EARLIER this month a study titled ‘The effect of Noseband Tightening on Horses’ Behaviour, Temperature and Cardiac Responses’ was published in the journal Plos One. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence that increasing noseband tightness has on the behaviour and physiology of horses.

Twelve horses of various ages, breeds, sex and height were recruited for the purpose of this study. All horses had been started under saddle, with various levels of subsequent training experience. However, prior to the experiment none of the test horses had ever worn a double bridle or crank noseband. For the purpose of this study all horses wore a double bridle and crank noseband before being randomly allocated to one of four treatments:

Unfastened noseband.

Conventional space under the noseband (two fingers space).

Half the conventional space under the noseband (One finger space).

No space under the noseband.

RESULTS

The horses received one treatment per day, undergoing each level of noseband tightness over four consecutive days. The results of the study showed that a very tight noseband can cause physiological stress responses, such as increases in eye temperature and heart rate, and inhibit the expression of normal oral behaviours such as yawning, licking and chewing.

A double bridle in combination with a crank noseband is most commonly seen in dressage competitions. The researchers responsible for this study suggest that the trend for this type of bridle in dressage is as a result of the dressage rules, namely that: “Putting out the tongue, keeping it above the bit or drawing it up altogether, as well as grinding the teeth or agitation of the tail, are mostly signs of nervousness, tension or resistance on the part of the horse and must be taken into account by the judges in their marks for every movement concerned, as well as in the collective mark for “submission”.”

However, that is assuming that the horse can open its mouth, with restrictive equipment researchers argue that riders can mask poor horsemanship. The FEI recently removed a guideline that required a two-finger sized gap to be present under the horses’ nosebands, arguing that the measurement was imprecise, but stated that the noseband check includes a physical check by the steward to guarantee that the noseband is fitted properly and is not having an adverse effect on the horse.