The use of a tongue tie alters laryngohyoid position in the standing horse.
Authors: Chalmers H J, Farberman A, Bermingham A, Sears W, Viel L
Journal: Equine veterinary journal
Summary
# Editorial Summary: Tongue Ties and Upper Airway Position Tongue ties are widely used in racing to prevent horses from swallowing their tongue or obstructing their airway during exercise, yet their actual effects on airway anatomy have been poorly documented. Chalmers and colleagues used ultrasound to measure laryngohyoid positioning in twelve Standardbred horses across three phases: baseline with halter and lead, with full racing tack and bit applied, and finally with a tongue tie added. The tongue tie produced statistically significant changes in upper airway structure: the lingual process (tongue attachment point) moved both rostrally and caudally with increased depth (P<0.001), whilst the thyroid cartilage and basihyoid bone both moved higher in the neck, reducing their depth relative to baseline measurements (P=0.007 and P=0.0047 respectively). This research provides the first quantitative evidence that tongue ties mechanically alter resting laryngohyoid morphology, though whether these positional shifts improve airway patency during exercise—or potentially restrict it—remains to be investigated; equine professionals should recognise that tongue ties do more than simply restrain the tongue and may warrant further functional assessment to determine their true clinical benefit or risk in individual horses.
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Practical Takeaways
- •Tongue ties produce measurable structural changes to upper airway anatomy in standing horses, though the functional significance remains unknown
- •Current widespread use of tongue ties in racing lacks strong evidence base; results suggest they do alter airway mechanics and warrant further investigation into performance and safety implications
- •Clinicians should be aware that tongue ties are not anatomically passive devices and may affect breathing mechanics, but more research is needed to determine whether effects are beneficial, neutral, or harmful
Key Findings
- •Tongue tie application significantly increased lingual process depth rostrally and caudally (P<0.001 for both)
- •Tongue tie resulted in decreased depth of thyroid cartilage compared to baseline (P=0.007)
- •Tongue tie resulted in decreased depth of basihyoid bone compared to baseline (P=0.0047)
- •This is the first report documenting measurable changes in laryngohyoid morphology following tongue tie application