The Shadow Roll

If you've been to the harness races, you may have noticed the sheepskin rolls which appear over a horse's nose, or perhaps one that fits over his nose and continues on up against each side of his cheeks. This is a piece of equipment common in the harness racing industry, known as the shadow roll.

There are various types of shadow rolls, and each serves a different purpose. They are worn commonly by both pacers and trotters, and the main purpose of a shadow roll is to prevent the horse from seeing the ground directly in front of him where shadows appear, and thus, avoid the possibility of him being spooked and going offstride or off his gait.

When fitting a shadow roll, a trainer must keep in mind, when he places the shadow roll on the horse's head, of where his head will be once he is checked up, and how this will affect the placement of the shadow roll.

When the horse's head is unchecked, it is at a lower angle than when he is checked up, moving and racing. His nose usually sticks out further and thus, a shadow roll that looked like a perfect fit in the barn, could actually prevent the horse from seeing anything but the sky once he is checked up and moving on the track.

Many trainers will break their two-year-olds in a shadow roll as common practice. It is often assumed that because pacers are hobbled, they are more conscious of tthe confinements around their legs, and thus are more afraid of stepping into what appears to them to be a dark hole or dip in the race track, caused by the appearance of a shadow.

The standard shadow roll is made of sheepskin and fits neatly in between the horse's eyes and his nostrils. Some shadow rolls are made extra-long and turn up at the ends so that they extend to the top of the horse's cheeks, or in many cases, to the edge of his blind bridle. This is done to ensure that a horse does not shy away from something he might spot on the track to either side of him.

Horses have been known to step over marks on the track with their hind feet as well, as sometimes they can peak down behind a narrow shadow roll.

A "BRUSH" shadow roll is self-describing and looks like an oriental fan protruding from the horse's nose. The brushes can be of various lengths and seems to work well on horses that are a little spooky as the brushes are constantly moving because of the wind passing through them, and they therefore tend to keep the horse's attention focused forward.

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