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Animals : an open access journal from MDPI2020; 10(9); doi: 10.3390/ani10091661

Prevalence and Distribution of Lesions in the Nasal Bones and Mandibles of a Sample of 144 Riding Horses.

Abstract: Restrictive nosebands are used in equestrian sports to hold the bit in place and reduce mouth-opening, a response that can attract penalties in some sports and is thought to reduce the rider's control of the horse. Sustained pressure from such tightly fitted (restrictive) nosebands denies normal behaviour and thus, causes frustration and distress that can jeopardise horse welfare. It also may push the cheek against the molar teeth, compress soft tissues including blood vessels and nerves, and possibly induce chronic changes to underlying bone. This study of mature cavalry horses (n = 144) was designed to explore relationships between visual and palpable damage to structures that underlie the nosebands of horses and any related bony changes in those horses as evidenced by radiography. Working independently of each other, two researchers inspected the horses for visual changes and palpable changes before the horses were radiographed. The radiographs were assessed by a separate pair of veterinary radiologists, again working independently of each other. Among the current population of horses, 37.5% had one or more radiographic changes to the nasal bones according to both radiologists, and 13.8% had one or more radiographic changes to the mandible. For nasal bones, the two radiologists reported bone deposition in 6.9% and 8.3% of the horses and bone thinning in 33.3% and 56.9% of the horses, respectively. By palpation, they found that 82% and 84% of the horses had palpable bone deposition of the nasal bones and 32% and 33.4% had palpable bone thinning. For the mandibles, the radiologists reported increased bone deposition in 18.8% and 32.6% of the horses but no bone thinning. By palpation, the two examiners reported 30.6% and 32.7% of the horses had palpable bone deposition and 10.4% and 11.1% had palpable bone thinning. This is the first report of lesions to the mandible at this site and this article presents the first confirmation of bony lesions at the site typically subjected to pressure from restrictive nosebands. These results suggest that radiographic bone thinning is more apparent in the nasal bones of riding horses than in the mandible and that both palpable and radiographic bone deposition are more likely in the mandible than in the nasal bones. That said, we note that the current study provides no evidence of a causal link between any piece of gear or its putative tightness and the lesions in these anatomical locations. Further studies are needed to identify risk factors for these clusters of lesions. The inadvertent deformation of bones in the horse's head for competitive advantage is difficult to justify on ethical grounds.
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Publication Date: 2020-09-16 PubMed ID: 32947819PubMed Central: PMC7552251DOI: 10.3390/ani10091661Google Scholar: Lookup
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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 study investigates the potential harm caused by restrictive nosebands on riding horses, finding evidence of bone changes in the nasal bones and mandibles in horses due to tightly fitted nosebands. However, the study found no direct evidence of a causal link between the gear tightness and the lesions observed in these areas.

Research Purpose and Methodology

  • This research was conducted to explore the effects of restrictive nosebands on the nasal bones and mandibles of riding horses. The nosebands are used to secure the bit in place and minimize the horse’s mouth-opening, a reaction that can result in penalties and may reduce the rider’s control.
  • The sample group consisted of 144 mature cavalry horses. The horses were visually and manually inspected for any physical changes before radiography was conducted.
  • The inspections and radiography assessments were done independently to avoid bias. Two researchers conducted the inspections, and another pair of veterinary radiologists examined the radiographs.

Findings

  • Overall, 37.5% of the horses exhibited one or more radiographic changes in the nasal bones and 13.8% in the mandible as determined by both radiologists.
  • In terms of specific alterations, in the nasal bones, bone deposition was spotted in 6.9% and 8.3% of the horses, and bone thinning in 33.3% and 56.9% respectively.
  • On manually checking, it was found that 82% and 84% of the horses had noticeable bone deposition in the nasal bones and 32% and 33.4% had palpable bone thinning.
  • In the case of mandibles, increased bone deposition was reported in 18.8% and 32.6% of the horses but none had bone thinning.
  • Through palpation, it was noted that 30.6% and 32.7% of horses had noticeable bone deposition and 10.4% and 11.1% had palpable bone thinning.

Significance and Future Questions

  • This study is the first to report lesions in the mandible at the areas of pressure due to restrictive nosebands and it also confirms the presence of bony lesions at these sites.
  • The results indicate that bone thinning is more prominent in nasal bones than in the mandible, while both palpable and radiographic bone deposition are more frequent in the mandible than in nasal bones.
  • Despite these findings, the study did not establish a direct causal link between the use of the gear or its tightness and the lesions in these anatomical parts. Further studies are thus required to determine risk factors for these lesions.
  • The study raises ethical concerns over potentially deforming horses’ bones for competitive advantage.

Cite This Article

APA
Pérez-Manrique L, León-Pérez K, Zamora-Sánchez E, Davies S, Ober C, Wilson B, McGreevy P. (2020). Prevalence and Distribution of Lesions in the Nasal Bones and Mandibles of a Sample of 144 Riding Horses. Animals (Basel), 10(9). https://doi.org/10.3390/ani10091661

Publication

Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
ISSN: 2076-2615
NlmUniqueID: 101635614
Country: Switzerland
Language: English
Volume: 10
Issue: 9

Researcher Affiliations

Pérez-Manrique, Lucia
  • Departamento de Etología, Fauna Silvestre y Animales de Laboratorio, Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Av. Universidad 3000, Circuito Interior, Delegación Coyoacán, México D.F. 04510, Mexico.
León-Pérez, Karina
  • Departamento de Etología, Fauna Silvestre y Animales de Laboratorio, Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Av. Universidad 3000, Circuito Interior, Delegación Coyoacán, México D.F. 04510, Mexico.
Zamora-Sánchez, Emmanuel
  • Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México, El Cerrillo Piedras Blancas, Toluca 50295, Estado de México, Mexico.
Davies, Sarah
  • Veterinary Imaging Associates, 52-56 Atchison St, St Leonards, NSW 2065, Australia.
Ober, Christopher
  • Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota, 1365 Gortner Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55108, USA.
Wilson, Bethany
  • Sydney School of Veterinary Science, Faculty of Science, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia.
McGreevy, Paul
  • Sydney School of Veterinary Science, Faculty of Science, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia.

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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Citations

This article has been cited 6 times.
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  2. Doherty O, Conway R, McGreevy P. Using an Equine Cadaver Head to Investigate Associations Between Sub-Noseband Space, Noseband Tension, and Sub-Noseband Pressure at Three Locations. Animals (Basel) 2025 Jul 19;15(14).
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  3. Uldahl M, Mellor DJ. Regulatory Integrity and Welfare in Horse Sport: A Constructively Critical Perspective. Animals (Basel) 2025 Jun 30;15(13).
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