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Why do we mount a horse from the left2007-11-24 21:23:23

Every time I've ridden a horse, I've always mounted and dismounted from the left. I have never seen anyone mount from the right. Why is this?

Answers:

The custom and tradition of mounting and handling horses from the near, or left side, is centuries old. It dates to the time of the Crusades and Middle Ages, when knights wore heavy battle armor and carried long swords. The saddles of that era looked more like today's Western saddles than like the English saddles of today- and indeed, the modern Western saddle is an outgrowth of the saddles used by the knights. If a knight attempted to mount from the right, his armor tended to get tangled up in the sword, which was carried in a huge long holder called a scabbard. Because of this, it became customary for horses to be handled and mounted from the left. This tendency continued through the centuries to the modern era. Sometime in the 15th or 16th centuries, the Chinese discovered gunpowder, and shortly after that, guns were invented. As this new technology became available for use in combat and on the battlefield, the swords the knights carried were gradually replaced by rifles. But the tradition and custom of mounting from the left continued on, and it is still used today. There are some countries where it is customary for horses to be mounted and handled from either side, and this is also true in some of the Western sports, such as roping, but like you, I have only rarely seen a horse that handles from the right. Hope this helps.

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There really is a reason! The tradition began back when soldiers were the ones riding most often. Their swords would be attached to their left hip, and to avoid hurting themselves or their horses they would mount from the left.