Why are horses' tongues tied back during races?

Answer by  oldmom (716)

Mainly it's to prevent the horse from getting its tongue over top of the bit, making it very difficult to control the horse. Also, in the heat of the race, horses may choke on their tongues. A tongue tie prevents either thing from happening.

Answer by  MELANIE39 (15)

Some horseman tie back horses tongues to keep control of the horse. Tying the horses tongue down keeps the horse from putting its tongue over the bit. The bit is the metal piece that goes in the horses mouth that is connected to the bridle. This allows the rider to have control of the horse.