Tack inspections in Denmark

IN previous columns, we have touched on how important correctly fitting tack is to a horse’s way of going. We have looked at bridles and the effect incorrectly fitted nosebands can have.

At the end of March, the Danish Equestrian Federation (DRF) announced that for two weekends in a row, it carried out tack inspections at national shows, as part of its animal welfare policy.

One of the inspections took place at the Sundeved Riding Club on March 24-27, 2022, where all the participants of the Ecco cup qualifier in FEI pony level division were inspected.

“Unfortunately, six competitors were denied start due to wounds in the oral cavity and seven competitors received a remark,” the Danish NF communicated.

The seven ponies which ‘received a remark’, showed signs of redness in the oral cavity and had marks on the spur area, but were allowed to start.

DRF’s Club and Sports Manager Anne Silfwander said: “It is by no means optimal that we see more ponies that are not ‘fit to compete’ due to wounds in the oral cavity, and that there are also more who receive remarks.

“Although the picture basically looks nicer in pony dressage than in previous years, we are not finished yet, and that is why it is so important that both parents, riders and trainers think preventively and make sure to check the ponies regularly. It is a ‘good habit’ we must have established, and it takes time.”

The DRF continued its statement, saying that: “despite the fact that several combinations were either denied to compete or received a remark, there was predominant support for the control from both riders, parents and coaches, and that is a good sign,” according to Anne Silfwander.

“We know that equipment control can make people nervous, regardless of the outcome, so we are really happy to see that the general reception is good and that people are basically understanding and cooperative,” Silfwander concluded.

These checks are a good step in the right direction. A noseband should never be used to close a horse’s mouth. When the horse’s lower jaw cannot move, it cannot, therefore, ‘transmit’ accurate positioning data to the horse’s body, which can result in poor movement and performance. TMJ dysfunction reaction in horses can lead to balance being impaired, lack of ability to perform lateral movements, range of motion of the cervical vertebrae can be impacted, it can encourage a hollow back or even shorten the horse’s stride.

Crank Cavessons are popular with dressage riders. These types of nosebands are generally padded, but can be overtightened without realising. Drop nosebands are often used to ‘support the bit’, which shouldn’t be necessary. These types are often fitted too low. Flash nosebands are used extensively, with studies showing how much damage they can cause to the horse’s muzzle and nasal bones, as they are predominantly used to keep a horse’s mouth closed. Grackles are now Dressage Legal, and many think the best choice of noseband to avoid the nerves on a horse’s head, but again, only if loose, so those who use it to stop a horse from crossing its jaw can make the situation worse by tightening them. Once you close a horse’s mouth, stop the jaw working as it should, the horse is closed down from the poll backwards, closing the shoulders, hollowing the back, making it impossible for the horse to engage it’s hindquarters, and takes away the natural brakes, so actually does the exact opposite to why people often want to use a noseband.

Based on results from a comprehensive study on riding equipment and tack, the Board of the Danish Equestrian Federation decided to impose a limit to the tightness of the noseband for competition horses applicable to all disciplines as of January 1, 2018. The tightness of the nosebands was to be measured as of January 1, 2018: there must be room for a certified measurement unit in between the nasal plate of the horse (bony surface) and the noseband equivalent to a diameter more than 1.5cm. The rule is applicable for all disciplines.

In the study, the type of bit and noseband was recorded, the tightness of the noseband was measured and the corners of the horses’ mouths were inspected for lesions and blood (oral lesions at the commissures of the lips). A proportion of the horses were recorded having oral lesions, most of them in dressage.

The tightness of the noseband showed a very clear correlation to the occurrence of oral lesions. The tighter the noseband was, the more oral lesions were recorded. Horse/ rider combinations at higher level of competition had a higher prevalence of oral lesions than at lower level.

I was unable to clarify the FEI’s guidelines on noseband tightness other than an insert in the dressage rules, chapter 2, 2.1.5: “At any level of competition, a noseband may never be so tightly fixed that it may cause harm to the horse and must be checked as per the Stewards Manual noseband protocol”.