03/14/2019
We talk a lot about head and neck positions and how they affect Biomechanics... but what about how they affect a horse’s field of vision?
Horses are prey animals. Their eyes are on the sides of the head in order to be able to spot potential threats and run away (flight reflex). However, though they can see at nearly 360° around their body, distance and depth perception is more optimal in their binocular field of vision.
Binocular vision is the 65° of their field of vision when both eyes are working together. It’s the thing that helps them to judge distances to a jump or assess if something truly is a threat.
The other 285° is monocular vision, where only one eye is deciphering their surroundings.
When we restrict a horse’s head and neck position, we’re also restricting their field of vision as they need to be able to move their head and neck in order to focus on changes in their surroundings. For a prey animal, restrictions in their head carriage can be, understandably, kind of terrifying.
Allowing a horse to be in front of the vertical means they can focus on a bit more than just their feet and the immediate ground in front of them, theoretically helping them to find better relaxation as they can be more aware of their surroundings.
