Researchers Measure Horses’ Noseband Pressure

Researchers recently developed two pressure detection systems to measure pressure exerted by nosebands.
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Many riders and trainers believe the tighter they fasten a horse’s noseband, the more control they will have while riding. True, tight nosebands increase a horse’s sensitivity to the bit, but they could also inflict pain and cause tissue damage, said Orla Doherty, MVB, MSc, MRCVS, of University College Dublin and the University of Limerick.

She and her colleagues recently conducted a study measuring noseband pressures, and she presented their results at the 9th Annual International Society for Equitation Science, held July 18-20 at the University of Delaware, in Newark.

"Pressure applied by tight nosebands can restrict normal movements of the jaw, such as chewing or yawning, but the potential for damage to soft tissues, such as nerves, within the head is poorly understood," Doherty said. "We’re measuring pressure so we can hopefully set safe (noseband tightness) guidelines. This will help to protect the welfare of the ridden horse and will also help prevent the development of painful lesions. We will also hopefully help improve horse and rider safety, as horses in pain are more likely to display flight or fear responses such as head-tossing, bolting, etc."

As part of their background research, Doherty and her team looked at the types of nosebands commonly in use. They evaluated 850 show jumping horses, ranging from amateur to international level mounts, and found that only 20% wore simple cavesson nosebands (that encircle the nose one to two inches below the cheek bone). The remaining 80% wore flash (which features a second strap running from the cavesson around the nose in front of the bit and under the chin groove), grackle (also known as a figure-eight, which crosses from the top of one cheek bone, over the nose to the chin groove on the other side, under the horse’s chin, and back up to the opposite cheekbone), or other nosebands

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Alexandra Beckstett, a native of Houston, Texas, is a lifelong horse owner who has shown successfully on the national hunter/jumper circuit and dabbled in hunter breeding. After graduating from Duke University, she joined Blood-Horse Publications as assistant editor of its book division, Eclipse Press, before joining The Horse. She was the managing editor of The Horse for nearly 14 years and is now editorial director of EquiManagement and My New Horse, sister publications of The Horse.

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