A new study from the University of Guelph dispels a long-held belief that blindfolding a horse during an emergency has a calming effect.
There are many examples in film and literature that use blindfolding a horse as a solution during a fire, including the novel Black Beauty, or the film Gone with the Wind. For example, in that 1940 classic, Rhett Butler blindfolds a horse to lead it past the burning of Atlanta to allow the carriage it’s pulling to escape the war.
Even in less dramatic scenarios, say, loading a horse onto a trailer, the blindfold theory has often been a go-to tactic. In the research report, published in Science Direct, two studies were conducted to prove or disprove the claim. The study was completed by Caleigh Copelin, Bryn Hayman, Renée Bergeron, and Katrina Merkies through the Department of Animal Bioscience and the Campbell Centre for the Study of Animal Welfare, both part of the University of Guelph.
In the first study, 33 riding lesson horses were led from a familiar stall both blindfolded and unblindfolded. In the second study, 27 of these horses were also led blindfolded and unblindfolded through an obstacle course that included weaving through cones, reversing through a chute, walking across a tarp and “through a gate made of pool noodles that brushed their flanks.”
Both studies were timed and various factors noted, including “difference from baseline, lead rope pressure and frequency of avoidant or resistant behaviours.”
Interestingly, the blindfolded horses took longer and required more lead rope pressure to exit stalls in the first study, and to navigate the cones and back up in the second. However, the blindfolds did show positive results for horses asked to move through the noodle gate. The study authors also said the blindfolded horses demonstrated less refusal or “avoidant” behaviours in the gate test than those without a blindfold.
In terms of stress, the blindfolded horses did have increased heartrates while being led in the first study, but the blindfold did not seem to change the heartrate during the obstacle course, except during a second attempt when heartrates were reduced regardless of blindfold or no blindfold.
The takeaway from the study is that blindfolding a horse might be a useful tactic when navigating visually frightening objects and if time is not a factor. But during an emergency situation such as a barn fire, the authors write that “blindfolding is likely to increase lead time and difficulty of handling, which could negatively impact the success of a rescue and put human and animal lives at risk.”