Quote:
Originally Posted by thaskalos
The lead that the horse starts running on...is it because of "training", or "personal preference"? Do the horses habitually start running on a particular lead because such a running style is instinctively better for them...just as a human starts on a particular "lead" when swimming freestyle? Do horses favor a particular side of their body...as humans do?
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Horses have a natural bend that in large part results from their being "curled up" while in the womb.
The lead taken is in large part due to that natural bend.
If a horse was perfectly straight in the spine and had equally developed muscles and bones then taking either lead would occur naturally.
However, no horse is perfectly straight nor do they travel perfectly straight. One leg will reach forward slightly more than the other, and, the weight is not perfectly distributed. The unequal distribution of weight and the way of going being influenced by that and the other factors will result in one hind leg reaching more towards the center line than the other. To see this, watch a horse going away from you in a straight line and you'll see the haunches slightly to one side.
