The widespread use of tongue-ties in horse racing in Australia has recently come under fire.
Proponents of the tongue-tie, a strap that immobilises a horse’s tongue, argue that it prevents breathing issues during races, increasing performance and improves the rider’s control of the horse.
But there are limited data to show that tongue-ties improve racing speeds overall and there’s mounting evidence that they can cause stress and injury. Tongue-ties are banned in most non-racing equestrian sports in Australia, and Germany recently banned them altogether.
What is a tongue-tie?
A tongue-tie is a strap that immobilises a horse’s tongue by attaching it to the lower jaw (and sometimes to the bit in the horse’s mouth). The straps may be fashioned from nylon stockings, elastic bands or leather.
Tongue-ties date back to the 18th century. Early reports suggest that they were used to prevent abnormal noise and airway obstruction, caused by the horse pulling back its tongue and forcing its soft palate backwards. In lay terms, many refer to the horse that does this as having “swallowed its tongue” or “choked down”.
In recent years, endoscopy has confirmed that displacement of the soft palate during exercise can obstruct a horses’ airway and limit oxygenation, reducing athletic performance.
Exactly how tongue-ties prevent this is unclear, but it is believed that tying the tongue forward may prevent retraction of the tongue and larynx and help stabilise the upper airway.
However it’s far from certain the tongue-ties are effective. A recent study found they did not prevent displacement in over 70% of affected horses.
Furthermore, there are many causes of respiratory noise in horses, and there is no rationale for the use of a tongue-tie for these other conditions.
As well as potentially preventing upper airway obstruction, tongue-ties may stop horses from getting their tongue over the bit, increasing the rider’s control.
How common are they?
Tongue-ties are banned in most non-racing sports by the international governing body of equestrian sports, Federation Equestre Internationale, so are not seen in events like show-jumping, dressage and eventing. (In Australia tongue-ties may be used in polo, but only under veterinary advice and for a maximum of ten minutes.)
In both thoroughbred and harness racing, their use is widespread. Horses racing with tongue-ties are specified on the race-card, so the scale of their use can be estimated from these data.
Research presented at the 2017 World Equine Airways Symposium revealed that Australian Thoroughbred racehorses wear tongue-ties in over 20% of all race starts
This can be compared to the 5% of starters reported to wear a tongue-tie in the UK.
Data from all thoroughbred races in Australia between 2009 and 2013 show that 72 % of trainers used a tongue-tie on at least one horse over the five-year period. Similarly, a survey of 535 standardbred trainers found that 85 % used tongue-ties on one or more horses during training or racing.
Why do tongue-ties matter?
Using relentless pressure to modify a horse’s behaviour is against the principles of ethical training.
In a recent survey, 23 % of Australian Standardbred trainers reported problems associated with tongue-ties, including lacerations, bruising and swelling of the tongue, difficulty swallowing, and behaviour indicating stress.
Another Australian study investigated horses’ responses to 20 minutes of tongue-tie application at rest in comparison to a sham treatment. (During the sham treatment the horses’ tongues were manipulated for 30 seconds to simulate the placement of a tongue-tie.)
Compared to the sham treatment, there was more head-tossing, backwards ear position and gaping during tongue-tie application. Horses with previous experience of tongue-ties showed more head-tossing and mouth-gaping, suggesting that horses did not simply get used to the intervention.