it’s very sunny.
I think you may be talking about a fly-bonnet (this). I have to keep one on my mare that covers her eyes and ears. She’s old, and he eyes get crusty with discharge, and the flies just won’t leave her alone. She can see though it fine, but the flies can’t get in.
Some people decide on blanket use if they don’t have time to properly cool down a horse after a workout. It’s not good to put a hot horse out without cooling them down first. So the horse would be put out into the pasture in a blanket. Also, some people trim off the winter coat for show purposes, so they blanket in the winter for warmth.
Thanks . Must be fly-bonnets I’m seeing - I know they’re not blinders because I see horses in blinders on the track and what I see here in the pastures does completely cover the eyes and look very much like the photo in bio-brat’s reply. From a moving car it looks like cloth.