What Are the Uses of a Pelling Pacifer?

Pelling pacifiers, which are mesh horse goggles, were created by jockey-inventor Michael Pelling. Pelling's creation is different from most kinds of horse goggles because, unlike standard plastic goggles, they don't fog up. Pelling pacifiers wrap around the top of a horse's head like a lady's bandanna, with the mesh goggles for the horse to look through and two holes for its ears. It then fastens under the horse's neck, allowing for free range of vision.

  1. Michael Pelling

    • Jockey Michael Pelling began developing the so-called pacifiers named for him in 1988, when he was 31. The product took him over a year and $100,000 to create. He famously publicized his invention by riding nude in a track gallop with a horse wearing a Pelling pacifier.

    Uses: Eye Protection

    • Pelling pacifiers were originally developed to protect horses' sensitive eyes from the mud and flying debris associated with racing on wet sand and turf, and they are extremely effective in that capacity. They are particularly helpful for horses racing behind others, as sand flies up from other horses' hooves and can get in their eyes. The dome-shaped Pelling pacifiers deflect debris and prevent mud from obscuring the horses' vision during races.

    Uses: Sunglasses

    • An unforeseen but equally useful advantage of the Pelling pacifier is that the mesh goggles act as sunglasses. Animal behavior studies have shown that darkness has a sedative effect on animals, and this effect earned the goggles the name "pacifier." Pelling himself indicated that he believes horses feel calmer and are more able to focus on the task at hand when they are in the dark; they are less likely to become spooked and more likely to finish strong in a race.

    Pelling Pacifiers and Races

    • Pelling pacifiers are intended for racing and are generally approved as orthodox gear for different kinds of racing. For example, the pacifiers are on the approved gear list of the Harness Racing Association of South Africa. Pelling pacifiers are easily obtained from most tack shops or other equine supply shops, generally categorized as racing gear. They are usually found with blinkers, visors and other horse head gear.