The Red & Yellow Hood

[PhantomOnTour]

I've seen races overseas (England & Hong Kong) where some runners are wearing a red hood (not blinkers) & sometimes a yellow hood, which is removed before the race starts.
The 7th at Chester today is an example. The 2-3-6 all had a red hood on that was removed before the race.

What do those hoods signify?

Thanks

[therussmeister]

Assuming they don't warm up with the hood, I suspect it is a blindfold worn by horses that put up a fuss while loading in the gate.

[PhantomOnTour]

Originally Posted by therussmeister

Assuming they don't warm up with the hood, I suspect it is a blindfold worn by horses that put up a fuss while loading in the gate.

They warm up with it, and it's removed just before they enter the gate. It isn't a blindfold or eye screen. It's a full hood that covers the ears and fastens under the chin. It has eye holes but no blinker cup at all.

EDIT: just looked it up.
It is used for runners who are nervous of crowds and noises. The ear covers are padded to restrict noise.

[BIG49010]

http://www.hidezproducts.com/purchase.html




Their called a compression hood and they are supposed to calm the horses pre-race, and are removed at the starting gate. Several each race if you watch races from England, France or Ireland.



We tried it on a crazy filly we had over here, and didn't really see any results.



Above is link, you can read all about their stuff.

[plainolebill]

Barry Abrams used to put earmuffs on a lot of horses.

[ranchwest]

Gate Dancer was nicknamed the "Hooded Wonder" because his ears were covered. I heard that he didn't like the sound of the crowd.