Facial hair whorls (trichoglyphs) and the incidence of motor laterality in the horse.
Abstract: Several species demonstrate obvious motor laterality (sidedness, handedness) in their motor function. Motor laterality in the horse affects locomotion and subsequently equine performance during training and may have inherent safety implications for equitation. Some of the most commonly used identification features in the horse are hair whorls (trichoglyphs), since their specific location and character vary to some degree in every horse. We investigated the relationship between the hair flow of single facial hair whorls and the incidence of lateralised motor bias in 219 horses when under saddle in ridden work. The horses exhibited significant differences in motor preferences with 104 left-lateralised (LL) horses, 95 right-lateralised (RL) horses compared to only 20 well-balanced (WB) horses (chi(2)=36.9, d.f.=2, P<0.01). There was also a significant difference in the frequency distribution of single facial hair whorl patterns in the horses consisting of 114 horses with counter-clockwise (CC) whorls, 82 horses with clockwise (C) whorls and 23 horses, which had radial (R) whorls (chi(2)=38.87, d.f.=2, P0.001). The RL horses had significantly more C facial hair whorls and the LL horses had significantly more CC facial hair whorls than would be expected purely by chance alone (P<0.05). The findings may provide trainers with a useful tool when attempting to identify simple, non-invasive and reliable predictors of motor laterality in the horse. Furthermore, given that efficient targeted training of performance horses during ridden work may produce WB equine athletes, the findings could assist trainers when designing individual-specific training programmes for young horses.
Publication Date: 2008-04-11 PubMed ID: 18511219DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2008.03.006Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary
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This research indicates a correlation between the pattern of facial hair whorls (trichoglyphs) and preferred side of movement (motor laterality) in saddle-ridden horses, which could be a useful tool for trainers designing targeted training programs.
About the Research
- The study focuses on motor laterality in horses, an attribute that can affect movement, performance during training and safety during horse riding.
- This laterality is compared to the unique formation of hair whorls, or trichoglyphs, on the horse’s face. Trichoglyphs are commonly used for identifying individual horses since their location and character differ in each horse.
The Study Sample
- A total of 219 horses under saddle were involved in the study.
- The researchers looked to establish a relationship between the direction of single facial hair whorls and any subsequent lateralised motor bias in these horses.
- The study sample consisted of 104 left-lateralised (LL) horses, 95 right-lateralised (RL) and 20 well-balanced (WB) horses.
- Regarding the distribution of facial hair whorl patterns, there were 114 horses with counter-clockwise (CC) whorls, 82 horses with clockwise (C) whorls, and 23 horses with radial (R) whorls.
Key Findings
- There was a notable difference in the motor preferences of the horses, suggesting a significant association between motor behavior and facial hair whorl patterns.
- Left-lateralised (LL) horses significantly had more counter-clockwise (CC) facial hair whorls and right-lateralised (RL) horses had significantly more clockwise (C) facial hair whorls. These tendencies weren’t random, but represented statistically significant correlations.
Implications of the Study
- The findings could help horse trainers and handlers to predict the preferential side of a horse according to its facial hair pattern. This is a non-invasive and straightforward method they might find useful.
- Understanding each horse’s lateral preference can assist trainers in designing specific training regimes or correction programs, especially for performance horses. The primary goal could be to develop a well-balanced equine athlete, and this predictive tool could help to accelerate the process.
Cite This Article
APA
Murphy J, Arkins S.
(2008).
Facial hair whorls (trichoglyphs) and the incidence of motor laterality in the horse.
Behav Processes, 79(1), 7-12.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beproc.2008.03.006 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland. jack.murphy@ucd.ie
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Chi-Square Distribution
- Dominance, Cerebral / physiology
- Functional Laterality / physiology
- Hair / anatomy & histology
- Hair / physiology
- Horses / physiology
- Locomotion / physiology
Citations
This article has been cited 6 times.- Kuhnke S, König von Borstel U. A comparison of different established and novel methods to determine horses' laterality and their relation to rein tension.. Front Vet Sci 2022;9:789260.
- Debeljak N, Košmerlj A, Altimiras J, Šemrov MZ. Relationship between anatomical characteristics and personality traits in Lipizzan horses.. Sci Rep 2022 Jul 23;12(1):12618.
- 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).
- Lima DFPA, da Cruz VAR, Pereira GL, Curi RA, Costa RB, de Camargo GMF. Genomic Regions Associated with the Position and Number of Hair Whorls in Horses.. Animals (Basel) 2021 Oct 10;11(10).
- Yokomori T, Tozaki T, Mita H, Miyake T, Kakoi H, Kobayashi Y, Kusano K, Itou T. Heritability estimates of the position and number of facial hair whorls in Thoroughbred horses.. BMC Res Notes 2019 Jun 18;12(1):346.
- Cully P, Nielsen B, Lancaster B, Martin J, McGreevy P. The laterality of the gallop gait in Thoroughbred racehorses.. PLoS One 2018;13(6):e0198545.
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