Why do U.K. carousels always turns clockwise while U.S. carousels have always turned counterclockwise?

In Europe, merry-go-rounds (as they are most often referred to in those countries) usually turn clockwise (see photograph at top), while in North America, carousels typically go counterclockwise (anticlockwise) - looked on from above.[citation needed] One typically mounts a real horse by lifting one's right leg over the animal's back as it stands with its head toward one's left (the horse's left side is called its "near" side). Likewise for a carousel that turns anti-clockwise: one stands on the near side of the horse to mount (toward the center of the carousel, not on its outer edge).

One possible reason for carousels in the US turning anti-clockwise may be so that the rider can use their right hand to catch a brass ring. Another possible reason for the reverse direction was in rebellion to the King of England.

In Asia, carousels often go clockwise.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carousel#Direction_of_rotation