{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,9]],"date-time":"2026-07-09T22:28:18Z","timestamp":1783636098688,"version":"3.55.0"},"reference-count":31,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"3","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,28]],"date-time":"2026-01-28T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1769558400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Animals"],"abstract":"<jats:p>The use of horses for sport is under scrutiny due to evidence that common practices such as tight nosebands may impair horse welfare. Restrictive nosebands prevent horses from performing normal comfort behaviour such as coughing and yawning. To address these concerns, the International Society for Equitation Science (ISES) developed a noseband tightness-checking device, the ISES \u201ctaper gauge,\u201d along with a validated method that assesses how far the device can be inserted beneath the noseband at the dorsal midline of the nasal planum. However, citing concerns about the reliability of dorsal midline measurements, MacKechnie-Guire and co-authors evaluated three alternative sites: lateral to the nasal bone, the maxilla, and the mandible. They concluded that the lateral maxilla was a suitable substitute for the dorsal midline. The methods and interpretation of the findings of this study have raised concerns that measuring noseband laxity at the lateral maxilla may underestimate tightness because of the substantial volume of soft tissue at that location. This could expose horses to the welfare risks associated with overly tight nosebands. This commentary outlines the authors\u2019 concerns and offers recommendations for how future studies might address avoid the issues raised here.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ani16030412","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,28]],"date-time":"2026-01-28T15:56:12Z","timestamp":1769615772000},"page":"412","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Commentary on MacKechnie-Guire et al. Measuring Noseband Tightness on the Lateral Aspect of the Horse\u2019s Face. Animals 2015, 15, 537"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"16","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0279-8805","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Cathrynne","family":"Henshall","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Agricultural, Environmental and Veterinary Sciences Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga, NSW 2678, Australia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7220-8378","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Paul","family":"McGreevy","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Sydney School of Veterinary Science, Faculty of Science, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0052-4205","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Glenn","family":"Shea","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Sydney School of Veterinary Science, Faculty of Science, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Orla","family":"Doherty","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Veterinary Medicine, University College Dublin, D04 W6F6 Dublin, Ireland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Janne Winther","family":"Christensen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department Animal and Veterinary Sciences, Aarhus University, 8830 Tjele, Denmark"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0649-3278","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Kate","family":"Fenner","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Agriculture and Food Sustainability, Faculty of Science, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4343, Australia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Amanda","family":"Warren-Smith","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Millthorpe Equine Research Centre, Millthorpe, NSW 2798, Australia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6971-7961","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Andrew","family":"McLean","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Equitation Science International, Tuerong, VIC 3915, Australia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,28]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Lesimple, C. 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