Right-nostril use during sniffing at arousing stimuli produces higher cardiac activity in jumper horses

Marcello Siniscalchi , Barbara Padalino (1) , Lydiane Aubé (1) , Angelo Quaranta

1 UNIBA - Università degli studi di Bari Aldo Moro = University of Bari Aldo Moro

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.

Domaines: Sciences du Vivant [q-bio]

Marcello Siniscalchi, Barbara Padalino, Lydiane Aubé, Angelo Quaranta. Right-nostril use during sniffing at arousing stimuli produces higher cardiac activity in jumper horses. Laterality, 2015, 20 (4), pp.483--500. ⟨10.1080/1357650X.2015.1005629⟩. ⟨hal-01154231⟩