Horse Racing Equipment

The most distinctive aspect of thoroughbred racing in the minds of the non-racing public is the colorful decoration of the horses and jockeys. It reminds them of the age of heraldry. Well, the tradition probably goes back that far. Owners will define for themselves a distinctive pattern and color combination that the jockey wears. These are called "silks." If the horse is wearing blinkers, the face cover part is usually decorated to match.

Blinkers

But the colors of the silks and blinkers are perhaps the least important aspect of the equipment from a functional point of view. The blinkers themselves, which do look like a vestige of the days of chivalry, have a cup around the bottom and back of the horse's peripheral vision, to prevent him from being distracted. Some horses race better with them, others, without.

Bandages

Bandages are commonly placed on the back legs of a horse to protect them from the sand of the track. The enormous friction of the hooves to the track makes the sand very hot, and the force of the impact of the hooves can make this hot sand fly at high speed. So the bandages preserve the horse's legs from these discomforts.

Shoes

All horses are shoed with special gear designed for racing, something like track shoes worn by human athletes just for a race. On mussy days, a different shoe may be used, called a "sticker." It is by analogy to track and field the "spike" shoe for running on cinder tracks. The sticker, however is not long and sharp, but broad, to give extra purchase for the horse. Horses with injured hooves often wear a bar shoe to protect tender areas. "Farrier" is the correct term for the skilled person who shoes the horses.

Bits

When a horse races, he (or she) actually runs into the bit. If a horse gives up in a race, it is called "spitting the bit." The bit is the most important means of communication between the jockey and the horse. It extends across the horse's mouth and attaches to the gear that connects to the reins. (The other three important tools of communication between horse and jockey are the spurs, the crop (whip) and the voice. On race day the voice is fairly useless due to the noise of the other horses and the crowd.) A horses with a tender mouth or recent work in the mouth might have a rubber bit. The "snaffle bit" is a two-piece bit that makes it easy for the horse to understand the Jockey's direction. There is also a "run out" bit, which has a spur on one side to prevent a horse from bolting in turns. The horse runs to the side opposite the spur. Under normal conditions, bits do not hurt the horse, and should not be regarded as cruel treatment. It's just the way horses are controlled.