Much too tight! On the effects of nosebands

Abstract

The practical realm of horse riding in general, and equine sports in particular, appears to be increasingly losing touch with the traditional art of horseback riding. Discrepancies between current and traditional methods arise early, such as in the tightening of the nosebands. Superfluous bridle straps lead to misinterpretations of their function. In this paper the actual effects of the most commonly used noseband will be demonstrated theoretically and substantiated with empirical (experimental) methods. All riding related activities demand that the horse is provided with the opportunity to 'chew' during riding. Chewing, as well as the ability to receive a reward is, however, only possible if the jaw can be opened to some degree. This is precisely what tight nosebands prevent. The tightness of the noseband is of most importance here, whereby it is unimportant if the strap is tightened above the bit, as in the English or Cavesson style, or below the bit in the Hanoverian style, a noseband which combines a cavesson with a chin-strap. Testing the distance between the nasal bone and the noseband by inserting two fingers is essential and more reliable as a method of checking tightness than testing the distance on the ventral side of the lower jaw. Testing for sufficient distance on the side of the head will not provide any useful information. If completely closed jaws are used as a starting point, the loosening of one hole on the noseband is necessary to provide the incisors with the distance of a finger width and the premolars of more than 12 mm.