Yes, I have several sets of racing blinkers, french cups and full cups. And have used the “no-see-backs” as seen in the show ring too. If you have a horse who needs them, they are a huge relief for everyone.
Yes, the rider has more responsibility than normal when blinkers are used, especially full cups. Because the horse can see less, so it is the rider’s responsibility to keep him safe, to be his eyes. Make sure that you keep him from bumping into things, the wall of the arena going by, or stall doors (blinkers are usually put on outside of the stall for this reason). That is something you have to get used to. The use of blinkers, especially full cup blinkers, makes the horse depend on his rider more, trust the rider, listen to the rider. They will stop him from seeing things that frighten him. They will also keep his attention focused, not fractured. They will usually result in the horse relaxing, and being more focused.
With green horses who are intrinsically frightened of the sight of a rider on their back, the use of full cup blinkers solves the problem with a good crutch, to get you past this issue, by removing the sight of the rider up there. They allow the horse to see forward, but not back or to the sides. All they have to contend with is the “feel” of the rider, not the “sight”. This lets you ride a horse that you might not otherwise be able to ride safely, introduce him to the aides of being ridden, find success and reward with being ridden, without his intrinsic fear of the sight of the rider. Once the basic cues of riding are installed, and the horse has relaxed about it WITH the blinkers on, the blinkers get reduced to french cups, to let him get a glimpse of the rider every now and again. The only other option for a horse like this is the use of a “dummy rider”, which FORCES the rider to accept the sight of the rider by having the dummy tied into place, and letting the horse try it’s best to dislodge it, and failing. Modern horse training techniques describe the negative results of FORCING a horse to accept anything. IMO, the blinkers are a better plan than a “dummy”. Not all horses are intrinsically frightened of the sight of a rider on his back, in fact, most aren’t, but for those who are, it’s a problem that has to be overcome at some point, in some way. It’s an instinctual fear, of the predator on his back, it’s not something that they are doing to be “bad”. If it’s there, it’s not their fault. They need help and reassurance, not force.
Some horses have issues with giving over full control of any situation or decision to the rider, especially when green. Often these are very dominant horses socially, and are accustomed to being in control of EVERYTHING themselves. They normally make the decisions on what is scary, and what isn’t, and what he is going to do about it. Not having to be responsible for these decisions any more results in the horse being able to relax. Horses who feel they have the responsibility can be quite tense about it all. The use of blinkers can be useful in a case like this. They will learn to depend on the rider to keep them safe. But the rider can NEVER let them down, must be very aware. The rider can use the blinkers as he rides, if an issue is coming up that the horse is concerned with as you approach, you just bend his head away from it, and the issue disappears as the blinker cup cuts off the vision. For most horses, if he can’t see what scares him, what scares him ceases to be. Eureka.
The french cups are an intermediary step in blinkers size. They will stop the horse from seeing behind him, focus this attention forward only. They will let the horse see the rider on his back when he turns his head a bit, how much depends on the size of the cup. The smallest ones are called “cheaters” and only stick out an inch. French cups stick out further, around 2 1/2 inches. French cups are usually used on racehorses who are looking (and sometimes WAITING) for a horse to catch up to him, so that he can dig in and be competitive head and head. Trainers would rather that he not “wait” for that horse, but instead stay on the job. BTDT.
No-see-backs are the show ring viable option for non racing pursuits. How big they are, or can be, depends on what you want and need, can buy or create. Since horses in the show ring are usually not THAT green, they are the equivalent of “cheaters” on the track. Just shield a bit of the vision back, increase the focus on what is in front of them, the job at hand.
Controlling the amount a horse can see is always surprisingly absent to riding horse riders and trainers. But yes, used judiciously and carefully, it can be helpful in moving forward your goals for a horse.
