It’s left handers awareness day, so we thought we’d say a big hello to all our of left-handed customers and take a moment to think about left and right-side dominance in horses at the same time.
While it’s widely accepted that horses also naturally display right or left dominance, commonly referred to as laterality, a narrative review paper published in June of this year suggests that may not be the case after all. Laterality can often be noticed as the following:
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A very slight curve to the spine, viewed from above with the inside of the curve being the stronger side.
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Fidgeting or reluctance to pick feet up on the weaker side, particularly when held for longer periods of time such as when the farrier visits.
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Preference to strike off on one canter lead over the other.
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Bending more easily to one side or the other when schooling or showing difficulty managing smaller circles on the weaker side.
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Taking longer to yield to rein pressure, or give to the rein, on one side.
However, whether these differences are due to a natural, neurological predisposition (as in humans) or other structural, anatomical or learned responses is, according to the paper, unclear. Does a neurological predisposition lead to horses preferring one side to the other mean that they become relatively stronger on one side, or do physiological or psychological factors lead them to be stronger on one side which then results in a preference? We’d love to hear your thoughts!
Any asymmetry in conformation, whether the rider is stronger on the right or left sides or any physiological asymmetry in the rider, always mounting and leading from the left and so on can all lead to compensatory movement in the horse and will, over time, strengthen muscles on one side more than the other. Similarly, a very slight lameness or stiffness on one side may result in altered movement and uneven muscle use. While these initial factors may be tiny, as certain muscles are used more than their counterparts, they will become ever so slightly stronger. As using the stronger muscles is easier for the horse than using the weaker side, they will preferentially use those muscles repeatedly so although the initial reason for the preference could be barely perceptible the issue is likely to become more pronounced over time. Whether the issue starts as a natural neurological predisposition or is due to structural, anatomical or other physiological or learned factors is, according to the review paper, still a question mark.
Regardless of the initial reason, making sure to work horses evenly on both sides both from the ground and with ridden work, perhaps with a little more patience required on the weaker side. Stretching exercises pre and post exercise will also help maintain bilateral flexibility, while regular farrier and physio visits along with tack fit checks will also help identify and rectify any issues with comfort, symmetry and balance before they can escalate.
For any science-lovers, the paper is open access and can be found by clicking on this link - https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/15/3/288.
