Knowledge of lateralized brain function can contribute to animal welfare.
Authors: Rogers Lesley J
Journal: Frontiers in veterinary science
Summary
# Editorial Summary: Brain Lateralization and Equine Welfare Hemispheric specialization in the vertebrate brain manifests through observable behavioral asymmetries—including eye preference, ear orientation, and crucially for equine professionals, forelimb dominance—which Rogers argues can be reliably used as biomarkers for individual stress susceptibility and cognitive bias. Left-limb-preferring horses demonstrate heightened reliance on right-hemisphere functions, correlating with negative cognitive bias, elevated fear responses, and greater aggression, whilst animals showing strong right-limb preference utilise left-hemisphere dominance and display more positive emotional processing. The strength of cerebral lateralization itself appears to confer protective benefits: horses with robust (rather than weak or ambilateral) limb preferences possess superior capacity for divided attention and demonstrate significantly lower baseline stress reactivity. This neurobiological framework suggests practical applications in yard management and handling—identifying left-limbed or ambilateral individuals as candidates requiring modified environmental conditions and techniques to mitigate their inherent vulnerability to fear-based behaviour and stress-related pathology. Understanding these lateralisation patterns equips farriers, veterinarians, and handlers with a physiologically-grounded method for early recognition of at-risk animals and tailored welfare interventions that address underlying neurobiological vulnerabilities rather than managing symptoms alone.
Read the full abstract on PubMed
Practical Takeaways
- •Assess your horses' limb preference and behavioral lateralization as a practical tool to identify which individuals are more prone to fear, stress, and aggression—these animals need modified handling and housing
- •Strongly lateralized horses adapt better to stressful situations and changes; accommodate weaker lateralization with consistent, calm routines and reduced multitasking demands
- •Use observation of which eye, ear, or limb a horse prefers to use as a low-cost screening method to tailor individual management and predict behavioral risk
Key Findings
- •Left-limb preference in horses is associated with right hemisphere use, negative cognitive bias, heightened fear, and greater stress susceptibility
- •Animals with weak brain lateralization cannot multitask and are more easily stressed than strongly lateralized animals
- •Right-limb and left-hemisphere preferences correlate with positive cognitive bias and better stress resilience
- •Lateralized behavior assessment (eye, ear, limb preference) can identify individual animals at risk of welfare problems