Horses do not exhibit motor bias when their balance is challenged.
Abstract: In many equestrian pursuits such as dressage and show-jumping, it is important that the horse exhibits the same level of balance when ridden to the left as when ridden to the right in canter - that is, to show no motor bias. It is a long-held belief within such disciplines that to reduce bias that exists in horses and thus to enhance symmetry of performance to the left and right, the horse needs to be worked equally in both directions, although there is a lack of scientific evidence of this influencing bias. There also is little compelling evidence for either the existence or absence of motor bias in unridden (and therefore younger) or ridden (and therefore older) horses. In this study, we tested whether there was a difference in motor bias between unridden (n = 15) and ridden (n = 15) horses when their balance was challenged by cantering them in circles both to the left and to the right on the lunge. As indicators of a difference in balance between the left and right and thus as indicators of motor bias, we conducted three lunging tests - time spent in canter, whether the horse cantered on the correct lead and whether it became disunited. A grazing stance test, where the extended foreleg during grazing was recorded as the preferred forelimb, was also used to compare responses in a test where balance was not actively challenged, to the three lunging tests where balance was actively challenged. No bias was found in either the unridden or ridden groups when their balance was challenged, but ridden horses exhibited a motor bias in grazing stance - when their balance was not challenged. There was also a correlation between the responses in all three lunging tests, but none between the grazing stance test and any of the three lunging tests. We therefore conclude that neither ridden nor unridden horses are biased when their balance is challenged; thus it cannot be concluded that ambidextrous training affects an inherent bias, and that estimation of motor bias in horses is affected by the test conditions. Finally, if ridden horses are truly unbiased, strong human motor bias might be responsible for the common perception amongst riders that horses are biased.
Publication Date: 2008-11-01 PubMed ID: 22444016DOI: 10.1017/S1751731108002772Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary
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The research investigates the belief that horses can show a bias towards the left or right when their balance is tested, and that this bias can be reduced by equal training in both directions. Experimental results suggest that neither ridden nor unridden horses show this bias, indicating that the perception of bias may stem from human factors instead.
Study Overview and Methodology
- The aim of this study was to understand if horses, when ridden and challenged with tasks that required balance, demonstrated a motor bias – a preference for movement towards one side.
- Thirty horses were included in this study, divided into two groups – unridden (15) and ridden (15). All horses were lunged, where they were asked to canter in circles to both the left and right. This action was used to challenge their balance.
- Three tests were conducted during lunging: measuring the time spent in canter, checking if the horse cantered on the correct lead (a lead being the leg that extends furthest in the direction of movement during a canter), and observing whether the horse remained united (a coordinated pattern of movement of the legs).
- A grazing stance test was also conducted. Here, the horse’s preferred forelimb to extend during the act of grazing was noted. This was meant to evaluate the horse’s bias under conditions where balance was not actively challenged.
Findings
- No bias was discovered in either the ridden or unridden groups when their balance was actively challenged during the lunging tests. However, interestingly, ridden horses did show a motor bias in the grazing stance test – a condition where their balance was not challenged.
- A correlation was observed among the responses across all three lunging tests, indicating a consistency in responding to balance challenges. But no correlation was found between the grazing stance test and the lunging tests.
Conclusions
- The findings suggest that horses do not exhibit motor bias when their balance is challenged. As a result, it’s not justifiable to contend that ambidextrous training (training them equally in both directions) influences any inherent bias.
- Since the estimate of motor bias in horses varied according to test conditions, it’s critical to consider the testing environment when making such assessments.
- If ridden horses are truly unbiased, as the study suggests, the common perception amongst riders that horses have a bias might be influenced more by strong human motor bias.
Cite This Article
APA
Wells AE, Blache D.
(2008).
Horses do not exhibit motor bias when their balance is challenged.
Animal, 2(11), 1645-1650.
https://doi.org/10.1017/S1751731108002772 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- School of Animal Biology M085, Faculty of Natural & Agricultural Sciences, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia.
Citations
This article has been cited 5 times.- 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).
- Schwarz S, Marr I, Farmer K, Graf K, Stefanski V, Krueger K. Does Carrying a Rider Change Motor and Sensory Laterality in Horses?. Animals (Basel) 2022 Apr 12;12(8).
- Esch L, Wöhr C, Erhard M, Krüger K. Horses' (Equus Caballus) Laterality, Stress Hormones, and Task Related Behavior in Innovative Problem-Solving. Animals (Basel) 2019 May 22;9(5).
- Haussler KK, le Jeune SS, MacKechnie-Guire R, Latif SN, Clayton HM. The Challenge of Defining Laterality in Horses: Is It Laterality or Just Asymmetry?. Animals (Basel) 2025 Jan 21;15(3).
- St George LB, Clayton HM, Sinclair JK, Richards J, Roy SH, Hobbs SJ. Electromyographic and Kinematic Comparison of the Leading and Trailing Fore- and Hindlimbs of Horses during Canter. Animals (Basel) 2023 May 25;13(11).
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