Commentary on MacKechnie-Guire et al. Measuring Noseband Tightness on the Lateral Aspect of the Horse’s Face. Animals 2015, 15, 537.
Abstract: The use of horses for sport is under scrutiny due to evidence that common practices such as tight nosebands may impair horse welfare. Restrictive nosebands prevent horses from performing normal comfort behaviour such as coughing and yawning. To address these concerns, the International Society for Equitation Science (ISES) developed a noseband tightness-checking device, the ISES "taper gauge," along with a validated method that assesses how far the device can be inserted beneath the noseband at the dorsal midline of the nasal planum. However, citing concerns about the reliability of dorsal midline measurements, MacKechnie-Guire and co-authors evaluated three alternative sites: lateral to the nasal bone, the maxilla, and the mandible. They concluded that the lateral maxilla was a suitable substitute for the dorsal midline. The methods and interpretation of the findings of this study have raised concerns that measuring noseband laxity at the lateral maxilla may underestimate tightness because of the substantial volume of soft tissue at that location. This could expose horses to the welfare risks associated with overly tight nosebands. This commentary outlines the authors' concerns and offers recommendations for how future studies might address avoid the issues raised here.
Publication Date: 2026-01-28 PubMed ID: 41681393PubMed Central: PMC12897283DOI: 10.3390/ani16030412Google Scholar: Lookup
The Equine Research Bank provides access to a large database of publicly available scientific literature. Inclusion in the Research Bank does not imply endorsement of study methods or findings by Mad Barn.
- Comment
- Journal Article
Summary
This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.
Overview
- This commentary discusses a study by MacKechnie-Guire et al. that evaluated different sites on a horse’s face for measuring the tightness of nosebands.
- The aim was to identify suitable measurement locations to ensure proper monitoring of noseband tightness for horse welfare.
Background: Noseband Tightness and Horse Welfare
- Horses used in sports may experience welfare issues due to excessively tight nosebands.
- Tight nosebands restrict horses’ normal comfort behaviors such as coughing and yawning.
- The International Society for Equitation Science (ISES) developed a standard “taper gauge” device to measure noseband tightness.
- The established method uses insertion of the taper gauge under the noseband at the dorsal midline of the nasal planum (top center of the nose).
MacKechnie-Guire et al.’s Study
- Motivated by concerns about reliability of measurements at the dorsal midline, they tested three alternative sites for measuring noseband tightness on the horse’s face:
- Lateral to the nasal bone
- Over the maxilla (upper jaw bone)
- Over the mandible (lower jaw bone)
- The study concluded that the lateral maxilla site is a suitable substitute for the dorsal midline measurement site.
Concerns Raised by the Commentary
- The commentary authors highlight potential flaws in MacKechnie-Guire et al.’s methods and interpretation.
- The main concern is that measuring noseband tightness at the lateral maxilla might underestimate how tight the noseband actually is.
- This underestimation is attributed to the large amount of soft tissue present at the lateral maxilla, which may make the noseband appear looser than it truly is.
- Underestimating tightness at this site could risk horse welfare by failing to detect overly tight nosebands that impair normal behavior.
Recommendations for Future Studies
- The commentary suggests future research should carefully consider anatomical differences in facial tissue thickness at measurement sites.
- Methods should be validated rigorously to ensure they accurately reflect actual noseband tightness and horse comfort.
- Researchers should continue using or confirm the dorsal midline of the nasal planum as a standard site because it likely provides more reliable measurements.
- Developing measurement techniques that account for soft tissue volume and consistent placement is important to improve welfare monitoring.
- Overall, maintaining accurate, reliable assessments of noseband tightness is critical to safeguarding horse welfare in equestrian sports.
Cite This Article
APA
Henshall C, McGreevy P, Shea G, Doherty O, Christensen JW, Fenner K, Warren-Smith A, McLean A.
(2026).
Commentary on MacKechnie-Guire et al. Measuring Noseband Tightness on the Lateral Aspect of the Horse’s Face. Animals 2015, 15, 537.
Animals (Basel), 16(3), 412.
https://doi.org/10.3390/ani16030412 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- School of Agricultural, Environmental and Veterinary Sciences Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga, NSW 2678, Australia.
- Sydney School of Veterinary Science, Faculty of Science, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia.
- Sydney School of Veterinary Science, Faculty of Science, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia.
- School of Veterinary Medicine, University College Dublin, D04 W6F6 Dublin, Ireland.
- Department Animal and Veterinary Sciences, Aarhus University, 8830 Tjele, Denmark.
- School of Agriculture and Food Sustainability, Faculty of Science, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4343, Australia.
- Millthorpe Equine Research Centre, Millthorpe, NSW 2798, Australia.
- Equitation Science International, Tuerong, VIC 3915, Australia.
Conflict of Interest Statement
The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
References
This article includes 31 references
- Lesimple C. Indicators of Horse Welfare: State-of-the-Art.. Animals 2020;10:294.
- Clayton H.M., Williams J.M.. Know your noseband: An exploration of factors that influence riders’ choice of noseband.. J. Vet. Behav. 2022;47:1–11.
- Uldahl M., Clayton H.M.. Lesions associated with the use of bits, nosebands, spurs and whips in Danish competition horses.. Equine Vet. J. 2019;51:154–162.
- Fenner K., Yoon S., White P., Starling M., McGreevy P.. The Effect of Noseband Tightening on Horses’ Behavior, Eye Temperature, and Cardiac Responses.. PLoS ONE 2016;11:e0154179.
- Pérez-Manrique L., León-Pérez K., Zamora-Sánchez E., Davies S., Ober C., Wilson B., McGreevy P.. Prevalence and Distribution of Lesions in the Nasal Bones and Mandibles of a Sample of 144 Riding Horses.. Animals 2020;10:1661.
- Crago F., Shea G., James O., Schemann K., McGreevy P.D.. An opportunistic pilot study of radiographs of equine nasal bones at the usual site of nosebands.. J. Vet. Behav. 2019;29:70–76.
- Federation of Veterinarians of Europe. Joint Position Paper on the Animal Welfare Implications of Animal Behavioural Modification, Training Methods, and Ability to Express Species-Specific Behaviours.. FVE General Assembly on 14 June 2024.
- Doherty O., McGreevy P.D., Pearson G.. The importance of learning theory and equitation science to the veterinarian.. Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci. 2017;190:111–122.
- McGreevy P., Warren-Smith A., Guisard Y.. The effect of double bridles and jaw-clamping crank nosebands on temperature of eyes and facial skin of horses.. J. Vet. Behav. Clin. Appl. Res. 2012;7:142–148.
- Klimke R.. Basic Training of the Young Horse.. .
- Club P., Britain G.. Horsemanship for the Pony Club.. .
- Stecken F.. A Book of Dressage: Training the Horse and Rider.. .
- Huntington P., Myers J., Owens E.. Horse Sense: The Guide to Horse Care in Australia and New Zealand.. 2nd ed..
- MacKechnie-Guire R., Murray R., Williams J.M., Nixon J., Fisher M., Fisher D., Walker V., Clayton H.M.. Noseband type and tightness level affect pressure on the horse’s face at trot.. Equine Vet. J. 2024;57:774–788.
- Clayton H.M., Murray R., Williams J.M., Walker V., Fisher M., Fisher D., Nixon J., Mackechnie-Guire R.. Facial pressure beneath a cavesson noseband adjusted to different tightness levels during standing and chewing.. Equine Vet. J. 2024;57:1127–1137.
- Federation Equestre Internationale. General and Discipline Specific Protocols for Assessing the Tightness of Nosebands. 2024.
- MacKechnie-Guire R, Clayton H, Williams J, Marlin D, Fisher M, Fisher D, Walker V, Murray R. Measuring Noseband Tightness on the Lateral Aspect of the Horse’s Face. Animals 2025;15:537.
- Mellor DJ, Beausoleil NJ, Littlewood KE, McLean AN, McGreevy PD, Jones B, Wilkins C. The 2020 Five Domains Model: Including Human–Animal Interactions in Assessments of Animal Welfare. Animals 2020;10:1870.
- Doherty O, Conway R, McGreevy P. Using an equine cadaver head to investigate associations between noseband space, noseband pressure and soft tissue pressure at three locations. Animals 2025;15:1141.
- Doherty O, Conway T, Conway R, Murray G, Casey V. An Objective Measure of Noseband Tightness and Its Measurement Using a Novel Digital Tightness Gauge. PLoS ONE 2017;12:e0168996.
- Evans KE, McGreevy PD. Conformation of the Equine Skull: A Morphometric Study. Anat. Histol. Embryol. 2006;35:221–227.
- Purzyc H, Kobryńczuk F, Bojarski J. Sexual dimorphism in Hucul horses using discriminant analysis. Animal 2011;5:506–511.
- Murray R, Guire R, Fisher M, Fairfax V. Reducing Peak Pressures Under the Saddle Panel at the Level of the 10th to 13th Thoracic Vertebrae May Be Associated With Improved Gait Features, Even When Saddles Are Fitted to Published Guidelines. J. Equine Vet. Sci. 2017;54:60–69.
- Doherty O, Casey V, McGreevy P, Arkins S. Noseband Use in Equestrian Sports—An International Study. PLoS ONE 2017;12:e0169060.
- Bucknell D, Randle H. A comparison of Micklem bridles and conventional bridles fitted with restrictive nosebands. Proceedings of the International Society for Equitation Science: 15th International Conference of the International Society for Equitation Science; Guelph, ON, Canada. 19–21 August 2019; p. 39.
- Kimberlin L, zur Linden A, Ruoff L. Atlas of Clinical Imaging and Anatomy of the Equine Head. John Wiley and Sons; Mount Pleasant, IA, USA: 2017.
- Engelke E, Gasse H. An anatomical study of the rostral part of the equine oral cavity with respect to position and size of a snaffle bit. Equine Vet. Educ. 2003;15:158–163.
- McLean AN, Christensen JW. The application of learning theory in horse training. Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci. 2017;190:18–27.
- Wilkins C, Christensen JW, Doherty O, Fenner K, Freire R, Henshall C, McGreevy P. Comments on Clayton et al. (2024): Facial pressure beneath a cavesson noseband adjusted to different tightness levels during standing and chewing. Equine Vet. J. 2025;57:1703–1710.
- Doherty O, Fenner K, Winther Christensen J, McLean A, Thomson P, Uldahl M, McGreevy P. Comments on MacKechnie-Guire et al. (2024): Noseband type and tightness level affect pressure on the horse’s face at trot. Equine Vet. J. 2025;57:1714–1718.
- McGreevy PD, Mellor DJ, Freire R, Fenner K, Merkies K, Warren-Smith A, Uldahl M, Starling M, Lykins A, McLean A. COMPASS Guidelines for Conducting Welfare-Focused Research into Behaviour Modification of Animals. Animals 2026;16:206.
Citations
This article has been cited 0 times.Use Nutrition Calculator
Check if your horse's diet meets their nutrition requirements with our easy-to-use tool Check your horse's diet with our easy-to-use tool
Talk to a Nutritionist
Discuss your horse's feeding plan with our experts over a free phone consultation Discuss your horse's diet over a phone consultation
Submit Diet Evaluation
Get a customized feeding plan for your horse formulated by our equine nutritionists Get a custom feeding plan formulated by our nutritionists
