Doherty Orla, Conway Richard, McGreevy Paul
Life Sciences Department, University of Limerick, V94 T9PX Limerick, Ireland.
Electronics and Computer Engineering Department, University of Limerick, V94 T9PX Limerick, Ireland.
Animals (Basel). 2025 Jul 19;15(14):2141. doi: 10.3390/ani15142141.
Pressures applied to horses via nosebands are of growing concern. The current study applied noseband pressure to the head of a dead horse. Pressure sensors were placed on the left nasal bone to record pressures as the noseband was progressively tightened. Tightness increased as predicated by holes in the strap of the noseband (as supplied) through eight steps from two fingers' space, assessed using the standard International Society for Equitation Science Taper Gauge through to zero space. Sensors were also placed at the midline frontal plane and intra-orally at the level of the second premolar tooth. A strain gauge integrated into the noseband recorded tensions within the noseband at each tightness level, and a digital taper gauge under the noseband recorded forces on the face. Pressures at the left nasal bone rose to 403 kPa, while those at the frontal nasal plane reached 185 kPa. Pressures rose rapidly once the noseband was tightened at the equivalent of 1.4 fingers' space under the noseband. These findings may help to explain cases of bone and skin damage at the noseband location and indicate the need to ensure that nosebands can accommodate more than the equivalent of 1.4 fingers beneath them in the nasal midline. Given that pressures are expected to rise from those reported here when horses wear bits, locomote, and when the reins are under tension, we conclude that the traditional provision of two fingers' space should be retained.
通过鼻带施加在马身上的压力日益受到关注。当前研究对一匹死马的头部施加鼻带压力。压力传感器放置在左鼻骨上，以便在逐渐收紧鼻带时记录压力。鼻带的紧度按照鼻带（所提供的）带子上的孔的指示增加，从两指宽的间距开始，通过八个步骤逐渐收紧，使用国际马术科学学会标准锥度规进行评估，直至间距为零。传感器还放置在额中线平面以及口腔内第二前磨牙水平处。集成在鼻带中的应变仪记录每个紧度水平下鼻带内的张力，鼻带下的数字锥度规记录面部所受的力。左鼻骨处的压力升至403千帕，而额鼻平面处的压力达到185千帕。当鼻带在鼻带下收紧至相当于1.4指宽的间距时，压力迅速上升。这些发现可能有助于解释鼻带部位出现骨骼和皮肤损伤的情况，并表明有必要确保鼻带在鼻中线下方能够容纳超过相当于1.4指宽的空间。鉴于预计当马佩戴口衔、移动以及缰绳处于张力状态时，压力会高于此处报告的压力，我们得出结论，应保留传统的两指宽间距设置。
