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Abstract
Lateralization in horses, Equus caballus, has been reported at both motor and sensory levels. Here we investigated left- and right-nostril use in 12 jumper horses freely sniffing different emotive stimuli. Results revealed that during sniffing at adrenaline and oestrus mare urine stimuli, horses showed a clear right-nostril bias while just a tendency in the use of the right nostril was observed during sniffing of other odours (food, cotton swab and repellent). Sniffing at adrenaline and urine odours was also accompanied by increasing cardiac activity and behavioural reactivity strengthening the role of the right hemisphere in the analysis of intense emotion and sexual behaviour.
The authors are grateful to Valentina Mininni and Rita Lusito for their help during stimuli presentation and the Krafft, Scandinavia® for economic support through a grant to B.P. The authors would also like to thank Dr Leanne Philpott for suggesting stylistic improvements to the text.
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
The authors are grateful to Valentina Mininni and Rita Lusito for their help during stimuli presentation and the Krafft, Scandinavia® for economic support through a grant to B.P. The authors would also like to thank Dr Leanne Philpott for suggesting stylistic improvements to the text.
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.