Researchers Study Bit-Induced Trauma

Bits that do not fit properly, are aggressive, or used incorrectly can cause damage to horses’ mouths, researchers said.
Share
Favorite
Close

No account yet? Register

ADVERTISEMENT

It might seem obvious that placing a hard object in a horse’s mouth while he’s exercising can cause some level of discomfort, but until now we had little data describing the exact type or severity of such occurrences. Researchers recently looked 100 horses in the mouth to better understand bit-induced trauma.

“Bits that do not fit properly, are aggressive, or used incorrectly can cause damage to a horse’s sensitive mouth,” says Fernando Mata, MSc, from Newcastle University’s School of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Development, in Tyne and Wear, United Kingdom. “Signs of bit-induced trauma or discomfort include pain on palpation of the oral cavity, facial neuralgia (damaged facial nerves), and avoiding the bit.”

In a recently published study, Mata and colleagues also noted that prior research in this field suggested that up to one-fifth of Thoroughbred racehorses had evidence of performance-limiting oral trauma. Such trauma included damage to the mucosa (lining of the oral cavity); signs of discoloration, abrasion, or rubbing; breaks in or blistering of the skin; scarring; and bleeding.

To better characterize bit-induced trauma, Mata and colleagues examined 50 polo ponies’ and 50 Thoroughbred racehorses’ oral cavities

Create a free account with TheHorse.com to view this content.

TheHorse.com is home to thousands of free articles about horse health care. In order to access some of our exclusive free content, you must be signed into TheHorse.com.

Start your free account today!

Already have an account?
and continue reading.

Share

Written by:

Stacey Oke, MSc, DVM, is a practicing veterinarian and freelance medical writer and editor. She is interested in both large and small animals, as well as complementary and alternative medicine. Since 2005, she’s worked as a research consultant for nutritional supplement companies, assisted physicians and veterinarians in publishing research articles and textbooks, and written for a number of educational magazines and websites.

Related Articles

Stay on top of the most recent Horse Health news with

FREE weekly newsletters from TheHorse.com

Sponsored Content

Weekly Poll

sponsored by:

How much time do you usually spend grooming your horse?
439 votes · 439 answers

Readers’ Most Popular

Sign In

Don’t have an account? Register for a FREE account here.

Need to update your account?

You need to be logged in to fill out this form

Create a free account with TheHorse.com!