TWO studies were conducted recently to examine the impact of blindfolds on ease of handling. Blindfolding horses is commonly thought to make them easier to handle in stressful situations yet to date there has been little research into the area. In the first study, 33 riding school horses were led from a familiar stall both blindfolded and unblindfolded. In the second study, 27 of these horses were then led through an obstacle course, both blindfolded and unblindfolded, that required them to weave through cones, back up through a chute, walk across a tarpaulin and pass through a gate made of pool noodles that brushed their flanks. For both studies, time taken to complete each phase of the test was recorded, as well as heart rate difference from baseline, lead rope pressure and frequency of avoidant or resistant behaviours.

Intimidating stimuli

The research conducted at the University of Guelph suggests that blindfolding might offer benefits when encountering visually intimidating stimuli, especially in situations where time constraints are not present. In an emergency situation however, such as fire evacuations, blindfolding is likely to prolong lead time and exacerbate handling difficulties. This could impede successful rescue efforts and potentially jeopardise the safety of both humans and animals.

Overall, blindfolded horses required more time and exerted greater lead rope pressure when led from a stall compared to unblindfolded horses. They also exhibited higher frequencies of avoidant and refusal behaviours and experienced higher heart rate increases during the process.

However, when navigating a visually frightening obstacle (a gate made of pool noodles that brushed their flanks), blindfolded horses needed less time, exerted less lead rope pressure, and displayed fewer avoidant or refusal behaviours, than they did when not blindfolded.

The researchers suggest that blindfolding may be beneficial in situations involving visually frightening stimuli and where time constraints are not a concern. Nevertheless, further research is necessary to evaluate more realistically the effectiveness of blindfolds in simulated emergency scenarios.