Racing Bridles Play an Important Role

The bridle used on a Standardbred race horse is a leather or synthetic device that fits over and around the head of the horse. The open end secures the bit and an overcheck bit which goes into the horse's mouth.

There are four types of bridles used for a variety of reasons on Standardbreds. The OPEN bridle is perhaps the most common, and it has no blinders, permitting the horse to see everything around him in all directions.

A BLIND or CLOSED bridle has blinkers on the sides so that the horse cannot see behind or to the sides of him.

The KANT SEE BACK bridle permits the horse to see everywhere except directly behind him, hence the name.

Last, but not least, is the PEEK-A-BOO bridle, or TELESCOPE bridle, which provides only limited vision, keeping the horse's attention focused straight ahead. This bridle comes in many different styles, but usually has leather or synthetic eye blinkers which surround each eye completely all the way around and allow only forward vision.

Typically, most horses will wear either an OPEN or BLIND bridle. Trainers will usually put an OPEN bridle on a horse that take a hold and wants to go too much. The theory being that if the horse can see horses coming up behind him he will relax and thus, not pull.

Conversely, with a BLIND bridle, a horse can hear the other horses behind him but cannot see them, and he is likely to become a little more aggressive and therefore want to trot or pace faster. Many trainers use a BLIND bridle for horses that do too much looking around or who tend to be on the lazy side.

Many Standardbred trainers will use the PEEK-A-BOO bridle on horses that tend to be a little spooky for one reason or another. This bridle has round blinds that fit over the eye and it is important that they fit properly. The eye of the horse must be right in the center of the blinker so that the horse has unlimited forward vision. If the adjustment of the blinker is not accurate, the horse's vision cold be right or left, up or down, and thus, the trainer will not achieve his desired result.

In some cases, trainers will switch bridles depending on whether a horse is training, jogging, or racing. A trainer might use an OPEN bridle to jog the horse, so that he stays relaxed, and then switch to a KANT SEE BACK bridle when training or racing so that the horse becomes more aggressive.

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