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A comparison of rein tension of the rider's dominant and non-dominant hand and the influence of the horse's laterality

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 October 2010

Sandra Kuhnke ,
Lucy Dumbell ,
Matthias Gauly ,
Jenni L. Johnson ,
Kirsty McDonald  and
Uta König von Borstel
Sandra Kuhnke*
Affiliation:
Hartpury College, Hartpury, GloucestershireGL19 3BE, UK
Lucy Dumbell
Affiliation:
Hartpury College, Hartpury, GloucestershireGL19 3BE, UK
Matthias Gauly
Affiliation:
Department of Animal Breeding and Genetics, University of Goettingen, Albrecht-Thaer-Weg 3, 37075Goettingen, Germany
Jenni L. Johnson
Affiliation:
Institute of Sport and Exercise Sciences, University of Worcester, WorcesterWR2 6AJ, UK
Kirsty McDonald
Affiliation:
Hartpury College, Hartpury, GloucestershireGL19 3BE, UK
Uta König von Borstel
Affiliation:
Department of Animal Breeding and Genetics, University of Goettingen, Albrecht-Thaer-Weg 3, 37075Goettingen, Germany
*
*Corresponding author: s.kuhnke@arcor.de
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Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect of the horse's laterality on the symmetry of rein tension in right-handed riders. Eleven right-handed riders rode both a right-lateralized (RL) and a left-lateralized (LL) horse. Rein tension was measured during three circles of walk, trot and canter and four walk–halt transitions in each direction. Tensions were recorded continuously using a rein tension meter. The LL horse was ridden with significantly stronger mean tension in the left rein than in the right rein (1.5 vs. 1.4 kg; P = 0.0352). Significantly more tension was applied to the outside rein in a clockwise (1.4 vs. 1.2 kg; P = 0.0202), but not in a counterclockwise, direction (1.3 vs. 1.2 kg; P = 0.49). Less minimum tension (0.06 vs. 0.29 kg) and greater maximum (6.4 vs. 3.9 kg) and range of tension (6.3 vs. 3.6 kg) occurred in the left rein of the RL horse (P < 0.0001) and the right rein of the LL horse (0.37 vs. 0.08 kg, 4.8 vs. 7.4 kg, 4.3 vs. 7.3 kg respectively; P < 0.0001). The results of the present study indicate that the different utilization of both reins is likely to be influenced by the laterality of both horse and rider. These findings may have important implications for equine training, since consistency of reinforcement is an important factor for equine learning success.

Keywords

horseridingrein tensionlateralityhorse–rider interactionlearning theory
Type
Research Paper
Information
Comparative Exercise Physiology , Volume 7 , Issue 2 , May 2010 , pp. 57 - 63
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2010

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