The Reported Use of Tongue-Ties and Nosebands in Thoroughbred and Standardbred Horse Racing—A Pilot Study
This article reports on the results of a survey of racehorse trainers (<i>n</i> = 112) outlining the reasons for tongue-tie (TT) and noseband (NB) use by Thoroughbred trainers (TBTs) (<i>n</i> = 72) and Standardbred trainers (SBTs) (<i>n</i> = 40). The study also...
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| Format: | Article |
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MDPI AG
2021-02-01
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| Series: | Animals |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/11/3/622 |
| _version_ | 1797395072058130432 |
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| author | Dominic Weller Samantha Franklin Peter White Glenn Shea Kate Fenner Bethany Wilson Cristina Wilkins Paul McGreevy |
| author_facet | Dominic Weller Samantha Franklin Peter White Glenn Shea Kate Fenner Bethany Wilson Cristina Wilkins Paul McGreevy |
| author_sort | Dominic Weller |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This article reports on the results of a survey of racehorse trainers (<i>n</i> = 112) outlining the reasons for tongue-tie (TT) and noseband (NB) use by Thoroughbred trainers (TBTs) (<i>n</i> = 72) and Standardbred trainers (SBTs) (<i>n</i> = 40). The study also investigated the reported effectiveness of TTs and possible complications arising from their use. Tongue-tie use was reported by 62.5% (<i>n</i> = 70) of racehorse trainers. The reasons for TT use varied between TBTs and SBTs. For TBTs, the most common reason for TT use was to prevent or reduce airway obstruction (72.3%, <i>n</i> = 34), followed closely by to prevent or reduce airway noise (55.3%, <i>n</i> = 16). Standardbred trainers assigned equal importance for TT use [to prevent or reduce airway obstruction (69.6%, <i>n</i> = 16) and to prevent the horse from moving its tongue over the bit (69.6%, <i>n</i> = 16)]. Tongue-ties were considered significantly less effective at improving performance than at reducing airway obstruction and preventing the tongue from moving over the bit (<i>t</i> = −2.700, <i>p</i> = 0.0007). For respondents who used both TTs and NBs, there was a mild to moderate positive association between the reasons for using TTs and NBs. Of the 70 TT-using respondents, 51.4% (<i>n</i> = 36) recorded having encountered either a physical or behavioural complication due to TT use, with redness/bruising of the tongue (20.0%, <i>n</i> = 14) being the most common physical complication reported. Duration of use influenced the risk of observing complications. The likelihood of a respondent reporting a behavioural complication due to TT use increased with every minute of reported application and a nine-minute increment in application period doubled the odds of a respondent reporting a complication. Tightness was a risk factor for physical complications: Checking TT tightness by noting the tongue as not moving was associated with increased reporting of physical complications (OR = 6.59; CI 1.1–67.5). This pilot study provides some insight into how and why TTs are applied by some racehorse trainers, and the potential risks associated with their use. A further study of a larger cohort is recommended because these results are valid for only the 112 trainers who responded and cannot be generalized to the equine industry. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T00:29:06Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-1a32b42511ca4d6ea3b28d50931f60ec |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-2615 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T00:29:06Z |
| publishDate | 2021-02-01 |
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| series | Animals |
| spelling | doaj.art-1a32b42511ca4d6ea3b28d50931f60ec2023-12-11T18:36:59ZengMDPI AGAnimals2076-26152021-02-0111362210.3390/ani11030622The Reported Use of Tongue-Ties and Nosebands in Thoroughbred and Standardbred Horse Racing—A Pilot StudyDominic Weller0Samantha Franklin1Peter White2Glenn Shea3Kate Fenner4Bethany Wilson5Cristina Wilkins6Paul McGreevy7Sydney School of Veterinary Science, Faculty of Science, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, AustraliaSchool of Animal and Veterinary Sciences, University of Adelaide, 1454 Mudla Wirra Road, Roseworthy, SA 5371, AustraliaSydney School of Veterinary Science, Faculty of Science, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, AustraliaSydney School of Veterinary Science, Faculty of Science, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, AustraliaSydney School of Veterinary Science, Faculty of Science, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, AustraliaSydney School of Veterinary Science, Faculty of Science, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, AustraliaSaddletops Pty Ltd., P.O. Box 557, Gatton, QLD 4343, AustraliaSydney School of Veterinary Science, Faculty of Science, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, AustraliaThis article reports on the results of a survey of racehorse trainers (<i>n</i> = 112) outlining the reasons for tongue-tie (TT) and noseband (NB) use by Thoroughbred trainers (TBTs) (<i>n</i> = 72) and Standardbred trainers (SBTs) (<i>n</i> = 40). The study also investigated the reported effectiveness of TTs and possible complications arising from their use. Tongue-tie use was reported by 62.5% (<i>n</i> = 70) of racehorse trainers. The reasons for TT use varied between TBTs and SBTs. For TBTs, the most common reason for TT use was to prevent or reduce airway obstruction (72.3%, <i>n</i> = 34), followed closely by to prevent or reduce airway noise (55.3%, <i>n</i> = 16). Standardbred trainers assigned equal importance for TT use [to prevent or reduce airway obstruction (69.6%, <i>n</i> = 16) and to prevent the horse from moving its tongue over the bit (69.6%, <i>n</i> = 16)]. Tongue-ties were considered significantly less effective at improving performance than at reducing airway obstruction and preventing the tongue from moving over the bit (<i>t</i> = −2.700, <i>p</i> = 0.0007). For respondents who used both TTs and NBs, there was a mild to moderate positive association between the reasons for using TTs and NBs. Of the 70 TT-using respondents, 51.4% (<i>n</i> = 36) recorded having encountered either a physical or behavioural complication due to TT use, with redness/bruising of the tongue (20.0%, <i>n</i> = 14) being the most common physical complication reported. Duration of use influenced the risk of observing complications. The likelihood of a respondent reporting a behavioural complication due to TT use increased with every minute of reported application and a nine-minute increment in application period doubled the odds of a respondent reporting a complication. Tightness was a risk factor for physical complications: Checking TT tightness by noting the tongue as not moving was associated with increased reporting of physical complications (OR = 6.59; CI 1.1–67.5). This pilot study provides some insight into how and why TTs are applied by some racehorse trainers, and the potential risks associated with their use. A further study of a larger cohort is recommended because these results are valid for only the 112 trainers who responded and cannot be generalized to the equine industry.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/11/3/622horseequitation sciencetongue-tiesnosebandswelfaresafety |
| spellingShingle | Dominic Weller Samantha Franklin Peter White Glenn Shea Kate Fenner Bethany Wilson Cristina Wilkins Paul McGreevy The Reported Use of Tongue-Ties and Nosebands in Thoroughbred and Standardbred Horse Racing—A Pilot Study Animals horse equitation science tongue-ties nosebands welfare safety |
| title | The Reported Use of Tongue-Ties and Nosebands in Thoroughbred and Standardbred Horse Racing—A Pilot Study |
| title_full | The Reported Use of Tongue-Ties and Nosebands in Thoroughbred and Standardbred Horse Racing—A Pilot Study |
| title_fullStr | The Reported Use of Tongue-Ties and Nosebands in Thoroughbred and Standardbred Horse Racing—A Pilot Study |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Reported Use of Tongue-Ties and Nosebands in Thoroughbred and Standardbred Horse Racing—A Pilot Study |
| title_short | The Reported Use of Tongue-Ties and Nosebands in Thoroughbred and Standardbred Horse Racing—A Pilot Study |
| title_sort | reported use of tongue ties and nosebands in thoroughbred and standardbred horse racing a pilot study |
| topic | horse equitation science tongue-ties nosebands welfare safety |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/11/3/622 |
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