# Right or Left handed horses ?



## Knave (Dec 16, 2015)

I’ve never heard that about the hooves. I know a lot of people think that is why teaching something, like pivoting, on one side always seems a bit slower. I wonder myself though if it is our own right (or left) handed ness showing.


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## Boo Walker (Jul 25, 2012)

I've also never heard (or seen) the hoof size difference thing. Since most horses are traditionally handled, led, tacked up, mounted/dismounted from the left side, this can often give people the perception that a horse prefers one side to the other.


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## mvfjps (Jan 14, 2019)

Knave said:


> I’ve never heard that about the hooves. I know a lot of people think that is why teaching something, like pivoting, on one side always seems a bit slower. I wonder myself though if it is our own right (or left) handed ness showing.


Knave thanks for the reply. I also understand it is the reason they work better on one rein than the other...so they have a more developed side at the front and then the same at the rear but on the diagonal hoof...


So at the walk, trot and canter it should ,if what I understand is correct, a horse should work better on the left rein if he/she is left handed. However at the full gallop they work and move better on the opposite rein. hat is why some horses suit different tracks, clockwise or anti clock wise. 


The easiest way to size the hoof is around the coronary hairline.. so if the front/fore nearside is bigger then it is left handed...if offside fore then it is right handed.. ( I am from the UK so nearside and offside may be different to those from the states)
To clarify when mounted facing the same way as your mount then big right front hoof right handed. bigger left front hoof then left handed... again so I understand..


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## Foxhunter (Feb 5, 2012)

Some horses do prefer one direction to another. 
In all my years I have heard many tales about horses but never one of hoof size and certainly never noticed it. 

In the U.K. Race tracks can go in either direction and many horses run better one way than the other but with riding horses if they are ridden and handled correctly, they will be supple both ways.


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## Knave (Dec 16, 2015)

It is an interesting concept, and I do know what you are saying with the working off the rein, but I’ve never seen a hoof size difference. Maybe it is too minimal to notice?


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## Knave (Dec 16, 2015)

My horses always respond better to the right I think @Foxhunter. It’s minimal, but it is there. I figure it is based on my own release though. I’ve heard the idea of handedness, but I figure it is me since all of my horses work a bit better that way. If it were them it wouldn’t cross the board.


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## mvfjps (Jan 14, 2019)

The reason I have become aware of this left or righthandedness is I am and have been for the past 12 months learning to play polo cross and it is obviousthat some of the horses turn and pivot better on one side than the other.
 I have been informedthat they would rather pivot on their strong side, big hoof side. Then asking further came the detail of left handedand right headed horses.
And then further on tothat, which hoof should be trimmed first and then order of trimming. 
So feet can be made same size, or as close as possible. Start with the biggest front then other frontto get best balance and size. 
No matter how old I get I am constantly learning which is agreat experience… so I am sure I will continueto learn from this forum.


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## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

Horses definitely have a preference, just like we do (this is purely based on personal experience), but that's why it's important to work them well on both sides. I've never heard of the hoof size difference though. 

One thing I'd add is that my daughter recently did a science experiment with our horses to see if they could recognize basic geometric shapes (in this case, a triangle and a circle). Equal sized shapes were cut out of black paper and glued to an equal sized white piece of cardboard. Then she used clicker training to target the triangle. Our three horses went about this experiment in very different ways (our youngster was very eager and impatient, nearly busting through the carboard signs in his enthusiasm, our nervous mare took forever to decide which to choose, but got it right more often, and our older horse got cranky and annoyed). But one of the interesting aspects was that our older horse chose whichever shape was on the left more often than the one on the right (my daughter kept switching the shapes from side to side to control that variable). Why did he choose left more often even though he was not rewarded for it? First we thought it was because I was standing to the left (I filmed the experiments), so I moved to stand directly behind my daughter, but he still chose left. There was a fairly obvious preference for the left regardless of which shape was there. Is his right eye fading? Or is this induced by the fact that we handle him from the left more than the right? 

In the end, the experiment raised far more questions than it answered, which I think is fascinating.


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## mvfjps (Jan 14, 2019)

The line of thought is you size the hoof at its widest point at the coronary band hairline. At the front / fore then one hoof will be larger than the other. The rear will then have the larger hoof at the diagonal to the front... so if front left is bigger the rear right will be also. This is in general. However I have also learnt that some have the same size front so no difference and they can work on either rein just as well... again food for thought and discussion.


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## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

Wow...good topic and _WELCOME to the Forum..._
Making us all think today is good....:smile:


So, I absolutely see horses with a dominant side.
If you ever watch your horses run and play together...they definitely lead off with their dominant side in stride.
My paint horse is so dominant he will choose the wrong lead when circling in the field running loose..he looks unbalanced and uncomfortable but he chose it. :|

My Thoroughbred is more balanced and he does lead swaps every couple strides or so just to prove..."look, see I* can* do it...I don't want to do it for you _{sticks out his tongue at me}_...."
I also can see on many horses if observant the dominant side because the muscling is larger, more refined and "dominant".
It though is a fine muscle control work to work your horse on their weaker side so they compensate and become balanced...a more comfortable ride I think they become when their muscling complements side to side.
I have never heard the hoof thing either but it would not surprise me.
My horses _*do*_ have different sized front hooves...just try to buy snug fitting hoof boots and you find that out real quick...
Tape measures don't lie and my horses hooves are two different sizes by a small amount but that is all it takes with hoof boots. :|
I never noticed it with hind hooves, fronts...my horses _*can*_ lay positive claim to different size feet.
That's my shared 2 cents worth....

:runninghorse2:...


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## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

Out of curiosity I measured two f my horses around the coronet band and if there was a difference it was so insignificant I can't see why it would affect them in terms of preference
I know that I find it much easier to ride on the right rein than I do on the left rein where I have to really think about my own body placement and that has to affect anything I ride but more so the horses only I ride 
There's also the (already mentioned) impact that we put on them by mainly leading them from the left side if we encourage (deliberately or not) them to tilt their heads towards us and develop muscle memory that makes it easier for them to curve into that direction. I've had quite a lot of horses that struggled to get the idea of lungeing to the right.


I'm more inclined to think that preference that's not related to anything external is 'steered' by the same thing that makes humans left or right handed
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/why-are-some-people-left-handed-6556937/


Note - the terms 'near side' and 'off side' are the same in the US as in the UK though I think they don't get used so much anywhere as they used to be


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## PoptartShop (Jul 25, 2010)

I never heard of the hoof size thing, but it's definitely important to work on both sides equally. I think they do have a preference though, it could be true.

My horse used to feel better and be more enthusiastic going to the left at the trot. Trotting to the right was a bit more choppy and uneven, but it has gotten SO much better, I can barely tell a 'difference' anymore. I've had to work her evenly on both sides, and she had to gain muscle because she was weaker on that side. She also had a torn SI from the track which didn't help. So much better now, so it is definitely proof that if you work both sides evenly, it'll make a huge difference. One side was weaker.
I know in my case that wasn't her just 'favoring' going to the left, she was just weaker going to the right so it was harder...


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## beau159 (Oct 4, 2010)

mvfjps said:


> I ask what are anybody's thoughts on left or right handed equines?
> How to identify them, what effect does it have on their movement ?



Yes, most horses (just like humans) will have a preferred side and/or direction. Usually, certain things will be easier for them on their preferred side.


Of course, this CAN be influenced by the human. Sometimes, if a human is better at cueing the horse to the right (b/c they are right handed) then the horse will also go better to the right.


So the horse can have their preference but their way of going can also be influenced by the person riding them and their ability to cue effectively.


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## Foxhunter (Feb 5, 2012)

Of a horse has a real preference for one side and, say will be difficult to pick up a certain canter lead, it is usually misaligned somewhere. 


I am right handed yet I am very ambidextrous because I have had to be. When mucking out I would always use the pitchfork right handed so I taught myself to do it left handed. 
Clipping requires being able to work with both hands. 

It is much the same with a horse, teach them to be flexible both ways.


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## Caledonian (Nov 27, 2016)

I used to ride a retired police horse who was extremely right-handed. He’d only canter on his right leg even if he was on the left rein and, despite being medically cleared and schooled by the police and his new home, they came to the conclusion that, as long as he was happy, they’d accept it as one of his quirks. 

I’m right-handed yet my left leg is stronger and more dominant due to taking my weight during mounting. 

When I was young, I can remember my instructors explaining why the horses were handled from both sides and they insisted that we were able to mount from the offside as well as the nearside as ‘we’d never know when we’d need the skill’ and 'it helps to balance the rider’s and horse’s body. They were right, as it wasn’t something I continued and i can see how it's affected my body . 


As for ‘nearside’ and ‘offside’; I’ve always used these terms although I rarely hear them used by younger riders.


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## clydie53 (Dec 24, 2009)

Near and off are used quite often - ask anyone that drives


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## greentree (Feb 27, 2013)

My dressage teacher used to have a theory.....in her observation as a trainer, the warmbloods were usually one side, and the lighter horses another. I cannot remember which is which. I haven’t schooled in the arena in so long that I can’t even tell you which side my horses prefer.....


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## Hondo (Sep 29, 2014)

FWIW, I have read (somewhere?) that mane direction can influence right/left brain predominance which in people can influence handedness.


Humans usually have a slightly larger right foot. The shoe or boot is usually a little tighter on the right foot. So it would not be surprising for the same to be true for horses.


That said, each hoof should be trimmed according to the parameters of that particular hoof. Hooves should never be trimmed in order to make them "match". And never trimmed to straighten a hoof. Any of these type efforts will damage the bone alignment above the hoof increasing the chances of an early onset of arthritis.


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## AtokaGhosthorse (Oct 17, 2016)

Yes, like humans, horses are left or right handed. Trigger is left handed and I am right handed, yet weirdly... I right with my left hand on the reins. I guess I want my dominant hand free for important things, like eating beef jerky or drinking water. 


Trigger, to the best of my knowledge, is my only south paw. 



I too have never heard you can tell by the hooves. 



Trigger's left front hoof is no different in measurable size than his right hoof. By extension: My right hand fingers are a half-ring size larger than the left. You can't tell by looking or even measuring really. Only when I try to put my left hand rings on my right hand do I even realize it.


Whatever difference there might be, it's minuscule.


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## Filou (Jan 16, 2014)

One of my horses is very clearly right handed. He does everything better on the right side. He is handled mainly from the left as it is the near side, but he is still better at just about everything going right. 

He also has a difference in his hooves because of this, but it's a little different than what you are describing. He mainly sticks his right foot forward when eating, which leads to him having a lower heel on that foot. On his left foot he appears more clubby and his heel grows taller. Just think about the pressures being put on the foot and you will see why he is like this. Typically the club foot is smaller than the other foot. 

The mane can give some clues about dominant side, but also about other problems the horse might have. Most horses manes fall to the right, because the right side is weaker, and the horse is left handed. Most horses are left handed. My right handed horse's mane lies to the left. I've also had horses with manes that fall to both sides. 

Left handedness is why in USA race horses are run to the left. 

Most horses who are schooled and exercised are going to show little difference because their bodies are conditioned. Not to mention they are being trimmed and shod to be balanced, so foot pathologies won't be as easily noticed. 

Look at the videos of the BLM mustangs for adoption. Look at their manes, and look at how they run, and which side they are on most of the time. They haven't had training to stay centered. 

For my right handed mustang, it's not just the training to get him more even, but we also have to trim his feet often because as soon as the heels start changing in height he becomes more difficult to circle in an even circle in both directions. 

Unfortunately, for my mustang I couldn't tell you if the handedness is a genetic thing or not. 
I would suspect since majority of domestic horses are left handed that it would be related to genetics in a similar way to people. My thoroughbred's mom is a regular lefty, haven't seen his dad, but dad did well on the track so I suspect he was a lefty too. 

I am left handed and have always felt I was amazing to the left and just ok to the right, on hundreds of horses. Then I got my mustang and found that he puts me in the right spot going to the right and I help him find the right way to go to the left. I think it has helped me become a better rider to the right. 

Hopefully my experiences will help you with your search!


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## mvfjps (Jan 14, 2019)

Filou. 


Thanks for the interest and your knowledge , experience with this. It may also be useful knowing if your mount is right or left handed so to know which side they perform better on, which may be their weaker side for turning... but also which side they run better on when on a track.. all this came about as, I initially wrote, when I started to learn to play polo cross and talk went onto ability of horses to turn better on one side than the other.. then on how to see from physical appearance how to ID if a horse as left or right.. and the size of hoof at the CBN came up... all new to me ... then from that gain an advantage on the field ... thanks mvfjps


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