28/06/2025
💡 Rethinking "Straightness" in Horse Training
For generations, we’ve been taught that a “straight” horse is a well-trained horse balanced, responsive, and supple. But what if we’ve misunderstood what our horses actually need?
New insights remind us that asymmetry is natural, not a flaw. Just like humans are left or right handed, horses have their own motor and sensory preferences. Trying to force them into symmetry, to erase their “crookedness,” might actually create stress, tension, and psychological imbalance.
Instead of fighting their nature, what if we trained with it?
📌 Here’s what the research shows
🔹 Body asymmetry is innate and doesn’t prevent high performance
🔹 Motor laterality increases under a rider’s weight, often to the horse’s preferred side
🔹 Without balanced training, this can lead to long-term issues
🔹 Sensory laterality, like always observing with the left eye, may be a sign of stress or poor welfare
🔹 Forcing straightness may be counterproductive, increasing emotional tension and reducing cooperation
Just as with human athletes, sport horses need to use both sides of their bodies, even if those sides aren’t symmetrical
⚖️ But balance isn’t just left versus right, it’s also longitudinal, between the forehand and hindquarters
💡 And here’s the key: if the horse’s hindquarters aren’t strong enough, attempts to “correct” with the reins may backfire, causing the horse to escape laterally or resist altogether
💪 That’s why:
✅ Strengthening both sides equally
✅ Building up the hindquarters
✅ Using thoughtful, progressive training, not forced postures or premature collection, are all essential to achieving true balance
🚩 Perhaps most importantly, increasing laterality can be a welfare indicator, signalling the need for better housing, handling, or training
📚 In light of recent research, the traditional goal of straightening the horse should be reconsidered
🔸 While body asymmetry is innate, it does not prevent a horse from performing at a high level
🔸 Many methods aimed at achieving straightness, such as using extra equipment or forcing training on the weaker side, can cause stress, tension, and even make the horse uncooperative
🔸 In the worst cases, this can lead to loss of sensitivity and learned helplessness
🌍 In wild horses, motor laterality is balanced
🏠 In domestic horses, factors like age, breed, training, and carrying a rider tend to cause preferences, often to the left
👁️ Horses usually use their left sensory organs first to observe new or potentially threatening situations
⚠️ A strong left bias can signal increased emotionality or stress
📉 Long-term issues in welfare, housing, or training may cause shifts in motor and sensory laterality, linked to pessimistic mentalities
🌱 It’s time to rethink training methods focused solely on straightening and instead prioritize balance over straightness
🏋️♂️ If a horse is truly balanced, moving its hindquarters under its center of gravity, it will naturally be straight
🔄 But a horse that is simply “straight” is not necessarily balanced
🧬 Morphological asymmetry and laterality will always exist, but with correct training and muscle development, these can be minimized
💚 Ultimately, for a horse to be relaxed, responsive, and happy, training should focus on both longitudinal and lateral balance, while embracing and accepting the horse’s natural laterality
Let’s shift from forcing perfection to building partnership, for the well-being of every horse
