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Home / Equine Research Bank / Animals (Basel) / Does Carrying a Rider Change Motor and Sensory Laterality in...
Animals : an open access journal from MDPI2022; 12(8); 992; doi: 10.3390/ani12080992

Does Carrying a Rider Change Motor and Sensory Laterality in Horses?

Abstract: Laterality in horses has been studied in recent decades. Although most horses are kept for riding purposes, there has been almost no research on how laterality may be affected by carrying a rider. In this study, 23 horses were tested for lateral preferences, both with and without a rider, in three different experiments. The rider gave minimal aids and rode on a long rein to allow the horse free choice. Firstly, motor laterality was assessed by observing forelimb preference when stepping over a pole. Secondly, sensory laterality was assessed by observing perceptual side preferences when the horse was confronted with (a) an unfamiliar person or (b) a novel object. After applying a generalised linear model, this preliminary study found that a rider increased the strength of motor laterality ( = 0.01) but did not affect sensory laterality ( = 0.8). This suggests that carrying a rider who is as passive as possible does not have an adverse effect on a horse's stress levels and mental state.
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Publication Date: 2022-04-12 PubMed ID: 35454239PubMed Central: PMC9027692DOI: 10.3390/ani12080992Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

This research article investigates how carrying a rider influences a horse’s laterality or side preference, in both motor and sensory functions. It was found that a rider enhances motor laterality strength but does not affect sensory laterality.

Research Context and Objective

  • This research emanates from an observed research gap around the impact of riders on horses’ laterality. Understanding laterality in horses is important due to their extensive usage for riding purposes.
  • The objective of the research was to probe whether the presence of a rider affects a horse’s lateral preference.

Methodology

  • The study was conducted on a sample size of 23 horses. The test involved examining lateral preferences both with and without riders.
  • The rider was instructed to give minimal aids and allow the horse free choice to evaluate the impact of rider presence on the horse’s natural tendencies.
  • The motor laterality was assessed by observing the forelimb preference of horses when stepping over a pole.
  • Sensory laterality was tested by observing perceptual side preferences when the horse was confronted with either an unfamiliar person or a novel object.

Findings

  • Using a generalised linear model, the study found that the presence of a rider increases the strength of motor laterality. This means that a horse with a rider shows a stronger preference for one side when performing motor tasks like stepping over a pole.
  • On the other hand, the presence of a rider did not affect sensory laterality. This implies the rider’s presence did not influence the horse’s side preference when confronted with unfamiliar humans or new objects.

Conclusion and Implications

  • The research concludes that carrying a rider, who is as passive as possible, has no adverse impact on the horse’s mental state or stress levels.
  • The increased strength of motor laterality in the presence of riders could have implications on how horses are trained or ridden, possibly contributing to more effective and humane horse handling methods.

Cite This Article

APA
Schwarz S, Marr I, Farmer K, Graf K, Stefanski V, Krueger K. (2022). Does Carrying a Rider Change Motor and Sensory Laterality in Horses? Animals (Basel), 12(8), 992. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12080992

Publication

Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
ISSN: 2076-2615
NlmUniqueID: 101635614
Country: Switzerland
Language: English
Volume: 12
Issue: 8
PII: 992

Researcher Affiliations

Schwarz, Sophie
  • Behavioural Physiology of Farm Animals, University of Hohenheim, Garbenstr. 17, 70599 Hohenheim, Germany.
Marr, Isabell
  • Behavioural Physiology of Farm Animals, University of Hohenheim, Garbenstr. 17, 70599 Hohenheim, Germany.
  • Department of Equine Economics, Faculty of Agriculture, Economics and Management, Nuertingen-Geislingen University, Neckarsteige 6-10, 72622 Nürtingen, Germany.
Farmer, Kate
  • Centre for Social Learning & Cognitive Evolution, School of Psychology, University of St Andrews, St Andrews KY16 9JPh, UK.
Graf, Katja
  • Department of Equine Economics, Faculty of Agriculture, Economics and Management, Nuertingen-Geislingen University, Neckarsteige 6-10, 72622 Nürtingen, Germany.
Stefanski, Volker
  • Behavioural Physiology of Farm Animals, University of Hohenheim, Garbenstr. 17, 70599 Hohenheim, Germany.
Krueger, Konstanze
  • Department of Equine Economics, Faculty of Agriculture, Economics and Management, Nuertingen-Geislingen University, Neckarsteige 6-10, 72622 Nürtingen, Germany.
  • Zoology/Evolutionary Biology, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstraße 31, 93053 Regensburg, Germany.

Grant Funding

  • XXX / Baden-Wuerttemberg Ministry of Science, Research and Culture and the Nuertingen-Geislingen University in the funding programme Open Access Publishing.

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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Citations

This article has been cited 1 times.
  1. Krueger K, Schwarz S, Marr I, Farmer K. Laterality in Horse Training: Psychological and Physical Balance and Coordination and Strength Rather Than Straightness.. Animals (Basel) 2022 Apr 16;12(8).
    doi: 10.3390/ani12081042pubmed: 35454288google scholar: lookup
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