Researchers found that 37% of the nearly 150 Warmblood horses they examined had at least one lesion on the nasal bone, and nearly 14% had at least one lesion on the mandible (lower jaw).
Some horses’ facial bones become abnormally thicker or thinner in the noseband and curb chain regions, creating lesions that are visible on radiograph (X ray) and can even be felt or seen, according to a study.
Such bone remodeling is not evidence of cause-and-effect but suggests horses might be damaging their own skulls “in a bid to seek comfort” under tightened tack, said Paul McGreevy, BVSc, PhD, MRCVS, MACVS (Animal Welfare), professor of animal behavior and animal welfare science at the University of Sydney, in Australia.
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