Tongue ties do not widen the upper airways in racehorses.
Authors: Barton Ann Kristin, Troppenz Anne, Klaus Dana, Lindenberg Inga, Merle Roswitha, Gehlen Heidrun
Journal: Equine veterinary journal
Summary
# Editorial Summary: Tongue Ties and Upper Airway Function in Racehorses Despite widespread use in racing, tongue ties have produced conflicting evidence regarding their purported benefits for upper airway function. Researchers at the University of Veterinary Medicine Hanover examined 30 Thoroughbred and Standardbred racehorses using dynamic overground endoscopy during high-intensity exercise on training tracks, recording measurements with and without tongue tie application whilst controlling for equivalent exercise intensity through heart rate, GPS speed and venous lactate sampling. Although the pharyngeal-epiglottis ratio increased significantly during exercise (1.11 to 1.28, p<0.01), applying tongue ties paradoxically *reduced* this beneficial widening effect (1.15, p<0.01) and had no significant influence on maximum laryngeal width or area; dorsal displacement of the soft palate (DDSP) occurred in 4 of 30 examinations with tongue ties versus only 1 without. These findings challenge the rationale for routine tongue tie use and suggest that rather than enhancing upper airway function, the practice may actually compromise the natural pharyngeal dilation necessary during peak performance. Equine professionals should reconsider tongue ties as a therapeutic intervention for respiratory obstruction, though the authors acknowledge that their study population was non-random, relatively small, and included few horses with clinical signs—limiting definitive conclusions about DDSP prevention specifically.
Read the full abstract on PubMed
Practical Takeaways
- •Tongue ties do not widen upper airways during exercise and may actually reduce pharyngeal diameter expansion, contradicting claims of improved airway function
- •Current evidence does not support using tongue ties as a therapeutic intervention to prevent soft palate displacement or improve racing performance via airway mechanics
- •If soft palate displacement is suspected clinically, alternative diagnostic and management strategies should be prioritized over tongue tie application
Key Findings
- •Pharyngeal-epiglottis ratio increased significantly from 1.11 to 1.28 between rest and full-intensity exercise (p<0.01)
- •Tongue ties significantly decreased the pharyngeal diameter expansion during exercise (1.15±0.27, p<0.01)
- •Tongue ties had no significant effect on maximum laryngeal width (p=0.09) or laryngeal area (p=0.2)
- •DDSP occurred in 4 of 30 examinations with tongue ties versus 1 of 30 without tongue ties, but sample was too small for statistical comparison