In horse racing parlance, the term ‘headgear’ refers to specific items of tack that a horse wears, predictably, on its head during a race and, in most cases, must be officially declared on the racecard beforehand. Of course, every racehorse wears a bridle, which fits over its head and to which the bit and reins are attached, thereby assisting the jockey to effectively control the horse. Strictly speaking, a bridle is an item of headgear but, as a basic necessity, does not need to be declared. The only other racing headgear does not need to be declared is a noseband or, in other words, a strap that fits over the nose and secures the bridle, which is commonly used to deter horses from opening their mouths.
Racehorse trainers apply headgear to their charges in an effort to improve their performance on the racecourse and various types are available to deal with issues arising from inexperience, lack of concentration and/or resolution and other temperamental difficulties. Blinkers, for example, come in several basic designs, but are essentially semi-circular plastic or leather cups, which are attached to the bridle on either side of the head, with the intention of reducing the peripheral vision of the horse. Thus, the horse is encouraged to focus on what is happening immediately in front of it, rather than the to the side or to the rear.
A visor is similar in design to blinkers, but features a slit in each eye cup, such that the horse has partial peripheral vision and remains aware of rivals on either side or to its rear. Cheekpieces, a.k.a. French blinkers, consist of strips of sheepskin attached to either side of the bridle and perform a similar function to blinkers or a visor, but are less restrictive than either. The other items of headgear that must be declared on the racecard are a tongue-tie which, as the name suggests, ties down the tongue to prevent breathing difficulties, and a hood, which covers the ears and restricts the extraneous noise the horse can hear.