Noseband tightness and equine welfare has been a hot topic for many years now, as federations try to figure out how to measure and regulate it for the sake of sport horses’ comfort and well-being. To date, there have only been a few published studies of noseband pressure on the horse’s face. Traditionally, it has been suggested that two fingers can be inserted under a noseband to demonstrate sufficient comfort for the horse; however, finger size is not a reliable standard unit of measurement, so a taper gauge has been developed for this purpose.
A horse wearing a cavesson noseband with small electronic pressure mats over the nasal and mandibular bones.
A research team led by Dr. Hilary M. Clayton at Michigan State University and supported by World Horse Welfare, Equestrian Canada, Hartpury University, British Equestrian Federation and The Worshipful Company of Saddlers measured the pressure beneath a cavesson noseband at five tightness levels during standing and chewing. It has generally been believed that increased noseband tightness is associated with increases in nasal and mandibular pressures, pain, restricted movement of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) and changes in eye temperature and blink rate, both indicators of stress. (Eye temperature increases when a horses is in discomfort; eye blink rate slows, as the horse may limit eye closing to avoid loss of visual information when stressed.)
In the study, eight privately owned, well-trained dressage horses, actively competing at Prix St. Georges and above, wore a snaffle bridle with their own familiar bit. Data was collected in an indoor arena at the horses’ home facility. The horses were walked in the arena for five minutes, and a baseline measurement of eye temperature was taken. Pressure mats were placed over the nasal bones and beneath the mandibular rami (branches of the jaw) under the noseband and recorded pressures for five tightness levels equivalent to 2.0, 1.5, 1.0, 0.5, and 0 finger-widths, from loosest to tightest. Measurements were taken using a taper gauge while quietly standing and while chewing a treat. Eye temperature and blink rate were recorded at the same time. Each trial lasted 20 seconds.
Pressure on the jaw exceeded nasal pressure as the nosebands were tightened. In standing horses, eye temperature and blink rate did not change with noseband tightness. Surprisingly, the study found that horses willingly ingested and chewed a treat at all noseband tightness levels ‒ even zero ‒ without increases in eye temperature or a lower blink rate that would suggest discomfort.
While the small sample size of the test group should be taken into consideration, and the fact that the horses were only standing, not being ridden, these results suggest that the recommendation of using two-finger-equivalents as the standard for noseband tightness should be re-evaluated based on objective data describing physical parameters and welfare.
Read the entire study here.
More News
