Gear changes in horse racing are when a trainer declares that his runner will wear different equipment in a race. Different types of racing equipment (gear) include things like blinkers, nose rolls, and bar plates.
Different gear can dramatically affect a horse’s focus, breathing, or behavior – ultimately improving the horse’s ability to race well – and it pays to know what they all mean.
All the best bookmakers will mention gear changes in their racing form guides – so let’s take a look at them so we can understand what they are and what they try to do:
1. Blinkers
Blinkers are one of the most common gear changes that restrict the vision of a thoroughbred, meaning that it can’t see in its blind spots. Blinkers help the horse focus on what’s in front, as opposed to any runner making a run from behind.
Blinkers don’t work for every runner, but a key punting guide is to look at first starters wearing blinkers. It’s usually a sign of good things to come.
2. Noseband
A noseband or a nose roll is a sheepskin roll placed on the nose of a horse. The noseband helps the horse to lower its head during the run, as a horse running with its head in a higher position negatively affects its performance.
You will often hear a commentator describing a runner as “overracing,” and a noseband can help with that.
3. Tongue Tie
A tongue tie is a piece of nylon that is used to prevent horses from getting their tongue over the bit (the metal piece in the horse’s mouth). It can help horses breathe better in the run, so a tongue tie is a common gear change.
4. Bar Plates
A bar plate is used to stop the hoof shifting during the run. It’s often applied to horses with foot issues, which is something to avoid backing. There is a lot of discussion as to whether bar plates help a horse’s chances of winning, or not.
5. Ear Muffs
Horse ear muffs are used to help block out the noise on loud carnival days. Front runners wearing ear muffs can be run down, as they don’t hear the horses coming from behind them.
Pre-race ear muffs are more common. They are worn by the horse right up until they are loaded into the barrier and it can help keep them calm before the race.
6. Winkers
Winkers are a less intrusive version of Blinkers. They help stop a horse from looking back (since horses have 360-degree vision) and can sharpen a horse up just enough to get the win.
7. Lugging Bit
A lugging bit helps to prevent a horse from ‘lugging out’ – which means drifting or pulling sideways – so a lugging bit helps to keep the horse running in a straight line. It’s similar to having a wheel alignment on a car.
Having a horse lug throughout the run (and especially in the straight) isn’t ideal, so the lugging bit is applied to keep the horse on the straight and narrow.
8. Gelded
A gelding is a male horse that has been castrated. This is often referred to as the “ultimate gear change” and it helps to keep the horse calm and less distracted by the fillies and mares running around the track.
It usually works a treat for newly gelded runners, and connections will only geld their horse if they lack concentration on the track. Of course, a gelded thoroughbred can’t head off to stud following his career, so they tend to race much longer than colts.