wound | Horse Racing Free Tips

Bit-Related Injuries In Harness Racehorses

Selecting and fitting a bit to an individual horse and then using it skillfully and sympathetically serve as hallmarks of nuanced horsemanship, no matter the discipline. When mouth injuries directly related to bitting occur, even the most conscientious of horsemen are often baffled by their appearance. Researchers attempted to pinpoint the root cause of these injuries in a recent study of harness racehorses.^* Should the blame be assigned to specific bits, other pieces of common equipment, or race performance?

Researchers examined the mouths of 261 trotters, including 151 Standardbreds, 78 Finnhorses (a native lightweight draft), and 32 ponies, for bruises and wounds immediately following a race. They looked at specific bit-contact areas: the inner and outer corners of the lips, bars of the lower jaw, cheek tissue near the second premolar tooth, tongue, and roof of the mouth.

The researchers then collected information about the type of bit used for each horse, making special note of the thickness and composition of the mouthpiece. Details of other equipment were taken, when applicable, including the use of an overcheck, jaw strap, or tongue-tie. Past racing history was mined from a reliable online database.

Injuries were observed in 84 percent of the horses in the study, regardless of the type of bit worn, and half of those were classified as moderate or severe. Five horses (2 percent) had visual blood outside of the mouth from the wounds.

Compared with horses wearing a single-jointed, half-cheek snaffle, trotters that wore a Crescendo bit, Mullen-mouth regulator bit, or a straight plastic bit had a greater likelihood of moderate or severe injury to the mouth. Bar lesions were more common in horses outfitted with unjointed bits. Other tack and race performance did not factor into risk for oral lesions, according to the researchers.

[Story Continues Below]

“While this study serves to highlight the physical injuries caused by bits among specific high-performance horses, it is important to note that lesions may be severe enough to hinder comfortable chewing of forages, especially if hay or chaff is stemmy,” said Catherine Whitehouse, a nutritionist with Kentucky Equine Research. This in turn could affect forage consumption, leading to diminished body condition, onset of gastric ulcers, and loss of performance.

Further, mouth pain can be a source of worry or stress for horses, even while resting. “Racehorses have a high incidence of gastric ulceration, the effects of which can be assuaged by conscientious management, which may include the use of research-proven digestive supplements,” Whitehouse said.

^*Tuomola, K., N. Mäki-Kihniä, A. Valros, and A. Mykkänen. 2021. Risk factors for bit-related lesions in Finnish trotting horses. Equine Veterinary Journal 53:1132-1140.

Study: Sunflower Seed Oil May Reduce Proud Flesh In Horses

Wounds on a horse's lower leg are notoriously difficult to heal, and often these injuries develop exuberant granulation tissue, commonly called proud flesh. This granulation tissue becomes a chronic wound, often requiring veterinarian intervention to remove the rapidly growing tissue and encourage wound healing.

Dr. Paula Alessandra Di Filippo and her Brazilian research team created a study to see if sunflower seed oil can assist with wound healing and prevent proud flesh development. They created two full-thickness wounds on the front cannon bones of eight horses to test potential wound healing protocols: On four horses, ozonated sunflower seed oil or pure sunflower seed oil was applied to the wounds on one limb and the other limb was treated with 0.9 percent sodium chloride. In the other four horses, a saline rinse was used on one limb and the others were treated with pure or ozonated oil.

[Story Continues Below]

Treatments were applied once daily on the wound area and contraction rates were measured on days 0, 3, 7, 14 and 21. At 21 days, the team found that treated wounds healed better — those treated with ozonated sunflower seed oil saw a 72 percent contraction rate while those treated with the pure sunflower seed oil contracted by 53 percent. The sodium chloride group contracted by 35 percent.

The team found that proud flesh developed only in the non-sunflower seed oil groups. The wounds using ozone oil-treatment healed on Day 25 and the pure sunflower oil group healed by Day 27. The saline group healed by Day 30. The ozonated oil significantly reduced wound size. The team determined that ozonated sunflower seed oil accelerates wound repair and prevents the formation of granulation tissue in horses.

Horse Owner Dilemma: To Bandage Or Not To Bandage?

It seems like horses injure themselves often but even with lots of practice, determining how to best care for their leg wounds can be difficult. That includes deciding whether a wound needs a bandage, or if a covering will impede the healing process.

According to EQUUS magazine, there are three main considerations when trying to decide whether to reach for the bandaging supplies:

Mobility: A wound that pulls open with every step a horse takes will heal more rapidly if it's wrapped. Though often more difficult to keep in place if over a joint like the knee or hock, a bandage is beneficial.

Depth: If the wound is so deep the underlying structures can be seen, infection is a real risk. Bandaging the wound is the best bet until granulation tissue can fill in the gap.

Proximity to the ground: A wound near the hoof on a pastern or coronet band is more likely to get dirt, manure and debris in and on it than one located higher up the leg. Additionally, if it's a hind leg injury on a gelding or stallion, there's a risk urine will splash on the cut and irritate the tissues. These wounds benefit from bandaging.

Wounds that can remain open do well when covered at least twice daily in a thick ointment to keep bacteria, dirt and insects out.

Study: Tongue Lesions Common In Finnish Trotting Horses

A Finnish study has found that 83 percent of Standardbred racehorses and 90 percent of Finnhorse racehorses have tongue lesions caused by bits, reports The Horse.

The study used 261 racehorses on four Finnish tracks and found that 84 percent of the horses had moderate to severe mouth lesions. However, only 2 percent of the horses had blood that could be seen without opening the horse's mouth.

All horses at the track were required to have an exam when the horse finished racing. The research team classified the horses into four categories based on the number, extent and severity of bruising and open wounds in the horse's mouth,

Researcher Dr. Kati Tuomola concluded that all bits could cause mouth lesions, including unjointed bits and Happy Mouth (bits with a rubber-wrapped mouthpiece) bits, whether or not blood was apparent on the horse. Bit type is the most significant factor affecting mouth lesions, with the worst lesions associated with the single-joint Crescendo bit, which places pressure on small surface areas. Horses that were raced in mild, unjointed bits had lesions on the bars of their mouth.

The study team found no relation between the severity of lesions and the horse's race placings or if the horse broke stride. The team concluded that horses that race well aren't exempt from welfare concerns. The scientists also note that 16 percent of the study horses had no oral lesions, so it is possible to race without harming the horse's mouth.