Rubber band around a Horses Tongue??

Why is she doing this?

To keep the horse from getting it's tongue over the bit. Same reason that some TBs have their tongues tied down before a race.

Called a tounge tie.
Helps with racehorses and I guess other performance horses with their breathing.

At first its really icky to do, but I don't mind doing it now, unless the horses teeth havent been done and they are sharp =/ lol

Lol, definitely looks odd! HMM seems like they have a log going on with his tack and such, is that a bucking strap on his face??

Ok! Thanks for the answers everyone! I understand now! :P

Ha ha! Looks like Standy racing gear.

That's a tongue tie; they use them to keep the horses from swallowing their tongues or getting their tongues over the bit. If they get their tongues over the bit and the jockey pulls back, they may swallow their tongues. Naturally, this isn't a good thing. It's a common practice among racing Standies and TBs. And, before anyone asks, it does not hurt the horse.

OOOO gotcha! I see now, I was wondering if that was racing gear... I never or a second though it hurt him, nice big thick band looped once over his tongue, nahh. More for his own safety eh?

Ha ha, that wasn't directed at you so much as "that person" trolling around who is like, "OMGZ, that hurt the ponehs! Racing/Bits/Ties/Riding is CRUEL!"

And for the safety of that jockeys. It's pretty hard to get your racehorse to stop with a bit slipped under the tongue. Like trying to stop a fright train by running it into a marshmellow wall!

Icarumba! Yep, can definitely see where that would come in handy.

Wow. I have never seen anything like that. Interesting.... but I don't think I could ever do it!! Ew!!