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BMC veterinary research2014; 10; 117; doi: 10.1186/1746-6148-10-117

Pharyngeal diameter in various head and neck positions during exercise in sport horses.

Abstract: In equine athletes, dynamic stenotic disorders of the upper airways are often the cause for abnormal respiratory noises and/or poor performance. There are hypotheses, that head and neck flexion may influence the morphology and function of the upper airway and thus could even induce or deteriorate disorders of the upper respiratory tract. Especially the pharynx, without osseous or cartilaginous support is prone to changes in pressure and airflow during exercise. The objective of this study was to develop a method for measuring the pharyngeal diameter in horses during exercise, in order to analyse whether a change of head-neck position may have an impact on the pharyngeal diameter. Results: Under the assumption that the width of the epiglottis remains constant in healthy horses, the newly developed method for calculating the pharyngeal diameter in horses during exercise is unsusceptible against changes of the viewing-angle and distance between the endoscope and the structures, which are to be assessed. The quotient of the width of the epiglottis and the perpendicular from a fixed point on the dorsal pharynx to the epiglottis could be used to determine the pharyngeal diameter. The percentage change of this quotient (pharynx-epiglottis-ratio; PE-ratio) in the unrestrained head-neck position against the reference position was significantly larger than that of any other combination of the head-neck positions investigated. A relation between the percentage change in PE-ratio and the degree of head and neck flexion could not be confirmed. Conclusions: It could be shown, that the pharyngeal diameter is reduced through the contact position implemented by the rider in comparison to the unrestrained head and neck position. An alteration of the pharyngeal diameter depending on the degree of head and neck flexion (represented by ground and withers angle) could not be confirmed.
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Publication Date: 2014-05-23 PubMed ID: 24886465PubMed Central: PMC4057621DOI: 10.1186/1746-6148-10-117Google Scholar: Lookup
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  • 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.

This research investigated if the position of a sport horse’s head and neck during exercise influences the diameter of their pharynx. It also developed a novel method for measure this effect. The study found that the pharynx size is reduced when the horse’s head and neck are controlled by the rider, but that the degree of head and neck flexion did not seem to have an impact.

Research Objectives and Hypotheses

  • This study aimed to understand the effect of head and neck positions in sport horses on the morphology and function of their upper airway during exercise. Specifically, it focused on the diameter of the pharynx.
  • Researchers hypothesized that the change of head and neck position could impact the pharynx’s diameter, potentially inducing or exacerbating upper respiratory tract disorders.

Developed Methodology

  • The researchers developed a new method for measuring the pharyngeal diameter in horses during exercise.
  • The method is based on the assumption that the epiglottis width remains constant in healthy horses.
  • This involves calculating a ratio (termed the pharynx-epiglottis-ratio or PE-ratio) using the width of the epiglottis and the perpendicular distance from a fixed point on the dorsal pharynx to the epiglottis.

Findings

  • The study found that the change in the PE-ratio from the horse’s unrestrained head-neck position to the reference position was significantly larger than the change in any other head-neck positions studied.
  • The pharyngeal diameter was found to be reduced when the horse’s head and neck were controlled by the rider as compared to an unrestrained position, thus validating the assumptions made at the start of the study.
  • The researchers did not confirm a relationship between the percentage change in the PE-ratio and the degree of head and neck flexion. This suggests that the diameter of the pharynx does not change significantly with the degree of head and neck flexion and that other factors like rider control may have greater impact.

Cite This Article

APA
Go LM, Barton AK, Ohnesorge B. (2014). Pharyngeal diameter in various head and neck positions during exercise in sport horses. BMC Vet Res, 10, 117. https://doi.org/10.1186/1746-6148-10-117

Publication

BMC veterinary research
ISSN: 1746-6148
NlmUniqueID: 101249759
Country: England
Language: English
Volume: 10
Pages: 117

Researcher Affiliations

Go, Li-mei
  • Clinic for Horses, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, Bünteweg 9, Hannover D-30559, Germany. li-mei.go@gmx.ch.
Barton, Ann Kristin
    Ohnesorge, Bernhard

      MeSH Terms

      • Animals
      • Epiglottis / anatomy & histology
      • Epiglottis / physiology
      • Female
      • Horses / anatomy & histology
      • Horses / physiology
      • Male
      • Pharynx / anatomy & histology
      • Physical Conditioning, Animal / physiology
      • Posture

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      Citations

      This article has been cited 3 times.
      1. Martins NA, Fonseca BPA, Silvatti AP, Valente FL, Soares NL, Simonato SP, Rosa LP, Andrade MO, Barcelos KMDC. Head and Neck Positions Affect Equine Kinematic Variables in Marcha Batida Gait-A Pilot Study. Animals (Basel) 2025 Apr 9;15(8).
        doi: 10.3390/ani15081090pubmed: 40281924google scholar: lookup
      2. König von Borstel U, Kienapfel K, McLean A, Wilkins C, McGreevy P. Hyperflexing the horse's neck: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Sci Rep 2024 Oct 2;14(1):22886.
        doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-72766-5pubmed: 39358404google scholar: lookup
      3. Scholler D, Wittenberg J, Zablotski Y, May A. Do tight nosebands have an effect on the upper airways of horses?. Vet Med Sci 2024 Jul;10(4):e1478.
        doi: 10.1002/vms3.1478pubmed: 38885311google scholar: lookup
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