Eddie Wood evaluates the way blinkers affect horses

It is fascinating to observe when trainers place equipment on their horses. This is especially in competitive races where the first three in the betting are close together, have an excellent chance of winning on form or where the first half of the field have an exceptional opportunity of success.
The different types of equipment are used to encourage various reactions from the horse, but most have a common element: to enable the horse to concentrate more on the task at hand rather than looking at their surroundings.
In the past, there...