Can anyone tell me why in westerns and race tracks horses are mounted on there left side only?

Question

I don't know if this is relivent ,but I'm a cyclist and I get on my bike the left side !

Answer 1

The tradition or custom of mounting a horse from the left, or near side, is very old- in fact, it dates to before the Middle Ages, when horses were the only means of transport. One of the other answers that has already been given is partially correct- it DID become customary for knights to mount from the left, because they carried a sword on the right hand side of the saddle and mounting on that side tended to cause the armour to become tangled. As time went on, the Chinese discovered gunpowder, and guns were invented and eventually used for combat. This meant that there had to be a means of carrying such weapons ( which were usually long barreled rifles) comfortably and safely. Over time, the scabbard that had carried the sword was replaced by one for a rifle- but its position on the saddle or horse's back did not change. It continued to be customary to mount a horse from the left, and that tradition has lived on to the present day. All horses which are raised and trained in the US and most of Europe are customarily taught to accept mounting from the left side only. This is also true in some of the Latin American countries, and in parts of Asia. There are, however, some places in the world where horses can be mounted from either side. This is like asking if horses run(race) in any direction other than to the left.The answer to that question is also yes, they do- it is common in throughout Europe and in most of Asia for racetracks to run in both directions. American tracks are the only ones in the world that only run to the left.

Answer 2

Horses are left handed. However the tradition began when dogs and horses were handled together. Dogs are lead from the left(their right) , horses from the Right(their left):Imagine the mix-up if you tried to mount up when handling a pack of dogs from the right! We also ride With the traffic as cyclists do, which in US is on the right but made sense if in Euro on the left. Another old holdover is Defence with swords and guns: : one held or used a weapon from the right hand, thus needed to be on the left of a horse to free the correct hand. The horse then acted as a big shield while the rider was grounded.
While it is true that it is more tradition then practical, the horse being mostly Left handed plays solidly into the Why. Since he weighs about 1000 pounds average, and in theory* we are smarter, we favor his handicap of left handedness.

Answer 3

It is a traditional way of mounting in equestrian sports. The left is considered to be the stronger side of a horse. In modern day riding riders are encouraged to mount from both sides as it improves flexibility for the rider and applies equal pressure on the horse's back to lessen the chance of injury.

Answer 4

in other equestrian sports we usually get on on the left side as well. however a good rider teaches their horse to be good for both sides.

in my experience, a lot of racehorses have everything done on the left. for example the track is going in a left circle, so when they come off the track they tend to always pick up the left lead unless taught otherwise by the new trainer. it could be the same thing with the mounting? i really have no clue

Answer 5

It probably goes back to the time when men who rode horses also wore a sword, and since most men were right handed, that meant that they wore the sword on the left side. Mounting the horse from the left side kept the sword out of the way of the right leg having to swing over the horse's back.

Answer 6

It's not really just westerns and race tracks... it's all horses. Generally when you learn to mount a horse, you get on from the left side. I was just thinking how difficult it would be for me to get on from the right. Once you learn to do it from the left you'd have to really work to get on from the right because you'd have to pull yourself up with your right leg and jump from your left. It's a matter of coordination and muscle strenghth.

Also, I think this has something to do with it. I was in marching band for 8 years (well I guess 11 if you count middle school)... and in every marching band anywhere, you always take the first step with your left foot and it's because your right leg is usually stronger than your left... like most people are right handed, they're also usually right footed. Bands take the first step with the left leg so that they can push off with the right leg and they'll get a strong first step. I think it might be the same with horses... you get on from the left because you can give a nice strong jump with your right leg.

I too get on my bicycle from the left... And if I'm pushing it on my left side and I want to get on, I have to go around before I can get on. It's just too awkward to do it from the right. That probably has something to do with why you get on a horse from the left too... because people originally got on from the left and that's how they learned. So they taught other people to get on from the left and once you learn to get on from that side, it would just be too awkward to get on from the right.

And I'm pretty sure the thing about the sword being on the left side is true too... because most poeple are right handed, so the sword goes on the left because pulling a sword from the right with your right hand wouldn't work. And if the sword is on the left and you get on from the right, it would get stuck under you when you sit down.

So... 1. the right leg is stronger than the left so you can jump with it easier, 2. people started getting on from the left because of the swords, 3. it's too awkward to change.

Answer 7

The custom of mounting horses and preparation them to address from the left dates decrease back centuries, to the time of the Crusades or perhaps earlier that, to feudal Europe and England. on the prompt in historic past, as lots of the different writers the following have said, the knights wore armour and carried lengthy swords- yet they did no longer have the swords on one hundred % of the time. at the same time as the sword became no longer in use, it became carried in a lengthy sheath or holder observed as a scabbard, which became connected to the pommel or the front of the saddle. The saddles that were used decrease back then bore little if any resemblence to at present's cutting-edge English or Western saddles- they actually regarded extra like the McClellan military saddle which became invented in the course of the Civil warfare than they did like cutting-edge tack does. The knights fastened and educated their horses to address from the left for functional motives- it became confusing to mount from the right, because the armour and sword ( at the same time as they wore it) tended to get snarled interior the scabbard. yet another portion of bear in thoughts is that maximum saddles did no longer have stirrups until eventually after the cave in of the Roman Empire- the stirrup became invented by the Goths, and it became what allowed them to defeat the Roman armies. it really is confusing to leap up and mount a horse from the right in case you face the probability of landing on a scabbard- and that is how lots of the early knights were given on their horses- they jumped or vaulted on. because the centuries exceeded, ultimately the chinese discovered gunpowder- and soon thereafter, the international's first rifles regarded on the scene. As those guns developed and grew to develop into extra stepped ahead, the swords gradually grew to develop into out of date- in effortless words to get replaced by rifles. notwithstanding the custom of educating horses to address from the left persevered- and it remains the favourite frame of mind to practise at present. There are some international places interior the international the position horses are educated to address from both area- yet it really is a rarity. optimistically, this solutions your question.

Answer 8

Because most people are right-handed.

However, smart people train their horses to be mounted or dismounted from either side, and train themselves too. My trainer who started me out insisted that we be able to do an emergency dismount from the horse from either side, and be able to mount from either side. She said you never know what circumstances you might encounter, so it was best to be able to use either side to mount/dismount.

Answer 9

Not sure how true this is, but I was once told that it has something to do with soldiers carrying their swords on the left side which would make it difficult to mount from the right.

Answer 10

Are you left handed or right handed?

The majority of people are right handed, so lead with their right feet / legs.

If mounted a horse from the left, you are swinging your right leg over first, which is the more natural approach to that specific person.