Hair whorl (horse)
A hair whorl is a patch of hair growing in the opposite direction of the rest of the hair. Hair whorls can occur on animals with hairy coats, and are often found on horses and cows. Locations where whorls are found in equines include the stomach, face, stifle and hocks. Hair whorls in horses are also known as crowns, swirls, trichoglyphs, or cowlicks. Hair whorls are sometimes classified according to the direction of hair growth (e.g. clockwise or counterclockwise), shape, or other physical characteristics. Anecdotal evidence claims a statistical correlation between the location, number, or type of whorls and behaviour or temperament in horses and other species (but see Correlation does not imply causation). There is some research suggesting that the direction of hair whorls may correlate to a horse's preference for the right or left lead and other directionality. History The theories that hair whorls could describe various physical and personality characteristics in horses have been around for thousands of years. There are references of hair whorls in the works of the Indian sage Salihotra. Bedouin horsemen used whorls to determine the value of horses for sale. One Arabian horse has been recorded with 40 whorls on his body,