Ask your veterinarian to conduct a lameness that includes both ridden and in-hand evaluations, as some issues only become apparent when the horse is under saddle. | Photo: The Horse Staff

Q.I have a 13-year-old Quarter Horse gelding that is in good health, and he is usually a pleasure to ride. He does extremely well with movement one direction, such as sidepassing to the right, but he seems very uncomfortable when I have him sidepass to the left. I was wondering if there could be some physical problem causing him pain that makes him reluctant to move to the left?

—Via e-mail

A.This is a great question. It brings up the concept that we must always rule out a medical issue as a base for behavioral issues. That is always a challenge as horses are, I believe, much smarter than many of us give them credit for, and they can quickly learn avoidance behavior