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Originally Posted by DSB
In all the years I've been around horses, I've never heard "dominant leg" or "dominant lead" mentioned or discussed, either by horsemen or veterinarians.
In addition, I've never observed any horse of which I suspected this was the case.
I'm just curious as to how this is determined....
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You will only notice it at the canter, but most young horses when first ridden will have a preference for one side over the other and will favour either the left or right lead, and be resistant to pick up the weaker lead. Unlike humans though, it doesn't take much to make them ambidextrous.
American TBs when they come off the track and are re trained for other careers will often require extra time developing the right lead. Some horses, like roping horses for example, are ridden almost exclusively on the right lead. Many ranch horses, being ex-ropesr, will spend their lives cantering and galloping on one lead. Granted that is human induced imbalance, but horses in natural circumstances will have a preference.
