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.
Tongue ties are used with the aim of improving racing performance for two main reasons: to prevent the horse getting their tongue over the bit during a race. to preventing 'choking', or the airway being obstructed by soft tissue at the back of the mouth during high intensity exercise.
Specifications: Tongue Ties must be either: (a) leather strap or rubber band (at least 15mm wide); or (b) lycra or neoprene (at least 50mm wide).
Any sharp points on the teeth can cause pain, and pressure from the bit is amplified. The horse's immediate reaction is to stick their tongue out. This makes the tongue long and thin, reducing the pressure from the bit and any sharp teeth.
Does it hurt? No anaesthetic is needed for a very young baby as having a tongue tie divided only hurts a little, if at all. Some babies protest more at being swaddled than about the treatment. Others sleep right through the procedure!
Tongue-tie division involves cutting the short, tight piece of skin connecting the underside of the tongue to the bottom of the mouth. It's a quick, simple and almost painless procedure that usually improves feeding straight away.
The underlying cause of kissing spines is still largely unknown. The condition can occur in any horse, but some breeds, such as Thoroughbreds and Warmbloods, seem to develop it more than others. Horses are most commonly diagnosed around 5 to 10 years of age, but younger and older horses can develop it, too.
Inside the hood are padded areas which block out sound, meaning those who can get a bit nervous and edgy from the noises of racing and crowds are able to settle down. Some horses will be seen wearing a red hood, they serve the same purpose as an ordinary hood but are not worn in races.
Fatigued bodies are prone to injury, and racing stresses limbs to the limit. To make matters worse, racehorses are bred for speed, not bulk. Their long, thin, lightweight leg bones can withstand the impact of hooves slamming into the ground, if they land cleanly-but if they don't, their legs can twist and break.
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.
Blinkers, visors and winkers are cups or padding attached to the head to limit a horse's vision in various ways. With their extraordinary wraparound vision, horses can normally see across 320 degrees without moving their heads.
A dead heat is a rare situation in various racing sports in which the performances of competitors are judged to be so close that no difference between them can be resolved. The result is declared a tie and the competitors are awarded a joint ranking.
Cheekpieces. Cheekpieces again very similar to blinkers - used for concentration purposes. The big difference here is that they're less restrictive than blinkers. They can also be used to help a horse settle before a race and are significantly faster to put on and off than blinkers.
Lung bleeding in horses, also known as Exercise Induced Pulmonary Hemorrhage (EIPH), is a silent injury that can go undetected by trainers and riders because it occurs deep within the lungs. EIPH in horses occurs when fragile pulmonary blood vessels in the lungs rupture during exercise.
Complications are rare but include ulcers under the tongue, bleeding, infection or damage to the tongue and salivary ducts.
In horseracing, in addition to being used for safety, the whip is also used to 'encourage' the horse to run faster, and so maintain or advance their position in the race.
Why are horses eyes covered? Horses eyes are usually covered with transparent mesh to prevent flies from biting at their eyes. This fly-mask allows the horse to see and hear just fine but prevents flies from gathering on their face and eyes.
Yes, although the mesh over their eyes looks dark, they are still able to see through them. Though horses are able to see through Fly Masks they will still be able to see slightly better without them on.
White horses are still rare, but their coloring now is understood to be the result of genetics rather than divine whim. Until recently, white Thoroughbreds were believed to originate in a variation of the sabino color pattern, which usually gives a horse white spots or markings.
The term Thoroughbred describes a breed of horse whose ancestry traces back to three foundation sires – the Darley Arabian, the Godolphin Arabian and the Byerly Turk.
Horses with kissing spine do not always develop symptoms, but many horses with this condition experience back pain. Afflicted horses may exhibit extreme back tightness, bucking, pain on palpation and an inability to stretch and raise the back while under saddle.
Tongue ties don't “grow back”, but they may reattach if you aren't diligent about keeping up with post-surgery exercises.
A simple surgical procedure called a frenotomy can be done with or without anesthesia in the hospital nursery or doctor's office. The doctor examines the lingual frenulum and then uses sterile scissors to snip the frenulum free.
Although it is possible for a child to have difficulty feeding on a bottle, it is not the same as attempting to latch to the breast. In recent decades though, more and more women are turning back to breastfeeding as their preferred way to feed their babies; hence, the rise in tongue tie treatment.