The study focuses on the relationship between fearfulness and laterality in Lipizzaners. Fearfulness is an important personality trait in horses that influences their interaction with humans and their ability to adapt to different stimuli. Laterality is a neurobiological phenomenon in which certain functions are predominantly expressed on one side of the body and can be an important indicator of the emotional responses of horses. We investigated motor and sensory laterality and its relationship with the degree of fearfulness, age and sex of the horses. The study was conducted on 101 Lipizzan horses (stallions - 47, mares - 29, geldings - 25) in which we assessed fearfulness using three fear tests: the umbrella test, the rolling ball test and the plastic bag test. Fearfullness scores were determined using a five-point scale. Each test was carried out in two repetitions. To assess laterality, body movements, ear, head and tail movements, avoidance behaviour and first response were observed. Statistical analysis included Spearman correlations where we looked at the corelationns between fearfulness scores with age and behavior, the Kruskal-Wallis test to test for gender differences and the Wilcoxon signed-rank test for differences between test repetitions The results showed that more fearful horses were more likely to show left-oriented responses, supporting the hypothesis that the right hemisphere processes fear and negative stimuli. The effect of repeated stimuli on lateralization was only partially confirmed, as the results depended on the type of stimulus. Results related to age and gender were inconsistent across all tests. The results contribute to a better understanding of the relationship between fearfulness and laterality in horses and have practical implications for the selection, training and handling of horses.
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