Have you ever watched the Grand National horse race and wondered why some of the runners wear blinkers, if you have stop wondering! The main reason for wearing them is to keep the horse focused on the race and limit his peripheral vision to avoid distractions. Most people can appreciate that horses without blinkers are more likely to be distracted and this is very dangerous at the fast speeds horses run during a race like the Grand National.

Blinkers go back a lot further than most people might think. They were invented by a priest who had made a bet with a pal that he could get his horse to go up the stairs of his home and although the horse did this no problem the problems started when he tried to get to come back down! The priest realised that if he covered the horses eyes he would be less afraid and would be able to be led back down - and it worked and blinkers became a useful tool for everyone working with horses.

The percentage of vision restriction for horses fitted with blinkers is between 180 degrees to as little as 30 degrees. The blinkers themselves can either be worn as part of the bridle, specifically on the cheek pieces or indeed be integrated in to a bigger framework, such as a facemask which is then put on over the horses head somewhat like a balaclava.

If blinkers are so useful then why don't all race horses wear them? If cups instead of flaps are placed around the horses eyes it will have the opposite outcome. Instead of calming the horse down and steadying it to the track in front of it, it will only make it fearful of what it can't see and claustrophobic, this has the effect of making the horse run faster in the early stages of a race. This method can be used by trainers on horses who aren't reaching there maximum potential.

This serves a valuable purpose for the trainer who needs to know his horses limits and abilities, a horse who starts quickly can will lack energy to finish strongly in the final parts of a race, especially if the race is a long one like the Grand National which is over four miles.

Analysis has been carried out in the horseracing world regarding the effects of blinkers. In particular, Nick Mordin of the Racing Post has discovered that while blinkers have more impact the first time they are applied to a horse, there is in fact a residual effect, which persists as long as a horse continues to wear the blinkers.

When you see a horse fitted with blinkers it does not mean that the horse has reliability problems, the reasons can be more complicated than we first think, but blinkers do seem to make a big improvement in form for some horses. Ultimately only the horses trainer and jockey can decide if the blinkers are needed and what type should be fitted, but at least you now know the reasons why some horses do wear them and some don't.